Since the outbreak of the pandemic, a large number of people have taken up remote work as a result of the lockdown. Even two years later this practice doesn´t seem to seize, on the contrary, the number of workers who choose to work from home is growing, but many complain about being easily distracted and not being able to fully concentrate.
Control Your Notifications
You probably don’t need to be notified every time one of your friends likes a Facebook post. The same thing happens every time a team member asks a question or sends a status update. By choosing not to receive notifications, you break the idea of being “always online” which implies that we must be constantly available and attentive in order to react to others. To avoid constant interruptions, we suggest turning off all notifications except for the most critical ones, which may be from a specific person or related to a particular project. That way you’ll be less distracted and you’ll stop feeling overwhelmed by so many notifications.
Set Specific Time for Distractions
Research has widely shown that taking short breaks throughout the day actually improves productivity. The trick is to make sure those quick breaks don’t turn into an entire afternoon. In order to stay active, it is recommendable to set aside specific blocks of time for extra-work activities like checking the news or what’s new on social media. When the time block is over, close any open apps or browser windows to get back to work.
Set Filters for Emails
Who among us has not received at least a few promotional emails or newsletters per day that we would have given up long ago? These messages clutter our email inboxes and make it harder to find important or urgent notes from external collaborators and our colleagues. In order to streamline your email inbox, it is recommendable to create filters to automatically separate what you need to see now from what can wait for later. Filtering by who sends the emails is particularly fast and has a great impact. If the sender is not from @yourcompany.com, filter those emails into a separate inbox so you can catch up with them later.
Use Do Not Disturb Mode
Let’s say you’re working on something that’s urgently due at the end of the day or a week, or you have an important presentation meeting and you can’t afford to be distracted at all. Very few moments resemble those of uninterrupted deep concentration. In those cases, experts recommend activating Do Not Disturb mode. Most mainstream productivity tools now include a Do Not Disturb option as a standard feature, including Asana. If you’re using Asana’s Do Not Disturb feature, we recommend setting scheduled focus times (for example 20 minutes, 2 hours, or until tomorrow) so you can completely unplug and focus on more important work. When a team member tries to @mention you or assign a task, they’ll see that you’re in Do Not Disturb mode and not receiving notifications at the time. If you start to worry that you’re missing something important, you can always turn it off for a quick check, but try to take advantage of the peace and quiet while you can.
Enjoy Your Free Time as Much as You Can
Just remember that work is work, and free time is free time. In other words, while you work, try to stay as focused as possible, but when you are having a day or an evening off, try to switch off and not think about work whatsoever ultimately. During covid pandemic, most people have found a way to switch off while not even having to leave the sofa. Especially in the Middle East and North Africa, the online entertainment industry seems to have kicked off in the last couple of years. For instance, webpages where you can find various game types. For example, ArabianBetting has reviewed hundreds of online casinos to offer players the best possible options giving them an overview of their services and promotions, which have become increasingly popular. They have covered various games so you can find something that suits you, regardless of your preferences.
In conclusion, staying focused in times of social media with our phones next to us is not easy, but fortunately, with a few simple steps, anyone can get back in control of their work schedule and be productive again.