I read somewhere that there are 3 major distractions we suffer from at home
- The refrigerator
- The Television, and
- The Bed
I’m not so sure about the last one especially in light of the continued data that emerges (Nap Time for Everyone! – Freakonomics) that demonstrates the value of napping during the day for airline pilots, technology workers. In fact:
U.S. Army, police forces, teachers, medical professionals, or people working in any job, really — and that “everybody should nap.”
But what about distractions and the home working environment many of us have found ourselves in. How do you avoid these Cocaine like Interruptions? It starts with identifying the source which may align with the list above but perhaps needs to be updated. The fridge is a staple for many but might also include snack drawers and stashes of goodies in the office. In some cases this is less generous than workplace snack bars that have made an entry into corporate offices. But its not just the fridge but all the snacks strategically located in the house (or at the office)
As for the Television – well this area needs a major overhaul and update!
This reflects everything in the technology realm and includes your office tools – laptop and mobile/cell phone. Both required to work but filled with distractions and interruptions ready to whisk you away into non-productive work time. This reflects a much deeper problem with technology and the ongoing distractions that are *designed* to create addiction. Message your work mates and let them know that you do not respond instantly to messages, email or chat routinely. You will respond but it won’t be immediately. If they need you urgently provide them with a path to getting in touch.
It never ceases to amaze me seeing people’s email popup alerts show up mid-presentation. I’ve seen it in large conference presentations, in online meetings and in a small office meeting or conference room.
There is an interesting side benefit of doing this – many ‘urgent’ messages and emails get resolved before you finally enter the thread and require no response or basic acknowledgement and agreement. And those that still need attention have oftentimes been filled with additional details providing additional clarity on the init required.
People Interruptions
But working from home has another insidious interruption. The people and animals you live with. For many of us we share our home office spaces with others who all work to different schedules and priorities. Despite what the pandemic suggests we are social in our behavior. When people are at home, children, other family members, when anything comes up they want to come and talk to you and share before they lose the thought, forget or something else comes up.
For them there is no ‘mute’ or “Do Not Disturb” (aka known as the ‘moon’ button in our household) for these interruptions. It is human nature – something comes up, and your house mates want to discuss and share. That includes your pets who no doubt have either seen a passing leaf that was extraordinarily threatening, or have discovered their food bowl is empty as it has been for the last 3 hours but now needs urgent refilling.
Creating a successful work environment
Here are your 7 incremental steps to find better focus at work and home, better brain health and maybe even lose a little weight
Your Incremental Steps to Avoiding the Cocaine of Interruptions
- Find it hard to focus – set a timer and focus on a single task for just 5 minutes – once you past the 5 minutes you may find it easier to continue
- Make the Snacks Harder to get – move them out of the office or in an inconvenient location
- Temptation Bundling – focus for 50 minutes on a task and reward yourself with a prized high value snack
- Switch off all the alerts – that includes email, message, social media
- Allocate a time, preferably limited to a specific period, perhaps ‘Temptation Bundled’ as a reward to yourself of a certain amount of time to spend on media interruptions
- Get a Post It with “Do Not Disturb” and put in the way of any family interruptions – you can always pull it down or just use it at certain times
- Allow for interruptions – just not all of the time
But above all – be kind to yourself. There are days you will find distractions get the better of your day. Accept the past, and move on without punishing yourself.
