Even if you are very good at self-control, it can be very difficult for you to focus on work. Especially if you really don't want to. Unfortunately, even the smallest distraction can completely derail productivity. Here are ten tips to help you get started, especially when it's vital.

1. Plan your day

Each of us has certain hours when everything is given to us a little easier. Schedule the most important tasks so that they fall just at this time. I've also found that scheduling the day helps me get everything done and never forget anything. Whether it's a meeting reminder, deadline, or lunch.

2. Go full screen

We are not as versatile as we would like. And since it so happened that you have to work tirelessly, remove all possible distractions. Remove all unnecessary icons from the desktop and open in full screen, for example, a text document in which you are working. After all, the less superfluous you have in front of your eyes, the less likely it is that you will be distracted by something unnecessary.

3. Block or hide all distracting websites and apps

Parental controls are useful not only for naughty children. It will also come in handy for us, perpetually distracted adults. Is it difficult to be offline on Facebook while working? Remove links from your browser. Or even uninstall the app from your phone. You can also create a separate browser profile to work with. Or, if you need more drastic measures, you can use extensions like (Firefox) or (Chrome) to block distracting websites.

4. Turn off notifications on your smartphone

There are applications that cannot be uninstalled. For example, Gmail or corporate chat. For such applications, it is worth choosing a mode in the settings when all notifications are completely turned off. Try turning off email notifications. You don't have to check your mail when a new email arrives. At the very least, set a silent ringtone for these apps.

5. Track how you spend your time

Distraction can come in many forms. It's not always a waste of time on Facebook, playing games on your phone, or pictures of kittens, but the gist is always the same. Some tasks are less important than others. And if you spend more time on them than you should, they should be treated as distractions too. If you can't figure out where all your time is being spent, use time counters. Such as . It will show which sites you have visited, which applications you have used and how much time you have lost on each of them.

6. Keep distracting colleagues at a distance

Of course, many stimuli arise in the real world. If you work in an office, you are probably aware of how distracting colleagues can be. Just chatting, a lot of questions that can actually wait, and more. can show that you are working hard right now. And if that doesn't help, you can say directly that you're busy. Or load them up so they don't have the idea of ​​distracting you next time.

7. Save distractions for later

If you can't stop thinking about the things that distract you, then just put them aside for later. Keep "lazy" on a computer or phone. And write down things that distract you in this note. Then you can remember them and come back to them later.

8. Break down your tasks

It's very easy to get distracted or even avoid getting started when the task seems incredibly daunting. If you need to motivate yourself to work on a large project, then break the task into several smaller subtasks. It's much easier to force yourself to do a small, specific task. It's easier than jumping headfirst into one huge task. " " is great for this purpose if you have a handy timer.

9. Train your brain to focus

You can put in a huge amount of effort to get rid of distractions. But your brain can still be your worst enemy. So if your brain jumps from thought to thought while you work, you need to learn how to control it. The following advice may seem silly. But try it, it might help. Put on an elastic band around your wrist. Every time a distracting thought comes up, hit yourself with this rubber band. Let the brain develop a habit that you can not be distracted.

10. Don't overdo it: Distraction is a necessary part of being productive.

Distraction at the wrong time can be detrimental to the performance of a task. But that doesn't mean we have to be focused 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Distractions are vital to a healthy lifestyle. It also stimulates creative thinking. Research has shown that browsing the web at work can help you be more productive at work. But only if you did it at the right time.

So instead of allowing your brain to wander off while doing an important task, set a time in your daily plan for your brain to rest. This will give you not only the opportunity to relax, but also increase productivity. After all, your brain will rush to complete the task in order to get a rest as soon as possible.

The ability to focus is an important part of the arsenal of a successful person. Having learned to concentrate, concentrate on a particular goal, a certain type of activity, you have a very good chance of achieving success in this.

In this article we:
A) Discuss why the ability to focus is so important.
B) Let's figure out what factors prevent us from focusing.
C) Let's think about how to eliminate factors that interfere with concentration.
D) Finally, we will develop a common strategy that will help us learn to focus.

What is the role of the ability to focus?

(Perhaps you immediately scream to yourself: what’s the role in this?!!! And so it’s clear!!! Let’s get down to business!!! Have a little patience: let’s deal with everything in order. We want to learn how to concentrate, right? So, no need to digress, you need to read in order. Well, sir, I’m finishing the protracted introduction.)

Scientists-physiologists have established that a person's working capacity changes in the process of work. The first ten to fifteen minutes is the so-called work-in period, the next 20-30 minutes is optimal performance, and after some time exhaustion sets in.

How is the performance and efficiency of work during these periods?

Working in: increased
Middle phase: highest
Exhaustion: Decreased

Given this, you should work for periods of about an hour, so that, firstly, a good working out occurs, then you work hard and practice a little to deal with slight fatigue. Then you need to pause, rest a little and start a new cycle.

I think there is no need to explain that by being distracted, we disrupt the natural course of this cycle. Distracting once every 15 minutes, we risk never reaching maximum performance - which means not seeing decent results. What an efficient job...

As you can see, a person purely physiologically (that is, if we consider him as a kind of "biorobot" :)))) must work with concentration, without being distracted.

And what about from the point of view of psychology? It's easy to guess. The business that captivates us, the business that captures us, occupies all our thoughts (that is, the one on which you are focused) is made much easier, the process of work itself gives you pleasure - it is interesting to work!
So, perhaps the first commandment of a person who wants to succeed in a particular business: productivity requires focusing on one subject!

What prevents us from concentrating?

1. External factors preventing concentration
- noise, music
- neighbors and colleagues climbing with questions
- ICQ and phone
- something else that requires your attention, competes for attention with a task that needs to be done.

2. Internal factors that interfere with concentration (ATTENTION!!!)
- general feeling unwell
- lack of a clear action plan
- unbalanced emotional state
- lack of interest in work

The lists can go on. By the way, if you really want to learn how to concentrate properly, I advise you to minimize the browser window here, open a Word or notepad sheet and write a short list under the heading "What prevents me from concentrating." I emphasize - it doesn’t interfere at all, but what prevents you from doing a specific thing, focusing on a specific job.

I got this list:
1. I have more interesting things to do (surf the Net, drive a fresh toy). I don't do it, but my thoughts keep coming back.
2. Work does not give me satisfaction.
3. I did it yesterday and it just gets bored - the routine drags on.

However, I understand that it needs to be done. Here we do not discuss how to force yourself to do this or that thing (victory over laziness and the acquisition of motivation is a topic for a separate discussion).

So, smoothly, we got to the main point.

How can you focus anyway?

How to learn not to be distracted, do your job effectively, focus on important things and not waste time?

Now I'll try to be brief;))) Everything that is written above can be considered an introduction, but here is the essence.

1. We provide ourselves with a good workplace. Ask relatives and friends not to disturb you if you work at home, gently let colleagues know that you don’t really like it when you are torn off. Explain to them that you yourself are distracted every hour and are ready to discuss with them whatever they want. You can also casually explain to them why it is important (for you and for them) to focus on work.

2. We work in periods of an hour, with a break of 10 minutes. This organization of work is the best way to concentrate. It may be difficult at first not to be distracted for a whole hour - be patient, developing the ability to concentrate is not so easy.

3. We provide ourselves with the necessary psychological attitude. It is necessary to remove all internal factors that interfere with concentration. Feel that work is really important to you. Concentrate on the results that it brings (salary, promotion, position in society).

4. Always have a clear work plan: you must know how much, what and when you have to do. This will help you focus not just on work, but on the result and you will strive for it, because after reaching the goal for the day (not necessarily for the day), you will receive a reward. Did the job - go to ICQ boldly! =)))

5. Get started as soon as possible!!! Start your planned business in the morning or from the very arrival at work. Let there be no distractions between starting work and waking up. Don't let yourself check your email as soon as you sit down at your computer. Do not open ICQ or reader. How you start your day will be reflected throughout it. It is worth setting a working, businesslike tone - and it will become much easier to concentrate (For me, this item turned out to be the most effective. Perhaps the fact is that it came with experience, and was not deduced logically. Therefore, I advise you not only to read and apply mine or someone else's then still advice, but also try to find your own methods by observing yourself and setting up experiments).

6. Another secret from me personally, continuation of the previous one. You need to focus on important matters not when you sit down at the table, but even in bed. Think about your work, try to evoke positive emotions in yourself in relation to it. Tell yourself that you will do it with interest, with passion, with passion. That show creativity and a truly original approach that will be appreciated by colleagues and clients.

P.S. Notice that in this article we talked about how to learn to concentrate, about what prevents you from concentrating on work, etc. - it seems to be a narrow topic, a kind of life hack that fits into standard recommendations like “10 ways to unscrew an electric light bulb” (“10 tips on how to focus on work”)))), but in the end it turned out that this “narrow topic” is very closely associated with motivation, a healthy lifestyle (to concentrate you need to be in good health - see above), planning and time management.

Hence the main conclusion: if you want to be successful in general, and not just be able to screw light bulbs well, then you need to constantly see such relationships and, while optimizing one area of ​​your life, casually clean up the rest. And, of course, do not rely only on someone else's advice. Even mine;))))) Think and experiment! And yes, still comment;)) If you have something to say about concentration and not only - welcome to the comments!

It might also come in handy.

I read thirty articles, watched dozens of youtube videos, listened to a bunch of advice from friends to try all the existing methods and tell you what really works.

Problem

I'm a master of distraction. Even now, starting to write this text, I already looked at Yandex, looked at my watch, was going to go to VKontakte and turn on the kettle.

In winter and autumn, the problem is not as relevant as in spring and summer. In the warm season, I become a real top, unable to sit on a chair even for two hours. I do something all day, and the main things remain unfinished.

In science, this is called procrastination - this is such a thing when a person is prone to constantly postponing important or unpleasant things. Most often, procrastination happens to perfectionists who like everything to be done perfectly.

Time traps

Most of the time I get distracted like this:

• I go to social networks
• Going for tea/coffee
• I'm looking for something to eat, and I have a snack
• I start talking to someone
• Checking my phone
• I start thinking about abstract topics and immerse myself in my thoughts
• I notice something that seems to need to be decided right now (“I need to wipe the dust on the table urgently!”, “This flower has not been watered for a long time!”)
• I notice an interesting link to an article, go and read it
• After reading an interesting article off topic, I start reading the rest of the articles on the site

When I saw the topic “How not to be distracted while working” on the editor’s list, I thought it was a sign from above, but I had no idea how difficult it would be. Now that you know that I'm the biggest bum and distraction, I'll tell you what happened to me.

The first and super-banal advice that I found on the net sounds like this:

Make a detailed to-do list and stick to it. Leave in the schedule time for personal matters (tea / coffee, personal calls, etc.). Get a grip and do it!

Well, why not start simple?! To be honest, I decided to play it safe and download the ManicTime program, which allows you to track what you are actually doing at the computer. A useful thing in the program is a stopwatch. You can record a task and set a timer. For example, my timer asked me every half an hour if I was working on an article. Very comfortably.

My to-do list:

14:00 - write an article

15:10 - finalization of the article

16:00 - tea + news

16:10 - start writing article #2

17:30 - finish things, start getting ready

18:00 - exit

22:30 - start filling in the eco-table

00:00 - start getting ready for bed

What's happened	Already at 14:01 I received several messages on WhatsApp, which I was distracted by. After five minutes, I had to turn off wi-fi on my phone After 40-45 minutes, I really wanted to distract myself. Since I tried very hard to keep the regime, I just turned my head from side to side, sighed and looked out the window, then at the clock
Result	I wrote one and a half articles and did everything according to plan. For me, this is a victory. Despite the pressure of time, the quality has not suffered, the result is satisfied
	The only thing that disciplined me was the program. She reminded me of tasks, and I remembered that she wrote down all the actions. It was the feeling of "Big Brother" that made me not be distracted, and not the schedule at all
	How the permanent way won't work
Efficiency	2 out of 5

Advice: music at work helps to focus on duties without being distracted by conversations and office noise, gives inspiration to work, is pleasant backdrop for workflow. Mozart's music enhances concentration and brain efficiency. Jazz increases productivity.

In order to improve the result and block out extraneous noise, I decided to use headphones.

What's happened	Turns out I don't like Mozart. I don't have the strength to listen to it! After a few minutes, I started to get annoyed. Couldn't write a single line. Needless to say, I immediately googled “why is Mozart annoying?” In order not to spoil the experiment, I decided to listen to something else. From Strauss, I started to fall asleep ... Honestly! I was cut right off! I had to try listening to a collection of the London Symphony Orchestra. And pass again. Jazz carried me away, I began to dance and tap my fingers on the table, as a result I did not write anything After spending half a day on this, I settled on pop Pink and Katy Perry. At least you can listen to them without listening, and it’s quite normal to write under them, but I didn’t notice an increase in productivity
Result	None of the plans were completed
	Theoretically, you can disconnect from the outside world. Someone can
	The job still doesn't work
Efficiency	0 out of 5

Advice: let others and friends know that you need some peace and quiet to complete the work and that you should not be disturbed. Turn off your phone, block distracting websites, put a do not disturb sign on your desktop. Focus on the task.

The first thing I did was to install a tricky program - Internet Security Controller. It does not stupidly block specific sites, but allows you to customize the blocking for yourself. For example, you can block VKontakte from 10:00 to 19:00 from Friday to Saturday. In addition, you can set the total time that you allow yourself to spend on a particular site. For example, Instagram - 15 minutes a day.

Then I did not warn anyone about anything, but stupidly turned off the phone and closed the mail, which usually hangs with me all day in a separate tab. In addition, I removed social networks from the quick launch bar of the browser.

What's happened	To be honest, I didn't even check the lock. I just realized that if I had to install a special program on my laptop that would hide social networks from me, then I had problems. This thought upset me so much that I had no desire to break my own prohibitions. What am I, a little child, really?! My fuse and disappointment lasted for several rather fruitful hours. Closer to five in the evening, I began to worry about how life flows there without me. I began to think that everyone had lost me, and in the messages one hundred and twenty “where are you?” and "what's going on?"
Result	The plan for the day was completed by 80%, the quality is average, apparently due to the general sad mood
	Blocking is an option
	Turning off the phone is not suitable for everyone (there may be work calls)
Efficiency	1 of 5

I deceived the program very simply - I turned on the phone and immediately went to all prohibited sites. To my dismay, there was not a single message for the whole day.

Advice: Divide working time into segments of 25 minutes, set a timer. Until the timer runs out, do not be distracted from the task at hand.

The bottom line is to focus fully on the task for 25 minutes and take a five-minute break after that time. After four such “pomodoros” out of 25 minutes, the rest should be increased to 10-15 minutes. Any online timer, a timer on your phone, a kitchen timer, which the creator of the tomato technique used for himself, or, for example, such a turbo button, will do.

What's happened	Having put two articles on the agenda for the day, I did not really believe that I would be able to finish them - the topics were too complicated and large in volume. The first 25 minutes flew by quickly and cheerfully. I felt energized and inspired. I love this spirit of competition! I wanted more, I wanted to continue, so after barely sustaining the prescribed five minutes of rest, I continued with great zeal. As a result, the first article was written in 50 minutes I didn’t want to write a second article right away, so I began to do other things from the plan, and they all easily and productively fit into 25 minutes.
Result	The plan was completed by 90%. It was fun and interesting
	It turned out that tasks that I could stretch for hours are completed in 25 minutes. This information turned my world upside down. Anything can be written in 25 minutes: cleaning, ironing, reading, studying, having lunch, etc.
	It turned out that I can’t do similar work in a row - I definitely need to diversify my activities. With this technique, I would not be able to write only articles all day
Efficiency	4 out of 5

Advice: use the principles of aromatherapy. Rosemary stimulates mental abilities, increases concentration, helps with overwork. Eucalyptus increases efficiency and productivity, reduces drowsiness caused by overexertion. Sage increases concentration, motivation and mood.

I bought a special concentrating balm from the Badger brand from the Aromatherapy series. The description says that it should be used "for concentration, energizing and clearing the mind." Ingredients: grapefruit, rosemary, ginger, lemon, cardamom, calendula.

What's happened	Day 1. I applied the balm under my nose, on my temples, on my neck arteries and on my wrists. The smell seemed weak, so during the whole working day I kept this thing under my nose and inhaled the aroma. It looked strange. I don’t know if this is related to aromatherapy, but I couldn’t write a single article, because I analyzed everything very deeply Day 2. For the purity of the experiment, I decided to repeat the experience. Maybe this is self-hypnosis, but I directly felt how the eucalyptus clears my head of any unnecessary thoughts. However, my cleared mind was again fixated on the perfect text, which I could not achieve in any way.
Result	Written 20% of imperfect text
	I think oils will help to work on tasks that require increased concentration.
	Not suitable if time is running out
Efficiency	1 of 5

I ruled and ruled, rewrote and rewrote, over and over, without end. If that's what concentration is, then I'll pass.

Advice: you set yourself a task - for example, write a paragraph of text. Then honestly, without being distracted and clenching your teeth, you spend ten minutes on this with a stopwatch. Then you wander around the room for two minutes, smoke, drink coffee, think about plans to emigrate to Bhutan. Then everything starts all over again. By the end of the hour, you have five paragraphs in your hands.

Advice: use a daily and weekly plan in conjunction with a 45/15 system (45 minutes work, 15 minutes rest).

Since it's the middle of the week, I have a weekly plan from today to the end of the week.

What's happened	This is practically what I started my two weeks of experiments with. From the first day I write the schedule for the day, but I didn’t do the schedule for the week before. It turned out to be in vain. If you could see all the tasks for the week earlier, then it would be possible to plan for the day. Perhaps you wouldn't have to move the same thing every day a day ahead. I scattered the cases according to the plan and clearly saw what was most important and what was still suffering. It turned out that there is plenty of time for everything, and even more than necessary. The thought appeared: “what if I unconsciously felt that there was more time than cases, and therefore I was distracted, filling these voids instead of inventing more things for myself”
Result	Everything was sorted out, the plan for the day was completed by 90%. Good quality
	Convenient, clear, understandable, accessible and there is plenty of time for everything
	It's embarrassing that there are so many long breaks. It's a bit embarrassing, but maybe I'll get used to it
Efficiency	4 out of 5

Advice: put a clock on your desktop, preferably ticking. They will symbolize the passing of time.

Finding a desk clock with a walking hand was not easy, but now I have one.

It reminded me of the clock that hung in every classroom in our school. Then we waited for the hated 45 minutes to pass, but now we have to wait eight hours. It's terribly depressing!

Advice: It is very important to develop a proactive thinking aimed at efficiency. The basis of such thinking is the understanding that "I am the cause of everything that happens to me" and "I myself determine my result." Before completing a task, you can ask yourself: am I not able to do this? Why and why am I distracted?

To be proactive means to be aware of your deepest values ​​and goals, to act in accordance with your life principles, regardless of conditions and circumstances. For example, we do not like work, we feel that we are underestimated, we are tired and want to go on vacation, work seems meaningless, etc.

What's happened	I began to think in this vein: “OK, I determine my own result. I really know how long it takes me to complete a task. Moreover, I actually know why I do it and for what. I can be more efficient and productive." Blah blah blah On reflection, I came to the conclusion that I have no underlying reasons. Nothing prevents me from working harder and better. After spending about an hour thinking about this, I set to work. Oddly enough, she worked more productively and was practically not distracted (that is, she was distracted, but during her legal breaks)
Result	Surprised me, because this psychological bullshit had an effect on me. The plan was completed by 90% (everything just did not have time). It is important to periodically recall the conclusions drawn.
	Helps to recognize the problem, understand its cause and try to solve it
	For one time
Efficiency	4 out of 5

Advice: declare your actions and come up with a punishment for not meeting your goals.

What's happened	I wrote a contract by hand, in which I promised myself to finish this article on time, and signed it. She posted this on her favorite social network: “I solemnly promise to finish the article on how not to be distracted when you work, no later than the sixth of August. If I do not attach a print screen of the sent letter within the specified period, I will buy any book to anyone who notices its absence. Almost immediately, four people liked it, two even sent me specific wishes for books Greed and excitement motivated me in an extraordinary way. I immediately sat down to work with the feeling that I would hit my head, but no one would ever get either Metro 2035 or John Lennon's letter from me.
Result	With special zeal, I finished the article on time
	Very motivating and inspiring
	Suitable only for large tasks or deadlines
Efficiency	4 out of 5

Epilogue

There is a different way for every task. After the experiment, I still use ManicTime, weekly and daily schedule + tomato technique, and will also use a public statement. For me, these things have been productive, but I decided not to stop and continue to look for the perfect way to not be distracted. When I find it, I'll whistle.

October 24, 2008 at 09:52 pm

Business of time: how not to be distracted while working

• Freelance

Today I want to share my observations about those things that can distract us during work. I see surprised faces. Yes, it also seemed to me that this question was not significant.

But statistics show: any irritant that distracts from work takes from 3 to 10 minutes of working time. If, while working on the layout, you answer someone in icq, then attention is scattered and it will take you some time to return to your working mood.

And having 5-10 such irritants at hand, we can lose up to a couple of hours a day on unimportant things. So, how can we avoid distractions while we work?

Mail and icq

It seems to us that by responding from time to time to messages from friends in ICQ, we do not waste time. In fact, every potential slacker from the list of contacts, who now and then throws links to photo in contact or cool video from youtube, simply steals your time.

A similar situation with mail: in TheBat settings, I specified that mail was checked every 10 minutes. Now imagine: every time 1-2 letters arrive (live notification, blog comment, newsletter, etc.). All this makes you distract from the main business and look at letters, delete unnecessary ones, reply to important ones, etc.

How to deal with this? For myself, I found a very simple solution: I installed a mail check every 60 minutes, and in icq I created a visible list, and only people in it have the right to disturb me. At critical moments, icq (like the mailer) turns off.

Surfing

I don’t know how it is now, but in the days of my youth, surfing was called traveling around the sites. Sometimes meaningful, and more often thoughtless. I opened one site, left it for another and off we go. woke up - not a plaster cast, of course, but an hour of time as if it had not happened. Familiar? Me too.

How to deal with this? especially responsible comrades, I think, have already decided this issue for themselves - just refused from visiting entertainment sites during working hours. But what to do if you refuse classmates, rutuba, ladies and teminogo zhezhe difficult?

For users of firefox, there is a great solution - LeechBlock addon, which can keep out browser to the specified sites at the right time. It is easy to turn it off, but from experience I can say that it helps to focus on work.

surrounding

In two hours of work in peace and quiet, you can manage to do more than a 6 o'clock when you get distracted every now and then. But nevertheless, there is a cat/dog, a boy/girl, children (underline) who constantly they strive to stick their nose into the monitor, invite them to drink tea, watch TV or go to the store.

If a cat invites you to go shopping, I can’t help you here, but with the rest of the points, the matter is solved quite simply: equip yourself with a workplace in the room with door, which for the time of work you can close.

If noise interferes, wear while working headphones. And it is not obligatory that Bilan will play there, the technique still reached us and we can listen to the radio. For example, I love Radio Mayak. And you?

Phone

It is not for nothing that some call it the scourge of modern society, because with a mobile phone in your pocket, everyone can get you at any time of the day and anywhere.

I think that someone will be surprised, but the phone during the day can be turned off or in extreme cases, put it on silent mode and check the missed ones every 2-3 hours and answer “I love you too” on sms to 5 different subscribers.

Again, I judge by myself - turning off the phone saves I have a lot of time. Need? Send me an email or icq. Don't need? So why call then.

small offtopic: what the Bolsheviks talked about so much, they proved. Mobile phone really harmful to health, especially for male joys (the phone is often carried in a pants pocket) and the brain (during a conversation).

And the younger the organism, the more radiation influences it by the way. Believe my experience in one of the mobile operators.

Music

Some cannot work without a player, while others are more comfortable working in silence. I belong to the second, because during operation, any sounds to me interfere, so silence is the very thing.

The only thing I can say about this is that cheerful music helps you wake up in the morning, but it’s still better to work without it. By evening, turn it on again, but something calmer. Such a scheme is likely to suit most people.

To the question "What, for example?" I can offer mixes of my friend Dj Hemul. Relaxes and does not interfere with work.

Smoke breaks

Quit smoking if you haven't already done so. And if you can't, don't justify yourself by saying that smoking relaxes you. Until they prove to me that it can calm, I don't believe.

Instead of a smoke break, it is better to do exercises, drink tea or count blondes in red outside the window.

Against smoking breaks, he says the following: for a smoke break, one usually don't go. Someone one offers, the rest agree and go together to breathe smoke and one and a half thousand chemical compounds and resins. At the same time, everyone breaks away from some business, which does not at all contribute to concentration at work.

If you really need to, then, if possible, go for smoke breaks or rest when some part of the work has already been completed and you can be distracted.

I am guided by these rules so as not to be distracted from important matters. I want to hear your advice on this topic.

Margarita Smurova

12.04.2016 | 709

Can't concentrate on work? Are you constantly switching to something? We will show you how to focus and increase productivity.

According to statistics, we spend from a third to half of our working time not on the performance of official duties. We drink tea, chat with colleagues, surf the Internet - we do a lot of things, but we just don’t work.

And then we have to stay in the office until late at night or take work home for the weekend, because we did not have time to do everything necessary. Familiar?

To avoid this scenario and start working productively, just follow our tips.

Plan your time

It is impossible to come to work by 8 am and work until 5 pm, being distracted only by lunch strictly from 13 to 14 o'clock. Each of us has hours in which we are most alert and productive, and those in which we can only stare at the monitor with a blurred look. For the most important and complex cases, it is necessary to choose time intervals of the first type.

If you're not thinking well in the morning, put off major projects for the evening instead of beating yourself up for not being able to focus.

Sort information on the Internet

It often happens that it’s useful to look for an answer to a working question, but woke up after an hour and a half of reading Wikipedia or a feed of friends on a social network. To prevent this situation, use the "parental control" function, which is available in any browser. Blacklist all potentially addictive sites, turn off Skype if you don't need it for work.

Turn off notifications on your phone

Even more effective is to put it in flight mode. App notifications and messages from friends should not distract you from work. The same applies to phone calls: talk only if it is a matter of life and death.

Move away from colleagues

Very often, excessively talkative colleagues interfere with productive work. They ask for your help, tell jokes, invite you to drink coffee, always at the very moment when you finally caught the elusive thought and got to work.

You can ignore them with the help of headphones. Turn on the music that sets you up for work, and enjoy: you can’t hear conversations, the work process has begun, you look like an extremely busy person. If that doesn't work, tell your co-workers honestly and politely that you don't have time to talk yet. In extreme cases, load them with work so that there is not even a minute left for you.

Break tasks into small pieces

It is much more difficult to cover one large task than many small ones. Use this principle at work. Divide each large project into several smaller ones. This will help you focus and not miss anything.

Get distracted from time to time

Do not strive to bring your attentiveness and perseverance to the absolute. Periodic distractions only improve your productivity and develop creative thinking. If you feel like you have an irresistible urge to look at cats on the Internet, do it, but limit yourself to 5-10 minutes.

Try these techniques and you will notice that it is not so difficult to work effectively.

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