Emails, notifications and chats can be a distraction at work. There are also the interruptions caused by colleagues who want to talk.
Finding ways to avoid distractions is an ongoing challenge and if you thought remote working was any more accessible – think again. Kids, partners and pets can be added to the list.
Stress and frustration
Distractions constant are not only counterproductive. Stress can be caused by distractions. UCI conducted a study about work distractions. It found that workers lost time and had to work faster. There are therefore more mistakes and admissions as well as a personal cost, including frustration, impatience and unhappiness.
You need to be in control of your life and work. As you learn to manage your new response to intrusions, you will also need to teach colleagues, family and friends the new boundaries.
Putting rules in place may seem unfair, particularly where your family is concerned while remote working – however, you can do it diplomatically. Manage your time if you want to avoid feeling tired, overwhelmed, or unfulfilled.
Here are some tested and proven strategies to help you stay focused until the very end on your task.
How to Avoid Distractions
Distractions Video conferencing, also known as video calls or video emails, are often used to cover up the truth. The positive aspect of video calls is that they are usually scheduled meetings. You can schedule a meeting if you want to avoid constant interruptions.
Please reply as soon you are able, but not immediately
It is important to reach a state of asynchronous communications, in which your network knows that you will respond when you are able to rather than instantly.
Introduce a communication process that requires everyone to understand the importance of actionable items, deadlines, and a clear understanding. So, everyone, including your colleagues, clients and family members, will know when they can expect a reply. Here is a guide on how to respond. turn your team communication asynchronous.
Prioritize your priorities
To be able to control when and where one works, even without distractions, it is necessary to improve your self-management.
Self-management
You’ll also need a space and an environment that will allow you to formulate clear goals.
Self-management involves being result-oriented. With self-control you are aware of your actions and how you spend your time.
You will always be aware of what is required to accomplish a task, and how you have achieved it. In addition, you always want to be better so you ask if it was done within budget and on time. You’ll want to know whether all stakeholders are satisfied with the results and were involved. You can use the information you gain from reviewing your process to make daily life easier.
Goals
Setting goals is the key to self-management.
You will be more motivated to reach your goals if you set them yourself, but it is also important to improve your time management. 🙂
Time management
We can always improve the way we do things. It’s not necessary to be rigid every minute of the day. However, it is important to prioritise certain tasks that must be completed before others. Don’t forget that you need to take time to unwind and relax when planning your day or week. Here are a couple of ways to improve time management.
- Plan your day.
- Time limits for tasks
- Do you need help with your tasks? If you can, delegate to others. This will allow you to spend your time on what you want to do.
- Stick to your routines and habits
Set boundaries
Set expectations and boundaries in your workplace or home office to be more productive. more productive . If you are constantly interrupted at work by co-workers, you can create a signal to let others know that you are busy.
At home, take yourself off to a home office where you’ve got a ‘closed door’ policy. You can tell your family that you don’t want to be disturbed during certain hours.
You will be more committed to your self-management when you are spending time with others or completing a task. It’s not pleasant to be with someone in person who doesn’t have your best interests in mind.
Turn off your cell phone
You can also turn off your phone or use the airplane mode to prevent interruptions. You’ll also be less likely to use your phone between tasks to check for messages. You could, for example, set up a filter that only allows certain numbers to reach you and blocks all others.
Final Thoughts
To avoid distractions while working, it is important to form good habits. Set boundaries and rules for your communication and interactions during scheduled working hours.
Your plans will guide you in achieving self-management. Create daily, weekly and monthly schedules for the important actions, while leaving time to do urgent or ad hoc things that will make your day more rewarding.
