There's no good way to waste your time. Wasting time is just wasting time.
- Helen Mirren
In a world full of distractions, how do you know that you are utilizing your time well? You need to get along with everybody as any one ca be your loyal follower or customer in coming times right?
Be it Social Media or talking on the phone, a certain portion of our time is wasted every day. The problem arises when you allow the distractions to take over your precious time. I have seen many people suffer in real due to the distractions taking over their mind.
How to deal with the problem? There may be several ways of keeping distractions away at the needed hour. I would be sharing how I manage both the work and distractions below.
1) Schedule Your Priorities
The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.
- Stephen Covey
During the office hours, I always got distracted with the notifications that popped up every now or then on my iPhone. I enjoyed the same for few days. I could manage both the work and the distractions effectively by scheduling the priorities.
When I am in the office, I switch on the ‘Do not disturb’ mode on the phone. It enables me to give time to my work when it was needed the most. After my wok is finished, I calmly review the notifications. Follow the principle Work First!
2) Plan it beforehand
Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth.
- Mike Tyson
It becomes difficult in organizing everything every single day again. The best approach is to know what is needed to be done the next day. Keep a plan diary and record everything. Keep the fixed things fixed as they will not alter the next day or coming days. Make changes per the variable par like a random meeting or a random office celebration.
3) Take frequent short breaks
There is a virtue in work and there is a virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.
- Alan Cohen
Usually, people in the office take a single long break to relax. I recommend taking frequent shorter breaks to divert your mind from the problem at hand. There are two reasons for the same, one is that you are not overly stressed out and two the work is competed in short time.
The productivity part is not hampered when you take short, frequent breaks. It opens the mind to new opportunities and it is beneficial in long run.
4) Allow sometime for yourself, go offline
In person I don't have that many friends. I'm a pretty tight-knit guy with the people that I know. Offline, I have no more than four or five friends.
- Tom Anderson
Like you need to detoxify the body, you also need to detoxify the mind. Sometimes, do not disturb not works as described in first point above. You need to completely go offline for some time. No emails, no social media, no phone calls (except calls from family). Simply take a break from all the work you have been doing for so long.
5) Start up early
Lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it.
- Richard Whately
It’s always wise to start your day early in the morning. It will help you in organizing your day in a better way and you will be able to work more efficiently and productively. The work is finished on time, so you get some time extra for your own self which you can manage effectively by doing some distracting unproductive work.
Have you followed any of these steps and felt a difference? Do share your experience in the comments below!