If you want to shine in the work place you MUST take control of the distractions to turbo charge your productivity and efficiency.

How?

Implement the suggestions below and your distraction level will drop to virtually zero:

  1. Don’t look at e-mails first thing. Do your Most Important Task first (see my last post). This is the most important one!
  2. Turn off e-mail notification.
  3. Silence your mobile phone. Put it in a drawer and don’t look at it.
  4. Put your landline phone to voicemail.
  5. Block social media access to certain times of the day.
  6. Schedule Distraction Time to check e-mails, phones, voicemail and chat to colleagues etc. Schedule Distraction time to specific times of the day, say after MIT, lunch time and late afternoon. Give yourself a time limit and then crack on again with the next important task.
  7. Close your office door / go to empty meeting room / put ear phones in and listen to music (or not, you may just want to create barrier) / wear ear plugs if necessary. Create a polite barrier to stop people distracting you.
  8. Don’t stop to chat. Either tell your co-worker you will catch up with them later or make yourself unavailable to be distracted.
  9. Work from home or off site when you need solitude.
  10. Manage your team. Don’t have an open door policy all the time, allocate specific times of the day or week that you are available for catch ups or chats. Be strict with this.

Common sense must obviously prevail here though.

Don’t alienate yourself by not talking to your colleagues and certainly don’t ignore your in box if you are expecting a super urgent e-mail.

BUT generally manage the distractions and if necessary explain your rationale to the people who need to know.

Remember

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I hope this helps you.

Gemma.

xx

Click here for a copy of my free e-book: The Happiness Revolution: Instant Happiness Volume. In the book I outline 13 ways to instantly improve your mood, now!

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