Is Your Workspace Distracting You?
Distractions at work are one of the biggest time wasters and preventers of productivity. There are loads of distractions around while you’re working like your cell phone, co-workers talking loudly, visitors, etc. but is your workspace distracting you too?
Take a good hard look at your desk area and tell me what you see. Is it a mess? Is it covered from top to bottom with post-its, memos and other notes you still haven’t gotten around to? Or is it stacked with knick-knacks and frames? If you answered yes to any of those then your workspace is a distraction and can even cause you unnecessary stress and anxiety.
Here are a few tips to dump the distractions and the stress:
If you’re a post-it master
Get a memo pad you can’t throw away. There are tons of options like WhiteyBoard where you can stick a sheet of whiteboard and use it as a long to do list. They even have white board stickers. Keep it to a maximum of 4 on your desk, anymore will start the stress and clutter all over.
If you’re a Collector
So you want to remember your trip to Cabo by keeping the souvenir shot glass, frame, beer mug, golf ball and pencil cup on your desk at all times. Keep your desk “souvenirs” to a maximum of 1-2 pieces. It’s not only a distraction but it can look unprofessional too. If you want to keep memories in front of you at work(which I think is a great idea) then limit it to the screensaver and desktop wall paper on your computer. It won’t frighten away visitors and you’ll feel better finding your desk is no longer in disarray.
What category do you fall under or is your workspace distraction free? Let me know in the comments below!
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Souvenirs and photos can create a distraction when you need to focus. For me, it’s best to keep them out of my line of sight at my desk. In fact, I move or store anything with words (books, mail, magazines) and I’ve even covered logos with black electrical tape. Instead of paper, post-its and notebooks, which themselves can distract, I’ll manage tasks in an app. The idea is to keep things in one place and out of mind, while you focus on the task at hand. (I use OmniFocus on my iPhone and iPad.)