Monday, January 30, 2017

2 Ways to Get More Done Starting Right Now



There's a lot of distracting stuff going on in the world today. It can be difficult to concentrate on work when your co-workers are loudly discussing the latest political news or your email box is filling up with urgent messages from political groups.

But your job is important because without it you can't pay your bills. That's why you have to find a way during the workday to turn off such distractions and quiet the turmoil so you can do your job.

It's not easy, I know. I'm hit with the same distractions every day, and sometimes I don't even know that my mind is wandering until I've spent 20 minutes staring at the same sentence in a report.

Here are two ways that experts have told me can help get your brain back on track when you're being hit with a lot of outside distractions:

1. Acknowledge your distractions. Every time you find yourself distracted, mark it down. This can be on a piece of paper -- just a small note to show that you're off task. Then, say to yourself: "What am I supposed to be doing right now?" and get back to it. This will help you to understand how often you get off task and help you develop greater focus.

2. Go for quality. Instead of trying to answer emails, make phone calls and water your ficus all at the same time, choose one thing and do it well. It will be stressful at first, but over time you will begin to feel a greater sense of calm when you do things in a more deliberate way. Do one thing and do it well before moving to the next task.

That's it. Don't try to take on more than that right now. There are tons of great productivity tips out there, but if you tackle just these two things beginning today, you'll find that you develop your concentration muscle so that you're less distracted and turning in better quality work.

1 comment:

Emily said...

I absolutely agree with writing tasks down. Distractions seem so commonplace with all the various communication channels and being connected 24/7. I'm planning my days hourly at the moment and it helps a great deal!