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Multi-tasking or multi-lacking?
Take our word for it or do your own research but those little things that sometimes are not even related or linked to any real problem may be the very ones that prevent you from being productive and getting things done the best way possible.
That’s right, folks, they are called distractions and they do have that one quality that you should employ to achieve your goals – constancy. If you didn’t figure out that trying to respond to emails as they come, checking out links sent via social networks, making calls that are not urgent or balancing your checkbook while working it’s highly unproductive, well, it’s high time you did.
Getting those daily distractions out of the way it what gives you rhythm because each day comes with its own tasks, challenges and priorities and having these distractions blending in perfectly may sometimes give us the impression of super-busyness. That’s why is important not to waste time and energy organizing and prioritizing things every day with every new variation in the schedule. To ease things up categorize your tasks into projects and don’t bother with minor changes.
Below we offer you a quick guide on how maintain your concentration on a single task so that you can improve your productivity much faster.
1. Discipline your time and tasks
When starting your workday stick to choosing 3 tasks you want to complete that day. They should be the most important ones that day and also you should start with the most difficult one. If you have meetings schedule them for less than an hour, so both you and the rest of participants can remain focused. If your meetings last longer take breaks. Punctuality is also a key aspect when conducting your affairs. Set time for all important tasks. When handling tasks that require a long time to complete, it’s best that you divide them into smaller tasks.
2. Maintain your priorities
This means not switching between or changing your main concerns throughout the day. Maintain commitment to what you have established. This also implies not biting more than you can chew, you know, accepting or adding supplementary tasks on account of an “I can do it” attitude.
4. Remove Clutter
Close all the apps you don’t need for your work. The less clutter you expose yourself to, the more productive you become. Don’t open your web browser or any programs unless they are necessary to your work. Clean your desk and your desktop and remove any visual clutter to help your mind stay clear.
3. Engage your tasks one by one
A clear, focused mind is much more easily obtained when not concerning yourself with the rest of the tasks, or matters unrelated to your work.
5.Don’t jump at another task before completing the first one.
And lastly, we know that shutting off those distractions may not be the easiest thing to do, especially if you have built a habit out of them, but once you do it, by all means, resist the compulsion to restore them until working without distractions becomes itself a habit.