10 Proven Ways to Stay Focused at Work

A recent ValuePenguin.com report found that US employees become distracted every 31 minutes on average. These distractions can have terrible results on your productivity.

Distractions can also take a toll on your mindset. After all, people want to feel productive at work. Distractions throw off that productive mentality and make workers feel worse.

So, how can you stay focused at work? What tricks can you use to avoid distractions every half hour?

That’s the question we’ll explore in this guide! Keep reading to find ten tips for staying focused at the office.

1. Know What Distracts You

How often you get distracted directly relates to the amount of pull something has on your attention. So, take stock and determine what is most likely to distract you. Figure out where to set your boundaries.

How can you know whether something is a damaging distraction at work? In general, these three sentiments can help you determine this:

Discomfort
Resentment
Guilt

If an activity causes you to feel these emotions, avoid that activity. Next, identify what types of occurrences grab your attention.

Are they physical interruptions like phone notifications? Perhaps you feel some emotional or mental struggles that distract you from work. Whatever the case, identify these distracting qualities and learn how to combat them.

2. Communicate Your Boundaries

When the workday has become a slog, it’s easy to distract yourself with conversation. However, you can tremendously boost your productivity by communicating boundaries to co-workers.

We recommend kindly asking your co-workers not to distract you while working. While this doesn’t mean you can never talk to co-workers, it can help mitigate distracting conversations and interactions.

You can also set “free time” for workers to ask you questions or chat. For example, you can say you’re usually available for lunch between 12:00-1:00. This free time lets you chat with your co-workers without distracting you from work

3. Cut Out Digital Distractions

How often do you find yourself scrolling on social media or reading articles at work? If you’re like most people, you probably do it for at least a portion of the workday. A survey from 2016 demonstrated that 67% of respondents said they regularly check social media at work.

It’s easy to fall prey to digital distractions. However, there are some tricks you can use to avoid these issues.

First, use site-blocking apps to limit your internet access. Make it impossible to check social media or personal emails while at your work station.

Next, develop the willpower to stop checking your phone. You may find it helpful to set your phone on Do Not Disturb or Airplane Mode to stop receiving notifications.

Alternatively, you can minimize your notifications. Check your settings to learn more about how this works.

4. Schedule Each Day to Stay Focused At Work

Maintaining a strict schedule is an excellent tool for boosting productivity. This approach imposes time limits to create healthy time pressure.

When you schedule your workday, you’ll know exactly how much time to spend on each task. However, be realistic in this breakup. Ensure you allot a reasonable amount of time for each assignment.

5. Make a Daily To-Do List

To-do lists fit with the time-blocking strategy in the last tip. Your to-do list explicitly states what tasks you must complete by the end of the day. Once you complete an assignment, you can cross it off the list.

To-do lists are excellent tools for boosting performance. When you finish a task, it motivates you to move on to the next one. You can track your progress and gauge your productivity.

6. Take Breaks Throughout Your Workday

This tip may seem counterintuitive. After all, if the goal is to increase productivity, why should you take breaks?

The answer is that working without breaks causes burnout. How often have you become distracted because you were exhausted and never had a break?

So, set breaks for yourself throughout the day. Find time to get up and take a walk or check your messages.

7. Prioritize Tasks

People are often most productive within their first few hours of work. After all, that’s when they still have all the energy they need.

So, prioritize your hardest tasks by focusing on them in the morning. Putting these assignments first can get them out of the way before the day’s over. This way, you can have smaller tasks to complete later in the day.

8. Make a Procrastination List

Once you prioritize your tasks, list the lesser tasks you can complete when you put off your worst task. Maybe one day you will need a break from your worst assignment, or else give into a procrastination habit.

If so, this list can help you maintain productivity. So, start by listing your tasks. Then, prioritize them on a scale of one (most important) to five (least important).

When you find yourself procrastinating, don’t spend time feeling guilty. Instead, start working on the second-most critical task on the list.

9. Focus on One Task At a Time

Most people cannot multitask well. Instead of dividing your attention, focus on a single task at any given time.

Focusing on one task decreases the mistakes you’ll make. Similarly, your quality of work often increases, since you’ll have a lengthened attention span.

10. Choose Good Music For Your Background

Music can help you focus when you work. Research found that music can engage your brain in a way that trains it to pay attention to events.

However, not all music is equally helpful for enhancing your attention. Usually, classical music is the best option for improving your attention span. Experiment to find the best music for your focus.