Tip 65) fOCUS! kNOW YOUR DISTRACTIONS!

According to research, over half of us say that distractions are preventing us from working properly. (I think the other half were distracted and didn't read the question properly!)

Distraction is a big problem for most us – with smartphones, social media and chatting at the top of the list of things most likely to distract. And if you're lucky enough to work from home, the distractions can get even worse! Then you've also got kids, pets, daytime TV, washing and cooking to contend with...
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So what do we do about it? How do we stay focused and avoid distractions during the working day? 

Understand how and when you work at your best and plan accordingly. 
I know I work best in the mornings between 9am–12pm, so that's when I aim to do stuff that I need to focus on. I also know that I am fit for nothing by 4pm, so that wouldn't be a great time to do anything that needs any serious level of focus. 
 
Get into the habit of working in blocks of time. 
Plan your time in blocks or 1–2 hours – whatever is your maximum time to focus well. I work well for 2 hours, but many are happier at 1 hour. 

Stop multitasking.
Contrary to popular belief, multitasking does not make you more efficient! Multitasking just means you’re doing a crappy job at more than one thing.

Write a list of the things most likely to distract you and start to eliminate them (not the kids or your pets though – best that we don't eliminate them!)

1. Smartphones: Put 'do not disturb' on and get it off your desk. The average person checks their phone 80 times a day, some significantly more! That's 6 or 7 times an hour...
2. Email: Remove email notifications from your phone – turn off your email pop-up and your 'you've got mail' icon. Check your email at certain times during the day. Currently the average person checks their email 15 times a day, and it's been proven that those who check just 3 times per day are significantly less stressed.
3. Other people: Ask not to be disturbed for 1 hour – work from home or from a quieter office.
4. Social media: Don't have social media sites open on your computer (plus see number 1). 
5. Noisy environment: Either go somewhere quieter, put your earphones in or invest in some earplugs!
6. Games: Who has a crafty game of Spider Solitaire while they are on the phone? Or Candy Crush? Or whatever is the latest game trend. Get them off your computer and see number 1 above!

Keeping you focused! You're welcome :-)

Jo x