Introduction
Where does the time go? People talk about minutes passing like hours so
why isn't that the case when you're working? Why is that analogy turned
upside down where the hours fly by like minutes? Could it be that unseen
aliens are fiddling with the cosmic clock somehow? With everyone you
know complaining that there's not enough time in the day, perhaps it's not
such an outlandish possibility!
One of the most frustrating things for busy people is that there's just not
enough time in the day to get everything done. You wake up early full of
vim and vigor, looking forward to a busy and productive day. You put in
the hours, work diligently, and try to get through your carefully planned
schedule as efficiently as you can.
But before you know it, the day's over. You're mentally and physically
exhausted and yet, you've only got half of the things on your to-do list
done. What are you doing wrong? Do you need to manage your time
better? Are you scheduling your day unrealistically? Should you multitask
or delegate more? More importantly, why do you feel that your work (that
you do manage to get done) just isn’t up to par?
The short answer is that you're not doing anything wrong - at least not
intentionally. The problem often lies in one word: distractions. And that
word needs to be eliminated from your vocabulary!
Distractions are probably the number one cause of your lack of time - and
lack of productivity. A few minutes here, a few minutes there, and
suddenly you have distractions building up and eating a huge chunk out
of your day and totally derailing your mental clarity.
Distractions don't only waste time but they have an immense impact on
your ability to stay focused and get tasks done efficiently and on time. The
reason many people don’t understand this is because distractions happen
a few minutes at a time, which seems quite harmless. You'd be amazed at
how many hours those minutes add up to. Whichever way you look at it,
distractions are bad.
Why keep reading?
This book will help you identify and explore 10 common distractions that
are massive productivity killers. You'll probably recognize several of them
right away (and plead guilty!) Some of the others may come as a surprise
because you never realized they were distractions.
After each distraction, you'll get a quick fix to help you overcome it. Once
your most common distractions become a thing of the past, you'll notice a
surge in your overall productivity, as well as in your ability to focus and
function with amazing mental clarity. Yes, it's that simple! So, let's jump
right in!
10 Productivity-Killing Distractions
These 10 distractions aren't in order of worst to least productivity killers.
This is because, for one person, a given distraction can be worse than
another.
Additionally, these distractions may change from day to day, with a
certain one being worse on a particular day. The bottom line is that you'll
recognize several – or even all of them – as the culprits for your low
productivity and lack of time.
These are the most common distractions that cause seriously low
productivity and very poor work outcomes.
1. Social media
I know I said that these distractions are in no particular order – with this
one exception. Social media distraction just has to top the list! It's possibly
the biggest simply because of the sheer number of people affected by it -
and by the amount of time it wastes.
What is it about social media that's so addictive? It's the number one
digital addiction in the world, followed by gaming. Naturally, there are lots
of theories about why people get hooked on social media but that's another
discussion altogether.
Here's a typical scenario: you're busy doing something when you get a
Facebook notification. Your best friend has just posted a photo. You really
know you shouldn't but she always posts such amazing photos and you're
dying to see it.
The struggle is very short-lived. You decide to take a quick peek and maybe
give her a like… just a quick peek! After all, you've been working hard and
need a break anyway.
You open your Facebook and before you know it, you're scrolling through
other posts and posting comments… you’re totally lost to the world. Then
you decide to check out Instagram while you're at it… before you know it,
you've wasted a good 15-20 minutes.
The amazing thing is that this scenario is being repeated at formal
workplaces all over the world. Bosses and supervisors are going nuts,
complaining of how employee productivity has gone down. But short of
banning cell phones from the workplace, there's nothing they can do.
Social media isn't just a huge time-waster, but it’s also a major brain
fogger. While you're having fun scrolling through your Facebook, Twitter
or Instagram, your brain is in overdrive processing all the colors and
information. Digital media in general exhausts the brain and saps it of
energy.
This is why you may be experiencing energy crashes and mental
exhaustion very early on in the day. Even a few minutes can drain your
clarity and mental sharpness. So, in addition to running late on that deadline, you must now deal with a
major case of brain fog.
Quick fix:
Some people suggest unsubscribing from email and phone
notifications but who are we kidding? That's not going to stop you from
going online anyway.
So, what's the real solution? Get a social media blocking app, pronto!
Let’s face it. If you're a social media nerd, there's no way you're going to
abstain willingly, even when you start to realize that it's killing your
productivity. That's what an addiction is.
The alternative is to force yourself to stay off - by making your social
media inaccessible. A social media app blocks you from using social media
on your phone or computer for a timeframe of your choosing. It's a
brilliant idea.
Just block yourself during your working hours, or at least for a while when
you need to focus on something super important. If your fingers start
itching to check out the latest, you won’t be able to access your Facebook,
Instagram, or whatever platform you chose to block.
There are dozens of these apps with various features and options to choose
from. The most popular are Offline, Social Fever, and Stay Focused.
Problem solved. Get yourself to the App Store right now!
2. Cell phones
Keeping your phone turned on and answering every call can literally
distract you every 5 minutes. If you're one of those people who just needs
to take every call, you don’t need to look any further for why your work
isn't up to par.
Even if the call lasts a minute or two, each time you get back to work,
you've lost your focus and your train of thought. Just as you start getting
your mind into focus, the phone rings again. It's your mum calling to say
hi, your partner asking you to bring home takeout, or a friend calling to
chat.
Even legitimate calls from clients can be a major pain. If you let clients
know that you're always available, you may be inundated with calls about
trivial issues that can be extremely stressful. Add to that an incessant
stream of email alerts and random notifications, and you've got a real
problem.
Quick fix:
There are two quick fixes here. The first is to set firm
boundaries. Let your friends and family know that they should never
disturb you when you're working unless it's a real emergency. Let clients
know that you're available to take calls at designated hours. Otherwise,
they can leave a voice message and you'll get back to them as soon as
possible.
The second fix is to simply turn off your phone or put it on silent and check
your calls every couple of hours. Return calls that are directly related to your work such as client queries or calls from coworkers in a branch office,
etc.
But here’s the catch. Studies show that silent or turned-off phones can be
as much of a distraction as beeping ones! It can be more distracting to
keep glancing at the silent phone on your desk, wondering who called.
If this sounds like you then the only thing to do is just keep that phone out
of reach. Put it away in a drawer or in another room (if you work from
home) or with a trusted coworker. That way, you eliminate a lot of the
temptation while being able to focus better.
3. Worry and anxiety
Worry and anxiety keep us tossing and turning at night, so it's no wonder
that they'll keep your mind in turmoil when you're trying to focus on a
task.
When a student's academic achievement starts to decline or when an
employee begins missing deadlines and showing poor work performance,
the cause is almost always worry or anxiety.
When you're worried or anxious, your mind just keeps wandering back to
the issue bothering you, interrupting your train of thought. Worry and
anxiety also keeps your stress levels high and force your body and brain to
divert more energy into reducing stress hormones and stabilizing your
body functions.
When your stress levels rise, you'll suffer from physical fatigue as well as
mental exhaustion, brain fog, and heightened negative emotions. This is
especially debilitating when you're performing a task that requires strong
mental focus such as data analysis, compiling a report, etc.
Some worries and fears are very valid and understandable. An ill family
member, financial problems, or a marital issue are problems. However,
letting them fill your mind as you're trying to work is not going to solve
them. Nor is it going to improve your productivity.
Quick fix:
Forcing yourself to focus on the task at hand is the best option
for several reasons. First, finishing a task efficiently or producing an
outstanding piece of work can lift your spirits and improve your mood.
The sense of achievement will fill you with positivity, hope, and optimism.
Secondly, forcing yourself to focus will also give your mind a respite from
your worries and fears.
Learning to do this takes some practice but it can be done - and it works.
When your mind starts drifting to the cause of your worry, mentally block
the thought. Tell yourself that you need to focus right now and will think
about the issue later. Dismiss the thought and continue what you were
doing. Repeat the process each time your mind begins to wander.
Over time, you'll train your brain not to distract you with worrying or
anxious thoughts while you're working. All it takes is a little bit of
willpower and a lot of practice.
Another suggestion is to play soft uplifting music as you work to keep
yourself calm and focused. You can also diffuse some mood-boosting essential oils like rose, peppermint, lavender, or vetiver. These essential
oils are famous for their calming and uplifting properties. Peppermint
essential oil also gives the brain a great energy boost.
4.Hunger
This may come as a surprise because most people wouldn't categorize
hunger as a distraction. But hunger pangs can be a huge distraction that
saps attention and focus. It can also cause memory lapses and minimize
your ability to retain information. Imagine the impact it can have on your
productivity when you're trying to study, do an analysis, or focus on
writing an article.
Hunger pangs are often related to intense mental effort and concentration
because your brain literally burns energy when it's thinking hard! In other
words, hunger is a sign that your brain needs to be fed. The same goes for
physical activity. If your job requires a lot of physical exertion and
movement, you'll get hungry faster because your body is burning up
calories faster.
Quick Fix:
Don't let yourself get too hungry. It's common to ignore
hunger pangs until they become uncomfortable. But keeping hunger at
bay will prevent mental burnout, unhealthy cravings, and binging.
Simply monitor your stomach and the moment you notice that first little
growl, eat! Always keep a few snacks on hand and reach for them when you start
feeling peckish. For an added and lasting energy boost, avoid sugar.
Instead, eat foods that are nutritious, filling, and take longer to be digested
such as oatmeal, cereal, rice cakes, whole wheat crackers, and yogurt.
Take advantage of your hunger to boost your brainpower by eating
superfoods. These are foods packed with powerful brain nutrients that will
keep your brain super-sharp throughout the day. Brain superfoods
include nuts, whole grains, berries, and dark chocolate. Don’t skip meals,
especially breakfast. Have a good lunch and try to stick to regular
mealtimes no matter how busy you are. It's better to stop and eat rather
than totally derail your brain and struggle to get back on track for the rest
of the day.
5. Inability to say no
If you work at an office, don’t earn yourself a reputation for being the go-
to person or the go-for person. Being a go-to person means your office
door is open to anyone and everyone who has a question, needs help with
something, or just wants to come in and chat.
Being the go-for person means you're the person who runs out to the bank
or the deli to get lunch for the office. You fill in for coworkers who are
absent, take up office collections, and organizes the office carpool.
If you're one of those people, why does your lack of time and productivity
surprise you? The fact is that your time and productivity are directly
proportionate to your ability to say no!
Now, there's nothing wrong with being helpful and caring. In fact, you're
probably very well-liked and appreciated by your coworkers because
you're so helpful and friendly.
However, if your efficiency and productivity start to suffer, you really need
to put your foot down. The same rule applies if you work from home or are
having trouble getting home chores done. Kids running in and out asking
for a snack or wanting to be driven somewhere, neighbors dropping in
asking you to babysit or help organize a church bake sale… There can be
just as many disruptions and distractions in a home environment as well.
Quick fix:
Learn to say no and don’t be afraid to say no. It's as simple as
that. It doesn't mean you're mean or uncooperative. It simply means that
you put your work first. Don’t be afraid of offending others because you don't have to be offensive
about it. "I'm so sorry, Sue. I'd love to go out for pastries but I have to
finish this report, and the deadline's looming." Or "I love chatting with
you, Dan, but I'm really busy right now”. Maybe we can go for coffee after
work."
When you start learning to say no, you'll be amazed at how your
productivity skyrockets and how much time you'll have to get things done.
There's just one rule that you need to adhere to: be firm and stick to your
guns.
