5 Strategies For Managing Distractions and Keeping Your Daily Productivity High

Distractions can seem so impossible to avoid. Even with a strong desire to stay on task, most people still catch themselves scrolling through social media, grabbing cell phones at the slightest sound of a notification, or gist away the time with friends that drop by their desks when they should be working on a task.  The inner worry that we might be missing something important is the common reason most people yield to distractions. 

Distractions impede personal productivity. and promote mediocrity their fire should be  avoided

How do we avoid distractions? We cannot control distractions. What we can control is our behavioral response to them. 

Let's consider strategies for managing distractions and keeping your daily productivity high. 

Prepare your mind 

Nothing can successfully distract you without your permission. Remind yourself of the importance of your task and the potential consequences if left uncompleted at the right time frame. Choose the right environment that signals you are serious about the job at hand.  Don't place yourself in front of the Tv or places where there is a constant bombardment of distractions when doing serious work. It will overwhelm your resolve and you will yield to the distraction eventually. Make up your mind to work, put away sources of distraction as much as you can, and get down to business. 

Use the mute button

Mute notifications on phones, emails, and messaging systems when you’re on an important task. Set your status to " busy ", block off meeting times, and let people around you know you are busy for that period. Create a simple and polite message that wards off people who may want to constitute a distraction to you. 

Create a compelling deadline

When people are up against a deadline, they suddenly develop a disciplined focus and cut off all forms of distractions. Create a deadline for all your important tasks. To make it even more compelling make the deadline shorter than the actual deadline. When you know you have to deliver on a task you'll find the need to do the extra to eliminate distractions. Shorter deadlines give you a  greater sense of urgency that empowers you to surmount challenges including distractions to complete a task within schedule. To avoid distraction give yourself a shorter time frame to finish your work. It makes you hold yourself accountable. 

Redirect your thoughts

According to a Harvard study, we spend nearly 50 percent of our waking time thinking about something other than what we're supposed to be doing, The key to eliminating distractions and increasing your focus and productivity is to notice when your mind is drifting away and draw it back on task. This requires paying attention to your thoughts and filtering away thoughts that provoke distractive behavior. 

Create break time

The power of distraction is in the feeling that you are missing something important. This feeling ignites the curiosity that draws you away from important tasks. To help yourself overcome this, create a break time that allows you to have room to satisfy your social needs. Apart from helping you to rejuvenate, taking a break to attend to friends and family, replying phone calls and messages, and everything in between enables you to resist distraction. This is because you are already aware that there is enough time to catch up later. 

Summon the courage to try the above tips and you will most likely record some progress in your distractions management and daily productivity.