Individuals often complain about distractions at work. Now with this lockdown, it is a constant battle for those working from home. It comes with its own set of disruptions and distractions.
For me, there are days when Spectrum internet speeds in my area are working nonstop and without any lag, and I am fully focused on my work. Then one ring at the doorbell and I lose my concentration! However, I realized that it is upon me to decide how not to let these distractions get to me. Therefore, I started adopting the following:
Setting Milestones
You cannot improve work performance if you do not set milestones that you wish to achieve. These milestones do not necessarily have to span over 5-10 years. Begin by setting a daily goal that you would like to achieve. And tell yourself that no matter what, by the end of the day you will get the task done.
These milestones can incorporate your personal goals as well. You should include them in your professional goals. As they might be two different sets of goals but they affect each other. Do not shy from being bold while setting these daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly goals. After all one has to dream big to achieve big.
Plan and Prioritize
Planning is one of the most essential elements in everything that you decide to do. You should strive to organize and plan your work-related tasks as well. Only then will you be able to perform them based on their level of priority. One cannot improve work performance if he is not aware of the pending and fore coming tasks.
The best way to go about it is by maintaining a folder. Break down your tasks and projects into smaller chunks so that you do not get overwhelmed by having a look at the mountain of tasks you are to perform. This will make things manageable for you as well. Combine essential and the most urgent tasks and perform them first.
Also, do not aim at achieving more than you can in a day. Be reasonable when preparing your to-do list. Overburdening yourself will only make matters worse. As the inability to complete the planned tasks for the day will leave you disappointed.
Plan Your Meetings
Planning is not only an essential part of your daily tasks but plays a crucial role in your meetings as well. I agree that meetings are a powerful source of communication and connection. However, often the content said and shared in the meetings gets misunderstood as well. Hence, the suggestion to plan all your meetings well before time.
Sometimes it so happens that a meeting that you are planning in your head is not needed in the first place. Here are a couple of tips for you to schedule your meetings well
- Ask yourself the question that whether this meeting is necessary before you send out the invites
- You should ensure that everyone is available at the time that you choose for the meeting
- Provide the attendees with all the details that they need to be aware of for pre-preparation
- Be well-prepared with all the facts, figures and documents
Difficult Tasks First
When you plan and list all your tasks for the day on your planner, you should prioritize and conquer the difficult ones first. His will help ensure that you do the difficult bit when you are fresh and energetic. He other tasks can wait. You will notice that you will improve work performance by incorporating this strategy into your daily routine.
Manage Interruptions
Whether you are in your office or working from home, you will have to manage all the interruptions yourself. From putting your mobile on silent to turning off the notifications, it is all in your hands. Adopting these habits will ensure that you do not get distracted that often when you are working. Distractions can lead to delayed work. This can leave you depressed by the end of the day.
Even if your mobile is not a distraction, do not log into various shopping or entertainment sites from your laptop as well. We all know how harmful can that be. One ends up spending hours on these sites only to realize that he did not do anything productive that day.
You will have to deal with more distractions if you are working from home. As the whole ambiance does not support the ‘work’ motive. Therefore, I would suggest that you make a little work corner in your house so that it keeps reminding you that you are at work. Dress up as you would for office otherwise to remain in the feels. And make sure that you subscribe to the best Internet service. Ever since the lockdown, I thank them by dialing Spectrum number for suggesting an upgrade of my service package. There hasn’t been an issue as yet but even if I faced the slightest inconvenience a call to the rep and the issue is resolved within minutes.
Let us know how you are managing work without sacrificing productivity. What has been the biggest challenge? Do share in comments.
