Hello friend,
Do you want to increase your productivity?
Over the last month, I've written to you about the four key environments you can leverage to increase your productivity. We've talked about your people environment, mental environment, technology environment, and your physical environment.
As we conclude this series today, I want to talk to you about distractions in your physical workspace because the workplace is full of distractions. Nearby conversations, background noise, pop-up notifications, and even email alerts are enough to drive anyone crazy at times!
Although many of these are necessary, you CAN effectively manage them to help boost your productivity. There are MANY more distractions that you and I face daily, and we could talk at length about any one of them.
For today's purposes, let me suggest three simple ways to minimize physical workplace distractions.
Create a dedicated workspace. This may seem simple enough to say; however, COVID has challenged us to be flexible in working. The ability to work flexibly and remotely has brought on some bad habits regarding creating a healthy work environment. Just because you can work from the car or in your pool chair doesn't mean that you should! Having a space set apart for doing work allows you to separate your work from other elements in your life that could cause distractions. What programs need to be removed from your computer so that you can be more focused and productive when you're working? What space in your home would provide the kind of office space that limits distractions or interruptions? What can you change about your office space today to make it more conducive for productivity?
Shut your door. INC Magazine reports, "the average American works 8.8 hours every day. Yet a study of nearly 2,000 full-time office workers revealed that most people aren't working for most of the time they're at work." In fact, they are only working for around 2 hours and 53 minutes/day. Although this statistic may seem astounding, consider how many times you've been distracted since beginning to read this blog! A company that I'm familiar with discovered this and began to implement a "Power Hour" one day per week where employees were not expected to respond to texts, calls, or teams messages -- and no meetings were scheduled. This do-not-disturb hour in the afternoon was to be used strictly for focused productivity. Employees could shut their doors and isolate themselves from any physical distractions in their workspace. It helped the employees so much that they made "Power Hour" two hours long, and they're considering adding more days with "Power Hours" each week. A power hour may or may not work in your organization. Still, you CAN set your own semi-power hour by putting your phone on airplane mode, turning off your computer notifications, blocking out your schedule, and shutting your door for an hour or so to keep a laser-like focus on doing what's most important at work.
Mise en place. Mise en place is a French culinary phrase that means "putting in place" or "everything in its place." This refers to gathering everything you need to make a particular dish ahead of time and placing it onto your cooking space in the kitchen. This way, you will not need to move from your area to retrieve anything necessary for your recipe. It allows the chef to maintain focus on producing the most exquisite dishes. Translate this concept into your workspace. What do you need to put into your workspace so that you have everything you need to do your job? What do you need to take out of your workspace that inhibits your productivity? Having everything you need to do your job at hand is an excellent way to leverage your physical environment to boost productivity.
There are many more ways to leverage your physical environment to boost your productivity. These are just some of the many things you can begin to do today to make your workspace more productive.
I hope this helps you increase productivity and minimize your distractions.
