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How to eliminate distractions and become more productive at work

We’re all guilty of allowing the little things to distract us from what we should be doing. The fact is, in order to get where you want to be, you have to do the work required to achieve your goals, and therefore achieve ultimate success. Take a moment and ask yourself where you truly want to be. Now, tell yourself how many things you did today, yesterday and the day before that directly contributed to the future results you want. Then, tell yourself how many things you did today that did not contribute to your success. Those things probably distracted you from what you knew you should have been doing.
Minimise distractions and you’ll reach your goals faster-it is simple as that.

Your goal achievement will come from doing the highest payoff activities that have the highest probability of building your success. You must minimise distractions and focus on the tasks that have a positive effect on your success.

Create a list of tasks to do
Preparing a “things to do” list is a common practice no matter if you are a permie or contractor. It helps to stay focused on the right activities and reduce distractions, but only if you rank each of the tasks and allocate suitable resources to complete them. Thanks to concentrating on important things you will achieve your goals and build your success.

Say no to endless talkers
Because you are a contractor, others will probably not talk to you much anyway, but if they do, you should set boundaries that will make it clear when you are not to be distracted. If you sit around somebody who loses a sense of time once he or she starts talking it means that your valuable time will be wasted too. If you want to avoid being grumpy and rude when reminding people to shut up, the best solution is not to get into long conversations at all.

Screen your calls
It may seem hard to believe but phone calls are classified as one of the biggest time wasters at work. Try to limit the amount of time you spend on the line and keep them brief otherwise you will be going on and on. What may be ideal is to schedule phone appointments, which will help lead to working as efficiently as possible.

Stay off the Internet
Unless you need to, do not use the Internet at work. You should avoid using this worst time waster that has ever been invented. If you still have an urge to use it, do it at the end of the work day or set a specific time during the day when you can surf the web.

Clear up your desk
For some visual clutter on the desk like piles of papers, pens, CDs are highly distracting. That is why if you are such a person you should tidy up your desk and put away unnecessary items that are in your immediate vision. Only keep those items on your desk that you are currently working on. Anything else can be filed, delegated or dealt with some other day.

Clear up your computer
Out of sight, out of mind is typically a good policy.

Eliminate noises
Even alert sounds like the one you hear when you receive an incoming e-mail can be distracting.

Ask for what you want
Busy professionals appreciate concise, focused conversation and you can show them you respect their time by not wasting it needlessly.

Learn how to evade excessive conversation
Everyone appreciates productive conversation. Superficial chit-chat is just that - superficial.

Work when no one else is around
You can sometimes accomplish more in two hours with no one around than you can in eight hours in a full office. It is easy to become distracted. Remind yourself that those little distractions offer little return for the time you’ve invested. Instead, stick to the productive tasks that build your success. Eliminate distractions and you have an even better chance of acting on your good intentions and achieving amazing results.

Motivate yourself
It is very easy to be distracted from the routine and mundane tasks that we don’t want to do. The solution is either to choose not to perform those tasks or to make them appealing because of the outcomes or benefits you receive once they are completed. When you create your list of goals, write down the reasons why you should accomplish those goals. Visualize the outcomes. The feelings and emotions you experience can be strong motivators.

Be consistent
Be consistent in your efforts to minimise the impact of distractions, but remember that you can’t avoid them completely. Don’t get frustrated when distractions happen. Instead, budget a bit more time for your main tasks to factor in the possibility that you may have to attend to something else. It is especially important if you tend to underestimate the amount of time you need to get things done.

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