Maintaining Focus And Resisting Distractions At Work

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Lars Schroeder, One of Thousands of Performance Coaches on Noomii.

Maintaining focus in the workplace is one of the greatest challenges in the age of social media and constant informational overflow. We are living in a culture that is driven by instant gratification and where patience quickly becomes a long lost skill that is no longer appreciated but rather look down upon. The benefits of maintained focus and resisting distractions, however, are immense and more often than not part the successful and fulfilled from the unsuccessful and miserable. The penalty of giving in to those distractions is procrastination and let us be honest here, who enjoys procrastination? If you are a high achiever and high-performer you most likely condemn procrastination and you want to maximize your productivity.

There are different definitions of productivity out there but the one that resonates with me the most is the following: “Productivity is defined by maximum results in minimum time”

If you are familiar with the 80/20 rule you know that it also finds its application with productivity. 20% of the time you dedicate to work focused and maintaining this focus will be more productive than the 80% of the time you try to push through your project or task just because.

In my experience, there are three key factors that help increase focus and maximizing productivity.
Here are three keys to maximize your productivity and eliminate distractions for maximum results at your workplace.

Key #1 – Know The Outcome You Are After.
Having a clear outcome means knowing exactly what you want to achieve by the time you put down the pen or shut off your laptop. This also means that you do not start any task or project without being clear about your objective and about what you want to have accomplished once you are done for the day. Being crystal clear helps your mind to redirect the focus towards the solutions and opportunities that will help you to finish your project in the most effective way.

Key #2 – Eliminate All Distractions and Interruptions
Before you start working on your project or task make sure that you communicate with your immediate surrounding that you do not want to be disturbed for a certain period of time and even if it is very urgent you will get back to it as soon as you have finished your task. Respect yourself and your time and be strict about it.
Make sure you turn off your phone and close the door to your office or whatever room you are in. If you are working in a shared office you might consider buying a pair of noise-canceling earphones to be able to have maximum focus. If you do not have to be on the internet make sure you disconnect yourself from the WiFi and if you need the internet make sure to disable all notifications or chats. This is the no email or message zone!

Key #3 – Dedicate a certain amount of time to your task and don’t overdo it.
Having a set timeframe for the amount of work you want to accomplish right at this moment in regards to the task or project is critical. You want to make sure that you do not work on the task longer than the timeframe you have set yourself for it. For example, you might say that for this report you will need about 45 minutes to read it and draft a response to it. Then set yourself the timer for exactly 45 minutes and after 45 minutes you will stop, especially if you are only halfway through. So in short, to maximize your productivity allocate time to your task and stop when the time is over. This allows your mind to set itself for the certain timeframe and you will have a great foundation to improve on and increase your work output by decreasing the timeframe you allow yourself from time to time.

As helpful as these techniques are they are obviously not only useful for the work environment but also for your hobbies and increasing your personal skill level in any subject or topic. Whether it is improving your skill in poker, cards or sports. You can use those three keys to maximize your results in minimum time if you put in the effort and dedicate yourself to it.