How to Manage Distraction?

You're working on something which requires focus and intense thinking, suddenly someone distracts you by his question or asks you to do something for him.

You get distracted and the work you were going is forgotten or delayed and you become less productive. Have you been in this situation? in the recent weeks I have and it's extremely annoying since you can't progress and be productive in the way you wanted.

Stay focused:

• Write down your tasks and walk through the written tasks in the order of importance; prioritizing is very important, do the jobs which are the most important and do them quickly
• Some tasks can be done quickly and some you have to think about them in details and deeply
• Know that prioritizing is not a one-time process; you should constantly prioritize
• Put your watch in front of you to be aware of the time passing - it might give you stress though
• Fill up a water of bottle; keeping yourself hydrated is essential
• Stay positive and say positive words

Manage Distraction:

Ok, you do all you can to stay focused but you get distracted, what can you do?

• Put on headphones; play a music that helps you concentrate. It's a signal to others that you are working. It helps you keep out of distractions
• When someone asks you something which is not vital to do, express that you're busy and will get back to that person when you have time. Then add a reminder to your task list
• Don't answer emails that don't require answer
• Don't attend meetings which are irrelevant and waste of time
• Don'g answer your phone if it's not necessary to do so - get back to the caller when you have time
• Allocate time slots colleagues can interrupt you; communicate clearly that unless something is urgent you shouldn't get interrupted. say 2pm to 4pm, at the other time of the day focus on getting the work done
• Clean up your desk to have less distraction