Do you find yourself getting distracted while working? It can be easy to scroll through your phone or speak with a friend while on the clock. It has been found that these small little distractions take the average person up to 23 minutes to recover from which can be costly for businesses.
According to author Jonathan Spira, companies lose approximately 30 hours a week due to these types of interruptions.
This equals to 28 billion hours wasted over the course of a year for organizations and a $1 trillion hit to the US economy. As a business owner, it is important to think about how small distractions could be affecting your business. With all the demands on you, it is important to use your time wisely so you can be more efficient with your day. Here are five ways that can help you stay focused on the job:
1. Be on the move
Studies have shown that walking for 5 minutes every hour can help boost productivity in the workplace and can help employees regain their focus. It can be easy to get caught up in calls, paperwork, and meetings, and not even realize how much time has passed.
To help solve this issue, set an alarm on your phone to remind you to get up and walk every hour.
2. Prioritize your “deep work”
Instead of juggling many tasks at once, you should consider trying “deep work”. This is the act of completely immersing yourself in a task without any interruptions versus playing the task-switching game. By practicing deep work, you should see better results during your day in a shorter time frame.
3. Limit your ambient noise
Having background noise while working can negatively affect your concentration. Ambient interruptions can potentially cause stress instead of helping you focus. Consider reducing the background noise while working or using noise canceling headphones when it is time for you to focus.
4. Block your time and batch your work
If you find it difficult to concentrate while working, you should consider the Pomodoro technique. This technique is similar to deep work; however, this method is for those that can’t devote hours at a time to a single task, but must organize their day into manageable chunks. When you find yourself needing to work on a difficult task, break out your work into short, timed intervals and pair them with short breaks. For example, work for 25 minutes, take a quick five-minute break and then work for another 25 minutes.
The Pomodoro technique has been proven to help improve your attention span while working.
5. Put your phone in airplane mode
Smartphones are definitely a productivity killer, so it makes sense that it would be recommended to silence your devices. By putting your phone on airplane mode, you will no longer be bombarded with notifications and beeps during your workday. Start by switching your phone into airplane mode for periods of time so you don’t feel tempted to peek and refresh your device.
As a small business owner, you know the importance of staying focused during your workday and how distractions can cost you. It is time for you to take charge of your schedule and environment so that you can be more efficient and devote 100% to your position.
