What Are Your Distractions Costing You?

Every year, US businesses lose $1.8 TRILLION due to low productivity. There’s a slew of reasons an employee may be struggling to boost their productivity. Personal struggles, lack of training, and poor work cultures can contribute to an individual or team’s productivity. Though, the most commonly attributed factor is distractions.

And with good reason. 

Distractions bookend low productivity:

• They can cause procrastination on a task or project

• They can take away your focus while working

• They can make it difficult to get back into the swing of things 

To that last point, employees spend 2 hours per day trying to regain focus from distractions. 

Often, those around us aren’t the most distracting thing. It’s our internal thoughts and stressors. Sometimes, it is the most minute thing. For instance, I struggle to stay focused when I don’t have a mouse to work with. Not the mouse pad on my laptop, but a separate computer mouse. I really despise using mouse pads and am instantly less productive if I set up somewhere and don’t bring my separate mouse! 

While it may seem silly, this level of awareness allows me to recognize where my distractions may stem from and prepare for them. For others, distractions may stem from consistent interruptions in their office or repetitive notification sounds. 

Wherever a distraction comes from, it’s doing real harm to your business. Studies show that only 60% of our days are actually spent on work. 

So, what can you do to combat this? 

Build In Distraction Time

Does that sound counterintuitive? Trust me, it can help. Build in buffers in your day in between meetings or project time blocks to account for distraction-type of tasks. For instance, if you have 2-3 hours of back-to-back meetings, it is unlikely that you will have the motivation to dive into a big project right after the last meeting. Build a 15-minute buffer (either on your calendar or with a timer) to chat with your colleagues, scroll social media, or respond to low-hanging fruit. At the 15-minute mark, make it a point to dive back into a task of value. 

Have An Assistant To Delegate Trivial Tasks to 

Those emails that require a simple reply, the meetings that you need to figure out a time that works for everyone, and that work trip that you forgot to book your hotel for are all simple tasks that an assistant - whether in-person or virtual - can handle for you so you can stay focused on other things. Check out our Stay Focused & Delegate Guide for a thorough list of tasks to outsource. 

Determine the Time Management SystemThat Works Best For You 

Different personalities respond differently to time management strategies. The key is to know yourself, know your options, and know what works best for you. When you understand how to best manage your time, you can prioritize your tasks and more easily ignore distractions. 

Keeping productivity high is crucial to push your goals forward. Distractions interrupt that high productivity you’re striving for. Try out these time management strategies and you’ll find you’re gaining more and more time back in your day to accomplish the most important tasks. Your personal and professional life will benefit from limiting distractions and increasing focus.