Do you leave work at the end of the day feeling that you accomplished a lot less than you intended? Well, you’re not alone!
The problem is often due to distraction and not just from other people, but self-distraction. You start to work on a file and then decide to check the stock market report, your personal e-mail file or the weekend’s football scores. Or you call a friend to check in. Or you pick up a magazine and leaf through it. For every minute you’re being distracted, you’re not being productive. But what can you do about it?
A tactic that works well is to play chamber music on a headset. Why chamber music? Consider Mozart. His music often follows a repetitive pattern that is, it’s composed of different permutations of the same theme. This type of music allows for greater focus as well as greater retention. Any music with a melody or with words won’t work. Why a head set? Because the focusing effect is enhanced by having the sound located directly by your ears rather than coming from across the room.
It’s also useful to look around your office and see what distractions are luring you away from your work. Is your desk facing a window? Move it. Is your desk positioned so that when you’re sitting at it you can see everyone who walks by? Close the door, get blinds or move your desk so it faces a wall.
Have you turned off the “You’ve got mail” ding on your computer? Have you closed down that little e-mail box that pops up when a new message appears? You can’t help but look at it if you’re within a few feet of your computer, so turn it off and read your email at a time of your choosing.
If it’s still really difficult for you to concentrate, then train your assistant to be a “time cop.” Meet with her first thing in the morning and focus on the day’s priorities. When you are ready to do production work (any work that you need to concentrate on), meet with her again to determine exactly what you’ll be working on during that next time period you’ve carved out. Make sure you have only the one file you’re working on at your desk. Let your assistant know when you think you’ll be finished with it and ask her to come in to get it at that time. If you finish earlier, buzz her and ask her to bring the next file. After determining the order of the files you want to work on, let your assistant replace each one you’ve finished with the next. And make it clear that you don’t want any interruptions that aren’t absolutely necessary.
A final thought: Give your assistant permission to bug you when you’re not on task and then listen to her!
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