Managing distracting administrative tasks

The average employee is getting interrupted 50 to 60 times per day, and most of these interruptions are unimportant. So, how do we avoid distractions in the office in order to take control of our days, do our best work, and improve our emotional well-being? Consider blocking out meeting-free zones on your calendar, turn off push notifications or put your phone in airplane mode, and try to find a quiet space to work. Organizations that build a culture around minimizing distractions will enjoy the compounding benefit of a focused workforce and will leave their people feeling less stressed and ultimately more fulfilled. Aside from the benefit of giving people more time for uninterrupted focus, asynchronous communication predisposes people to better decision-making by increasing the amount of time we have to respond to a request. Eisenhower, who, quoting Dr.

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Managing distracting administrative tasks

Content:

• 10 Quick Tips for Avoiding Distractions at Work
• Interruptions at work – Why are they a problem and the best ways to handle them
• 6 Common Time Wasters That Are Robbing You of Productivity
• How Distractions in the Workplace Affect Productivity
• 6 Effective Task Management Tips
• These Workplace Distractions Are Killing Your Productivity

10 Quick Tips for Avoiding Distractions at Work

One of the biggest and most long standing challenges facing employers is how to optimize worker productivity in the workplace. Given recent, highly publicized surveys that reveal only a small percentage of employees are fully engaged at work, employers are right to be concerned. The question is: what can employers do to help their employees manage distractions?

We offer some analysis and possible solutions. Busy workplaces offer a plethora of possible distractions to even the most engaged and diligent office workers. These distractions generally relate to three different workplace dimensions: physical workspace, time management, and colleague dynamics:. Depending on the workplace situation and the individuals involved, some distractions can be more disruptive and stressful than others.

In this case, the only thing management can do is to be as transparent as possible with workers. On the other hand, some sources of distractions can be dealt with relatively easily, as we discuss below. Employers must try to address various sources of distraction to the extent possible, starting with relatively easy physical plant solutions.

Lighting can be improved, and temperamental HVAC systems fixed or upgraded. If appropriate, fans and heaters can be distributed to those complaining about heat or cold. Open seating plans, originally conceived to foster collaboration while saving money—which were all the rage not so long ago—have mixed reviews these days. Various recent studies report that their drawbacks, mostly related to noise and lack of privacy, outweigh their benefits.

While it may be prohibitively expensive and otherwise unrealistic for an employer to turn an open seating area into individual offices, an open plan can be modified to mitigate noise and visual distractions. The introduction of sound-absorbing furniture and decor, including house plants adapted to office light conditions that can also cleanse the air, will help.

Noise machines can be utilized to muffle conversation and other sounds. Consider adding high cubicle walls or some other kind of privacy screening. Barraged with a constant onslaught of emails, texts, pings and group chats endemic to most workplaces these days, it can be hard for even the most disciplined worker to give their full focus to pressing assignments.

For example, it may be helpful to set aside designated times for checking email, etc. In addition, meetings should be streamlined with only need-to-know participants, strict agendas, and time limits so they become less of a timesink. Some managers insist on standing meetings to impart a sense of urgency. In any workplace, there are bound to be some challenging personalities who can be disruptive and also harm morale. Overly-controlling managers, for example, have a negative effect on employee productivity, according to various studies.

Department managers and supervisors must be chosen carefully and trained to empower their team members. Chatty co-workers can also be a workplace distraction, especially if they engage in office gossip and politics.

Curbing this behavior can be a challenge, especially since some people just like to talk. And, workplace socializing can actually be a good thing, fostering collegiality and teamwork. Management can try to mitigate problematic behavior by ensuring the chatters are fully engaged with challenging work with deadlines. In addition, co-workers can be encouraged to gently rebuff the chatters, either overtly or by donning headphones, signaling their need to focus on work.

With the rise of digital technology, there are more distractions than ever in the workplace which can make for a stressful environment which reduces worker productivity. HR and senior management must take a close look at the office dynamics and make necessary adjustments. Contact LINK for more guidance on how to minimize distractions in the workplace and improve productivity.

How Distractions in the Workplace Affect Productivity. The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace. Workplace Time Management Techniques.

Interruptions at work – Why are they a problem and the best ways to handle them

Signing out of account, Standby Distractions are inevitable, so you need a plan for all the common forms they take. Whether you're working from home, your favorite coffee shop, or in a bustling office, distractions have become a familiar fixture of the modern workplace. In some cases, specifically for creative tasks, distractions can be a good thing. That may sound counterintuitive but distractions can help us get out of a rut known as cognitive fixation.

6 Common Time Wasters That Are Robbing You of Productivity

For many of us, our workplace tools seem to breed distractions. So, how can we prevent distraction at work, where we are inundated with digital tools and the potential distractions built into them? It makes sense — the modern knowledge worker is flooded with tech tools and gadgets. What these figures really prove is that organizations are suffering from unhealthy cultures. Becoming distracted is our response to the cultural expectations we feel compelled to meet when using technology. When we hear that ping , we are motivated to instantly check it because our work culture conditions us to believe our levels of engagement and commitment are assessed by how quickly we answer emails. High-pressure work cultures combined with always-on communication tools flood employees with potential distractions and slow down the pace of work. Managing all of this in the office is challenging enough, but resisting WFH distractions is even harder. In an effort to ensure employees continue performing at the highest level, the volume of phone calls, Zoom meetings, Slack messages, and emails rises.

How Distractions in the Workplace Affect Productivity

Since childhood, our parents and teachers have advised us to spend time and money wisely. In this article, we are going to take you back to the importance of time management but with a little spinoff. Today, we would be talking about the importance of time management in the workplace. Time management is the process of planning and exercising conscious control of the time spent on specific activities to work smarter than harder.

6 Effective Task Management Tips

Beat procrastination and improve your focus one pomodoro at a time. The secret to effective time management is It may seem silly at first, but millions of people swear by the life-changing power to the Pomodoro Technique. Pomodoro is Italian for tomato. This popular time management method asks you to alternate pomodoros — focused work sessions — with frequent short breaks to promote sustained concentration and stave off mental fatigue. Try the Pomodoro Technique if you

These Workplace Distractions Are Killing Your Productivity

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Buried in to-do lists. Always catching up. Never getting ahead.

Finding effective strategies to help you cope with areas of weakness can make a big difference in your work success and overall happiness. Here are some tips and strategies for making your work life easier and more productive. Here are some of the top challenges that may get between you and career success:. Staying focused and on task is necessary in order to get work completed.

Most of us have been in this kind of situation—and many of us find ourselves there just about every day. Despite our best efforts to efficiently organize our time, stay on top of our schedule, and complete all of our tasks, we still find it hard to keep things under control. So instead of creating endless to-do lists, take some time to identify the root of your time management problem. What are you doing wrong and where is your time slipping away? Identifying your top priority tasks can be overwhelming if most of your tasks require the same level of dedication. This kind of situation is unavoidable, but the key is learning how to prioritize—and figuring out how to do that is a process that takes time. Tools like Action Priority Matrix or Google Keep can help you prioritize and maintain a stable productivity level.

Written by: Yolanda Wells. There is always something to distract you at work, be it social apps, noise, or colleagues. When your attention is lost, you lose your productivity with it.