Getting through a whole day of work without finding yourself distracted is probably a bit of a challenge. While a distraction from what you’re doing is sometimes beneficial, like when a colleague needs to give you a piece of work or feedback, for the most part, workplace distractions are simply unwanted. Some are unavoidable, most can be tamed.
Here are the most common workplace distractions. If you can’t remember the last time you had to deal with them, it could be you that’s causing them!
Over-communication
While emails are an effective way of communicating with your co-workers, there may come a certain point when they’re just plain annoying! Obviously it’s courteous to reply to an email, but keep your reply short and sweet. If you’re dealing with a slightly more complex issue and you find yourself writing large paragraphs and copying in half the office, it might be better to have a face-to-face conversation before creating a mammoth email chain!
Phone calls
If you’re working in an office, it’s pretty likely that either you or your co-workers will be spending time on the phone. Unfortunately, every office has that one person whose voice you can hear from the other side of the room. If you’re the loud talker, why not ask if you can have a cordless phone; if you know you’re in for a lengthy phone call, you’ll be able to take it elsewhere and be safe in the knowledge that you’re not causing all kinds of distractions.
Surfing the net
Most of us work on computers for the majority of our day and a good portion of that time will be spent on the internet. If you’re researching, collecting data, reading the latest news and so on, try not to let your clicks steer you off topic. Stay on track if you want to be as productive as possible.
Technology glitches
Technology; we can’t live without it, but sometimes we want to destroy it. Slow computers and digital errors can be major workplace distractions. Regardless of whether a technology glitch was avoidable or not, make sure you use your time effectively while it’s being fixed, even if that does mean going old-school and actually hand-writing something!
Gossipers
You’ll probably struggle to get through a working day without a bit of chit-chat here and there. However, perhaps a full-on gossiping session should be saved for lunch or home time. Trying to block out what someone’s up to this weekend or whose new baby is really cute can be a bit of a challenge. Sometimes you should consider settling down for a while, making sure that you’re not distracting the people who are trying to work around you.
Cake
So this distraction isn’t necessarily limited to cake, but applies to general office goodies. While some will appreciate you walking around with a tray bake or a bag of sweets, some won’t, for one of two reasons. One, they want to get their heads down and concentrate, or two, they’re on a diet and you tempting them with a bag of sugary goodness is only going to lead to daydreams about chocolate and cake. Cut out the distractions and leave the treats in the kitchen with a “help yourself” note – much easier!
Article contributed by: CV Library
