Are you tired of spending more time dealing with emails, messages, phone calls or random items which has nothing to do with productivity. It may feel to be helping sometimes, but it never really is.
Following are a few ideas to deal with distractions and start working.
Get a good headphone
Wearing a headphone is an universal sign for ‘Do Not Disturb’. To be more obvious, choose a larger one, better with noise-cancelling feature. Even if you do not want to listen to music, you can still block out the ambient noise and get to work.
Have a email routine
Create a routine when you are going to check emails. Twice a day is a good timeline. Manually check emails only twice a day, and quit the email program during any other time of the day. It’s better if you tell about this routine to everyone. Make sure to turn off any background notifications, so that they don’t distract you.
Have a Spam Filter
Even with many legislations, spam isnt going to get away. While most email providers have their own spam filters, it’s preferable to use a server side spam filter, which keeps you one step ahead.
Assign hour slots for Messaging
Instant messaging has took over our lives, and we can’t completely get rid of it. But we can control when we use it. Have a particular block of time allocated for messaging. It;s better to overlap it with the email time.
Keep your Phone in Check
The phone is like a digital dog leash. You need to silence your phone during work. You should also not try to check for messages or notifications during work. That should only be done on a break. The mobile phone is only convenient when the phone is under our control, and not the other way around.
Eat Outside of Work Desk
Eating lunch on the desk, or with colleagues is easily going to pull you into work one way or the other. Better to eat outside of office. And without the mobile phone.
Be an Early Bird
Most people avoid starting work early. You can use this to your advantage, and start work before anyone else. This would mean that you can start your day with lesser distractions. Also reducing the late night work.
Clear the Desktop
Having a hundred icons and links on the desk beg for your attention all the time. Clean those up, and you should have a less distracting desktop to work on.