Work Distractions No More!
Work can be very boring. Even if you are doing something you love, we all crave some type of distraction during those long weekdays.
Digital Distractions
The Internet is my number one source of distraction. There are endless ways I can waste hours of my day. Social media, such as twitter, facebook, and email have become the most popular among professionals.
In fact, research shows that office workers are interrupted roughly every 3 minutes, with distractions coming from both digital and human forms. The more startling fact of the study is that it may take someone up to 23 minutes to refocus themselves. Twenty-three minutes is an absurd amount of time to be unproductive, especially if this process happens numerous times a day, as the study suggests.
Other Distractions
Besides the digital distractions, other distractions can stem from hunger, friends, relationship woes, vacation, and general internal discussions we have with ourselves. When work is monotonous, our minds tend to drift off and think about random things. If you struggle from any of the above listed distractions, the Huffington post has some great tips on how to end those distractions.
Tips on How to Avoid Distractions
I like to pride myself on the fact that I’m pretty good at avoiding distractions. Obviously, I still get sidetracked, but I’d like to think that I’m not interrupted every 3 minutes.
First, I hide my phone. If I can hear my phone buzzing while I work, I will immediately stop working and answer it. Put your phone in another room, if you can. If you can’t, I suggest putting it on silent that way you can see who is calling in case of an emergency.
My secret weapon to staying on task is this amazing computer application ironically called SelfControl. SelfControl is an awesome app for Macs that lets you block distracting websites for a specified time. For example, I love Facebook, but I know I need to write this post, so I open my SelfControl app and type in block Facebook for 2 hours. Even if I want to distract myself, I can’t.
Regardless of whatever methods you use, allow yourself to be distracted at times, but know when it is time to settle down and focus on work.