8 workplace distractions—and how to overcome them
Meetings, multitasking and gossip fests can, of course, divert you from doing your work—but so can clutter and hunger. Consider these productivity killers and simple ways to disarm them.
If your workplace is anything like “The Office,” you have to put up with all sorts of distractions.
Hopefully, your company is less chaotic than the Scranton branch—and your boss is not an utter buffoon like Michael Scott—but it’s always wise to steel yourself against workplace annoyances.
Here are eight common distractions to address:
1. Smartphone notifications
On average, Americans check their phones every 12 minutes. That comes out to 80 times a day. In a 2016 CareerBuilder survey, smartphones were listed as the main productivity killer in the workplace, and it’s almost certainly gotten worse since then. Between texts, social media and game notifications, we’re increasingly addicted to our phones.
The easiest way to prevent smartphone distractions is by turning the phone off, putting it in airplane mode, or using an app such as SelfControl, Freedom or Anti-Social to block distracting apps. Some people even leave their phone in a drawer or another room to avoid temptation.
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