5 Tips To Overcome Office Distractions

When your office working environment is cool enough and you love it. But still sometimes distractions can be a real challenge.

What can we do to avoid destractions are as follows.

1. Take a mid break. If people work best in short sprints, why not schedule a mid break?

Figure out what your maximum amount of focused time is—maybe it’s 50 minutes, maybe it’s 80. Set a timer and work hard for that amount of time. When the timer is up, take a short break  check your social media or fill up your water bottle.

2. Hide. Not really. But getting away from your desk or office can be a great way to get work done. Whether you shut yourself in a conference room, find a comfy chair in the lobby, work from home for the afternoon or retreat to the coffee shop down the street, escaping your office can be really empowering. Let coworkers know they can chat or email you if they really need you. Then you’re available but not around to be distracted. Then, when an impromptu pen-balancing contest breaks out, you won’t be frustrated with another distraction.

3. Get a good pair of headphones. Find a station that gets you in the zone, put on your noise cancelling headphones and get to work. If you’re sitting at your desk with your headphones on, coworkers will be less likely to try to pull you away because you won’t be able to hear them. . Besides, some studies show that music can increase productivity. It’s a win-win in combating distraction and increasing productivity.

4. Gently remind those around you. No one wants to be “that” coworker. You know who I’m talking about. The one who isn’t really in charge but feels the need to boss everyone around. But you can still remind coworkers around you that you’re really trying hard to focus. Maybe communicate to everyone early in the day that you’ll be head-down meeting a deadline today.

5. Dedicate your time and set priorities. You’re working on a project and making a lot of progress, then a phone call comes and your coworker asks for your help on a project. And just like that, your focus is shot. Dedicate your time to one project instead of chasing whatever pops up or responding to every email right away. Your email can wait for an hour until you hit a good stopping point. A coworker can schedule time with you a little later in the afternoon. Block out your time and dedicate yourself to each responsibility.

Andrew S

Andrew S is a HR Go-To Person and a Blogger at ActiveHR.io. He is currently pursuing his Master's degree in digital journalism. He graduated with majors in journalism and English literature.