7 most distracting things in the office and how to deal with them

Sad but true: on average, people prokrastiniruyutHow to stop procrastinating - now 4 hours a day. Sitting at work, in fact, we useInfographic: How Much of Your Workday Do You Spend Actually Working? only 60% (or even less) time to perform important tasks, and otherwise engage in this nonsense.

In 2008, Dr. John Taylor created the term "hronofag" (ie, "time eater"). And to control your workflow, you need to know the enemy in the face.

Distractions in the office

1. Email

The average office worker receives 88 emails a day and checksThe Way You Check Email Is Making You Less Productive mail during that time about 15 times. Checking e-mail box - a kind of ritual, with which most people begin their work every morning.

But in fact it is a continuous procrastination. Raking deposits letters, we feel that doing something useful, but the truth is that it only distracts us from the really important tasks.

2. Social networks

All we need internet in the office for work. However, the staff love

The State of Workplace Distractions Network and use for personal purposes. For example, to hang out in social networks.

28% of employers interviewedHow using social media can get you fired resource CNBC.com stated that fired his subordinates for abuse of social networks and online shopping during working hours. So entertainment on the Web are not only distract your attention, but also can cause loss of work.

3. Coffee breaks

Do you like the middle of the working day to drink some coffee with colleagues? I bet it is. Coffee breaks are helping to establish contact with others, and in general just pleasant.

The average employee spendsIs a tea break at work good for productivity? 24 minutes a day for cooking and raspivanie tea or coffee. Add to this more and mandatory conversations with other employees, without which no cost, no tea party. A terrible waste of time.

4. Meetings and conferences

Working in an office, you probably will constantly attend all sorts of meetings and talks and participate in many discussions. While such measures are necessary and often they are frighteningly inefficient.

provedYou waste a lot of time at workThat people spend about 31 hours a month for meetings and conferences. Just imagine how useful can be done during this time.

5. Colleagues

In remote work It has its disadvantages, but that's a definite plus - the silence and solitude. In the office, you do not have this luxury. Colleagues around you - one of the main distractions, especially because you can not influence them.

Your colleagues may be irritated by their endless talk, loud music, chatter on the phone or nasty habits like chewing stationery. And they love to distract you in the midst of work. What kind of general state of flux can I say?

6. Noise

The noise level in the environment significantly affects our productivity. And in the office full of his sources: equipment that emits loud signals, street sounds from windows and talkative colleagues. According toSection III: Chapter 5 National Institute of Safety and Health US, the noise in the workplace can improve stress level and cause anxiety.

7. Hunger

Nutrition affects not only your physical but also mental health. Therefore starve yourself in the workplace should not be. You may find that taking a break for lunch, you are wasting precious time, but it is not. Hunger negatively affects your ability to focus and concentrate, which reduces productivity.

Ways to deal with them

1. Organize your workplace

Mess on the desktop can cause stress and reduce your productivity. So try to secure acceptable working conditions.

Office workers on a daily basis creates a huge number of files: notes, reports and presentations - in all this chaos is easy to get lost. Organize it all in: spend some time on the data ordering, but then will be guided in them instantly. Productivity guru David Allen, for example, recommends to restore order in the papers GTD system his authorship. But you can develop your own and - most importantly, that it is convenient for you.

2. Take care of the sound insulation

Employees discussing important issues by phone, can greatly interfere with colleagues, even if they say very quietly. Therefore, if you have your own office, provide reasonable sound insulation in the workplace, and the performance of your subordinates will increase significantly. And you can create a special room in an isolated place to talk on the phone.

If you are an ordinary employee, buy a headset or earplugs to protect against a little bit of noise around you. And spare colleagues leave office when answering calls.

3. Less frequently check e-mail

Check your e-mail two or three times a day, no more. Configure pop-up notifications so that they do not distract you while you work. The researchers foundChecking email less frequently reduces stressThat those who are less likely to check email less prone to stress.

4. videoconference

Suppose that 23% of respondents7 Crazy Stats About Office Productivity CareerBuilder resource office staff and consider the conference a waste of time, yet without joint discussion of the operating time can not do. To keep in touch with colleagues and at the same time not too distracted, hold video conferences. This is much better than the general meetings in any office, which still have to walk, to drop everything and wait for the others.

In a studyWHAT REALLY HAPPENS DURING YOUR CONFERENCE CALLS (INFOGRAPHIC) Company Highfive 94% of respondents confirmed that replacement of traditional videoconferencing meetings to help them increase productivity. During these meetings people are less bored and stay more focused, and time that communication format is much less. You do not need to break away from his place, to hold a meeting with his colleagues, and in parallel, you can continue to work.

5. Keep track of what you spend time

Often, taking up a specific office tasks, we spend it on more resources than it deserves. To become a more productive use of time tracking application. So you know when you engage in this nonsense, and when - useful things. There are many free toolsTo help you control it.

6. Take a break every 25 minutes

You should not work for wear: it is not profitable in the long run. From overwork your attentiveness and ability to concentrate is reduced. Take breaks to take a break from work, but breaks controlled - or run the risk of losing precious time.

To decide when to take a break, take advantage of technology Pomodoro. This method is recommended to do a five-minute break after every 25 minutes of hard work. This way you will effectively spend time working and do more things. You can use the timer to remember when to rest and when to work.