The War on Productivity
November 10, 2008We usually talk about ways to be more productive, but getting things done is always easier said than done. For every task that lay ahead, there is always something or someone happy to distract you from your work. Sometimes these distractions are welcome breaks and sometimes a small break can spiral out of control to be an all out unproductive hour. It’s hard, after all, to stay focused and motivated 100% of the time. Below is a look at the five greatest weapons in what I call, “The War on Productivity”.
1) Construction and other loud noises
As I write this, I am working from home. Why? Because today is the day (thank goodness!) that someone has come to fix the leak in our ceiling that happens to be right in front of my desk. What started out as sheer joy on my part that a life without buckets full of brown water greeting me as I enter the office would soon be over, quickly turned into pipes being cut through, clogs being unclogged and other generally loud construction noises. One half hour spent debating about leaving and a fifteen minute bus ride home, and I’m finally back to work.
2) RSS feeds
This is both a necessity for me, and a danger. On the one hand, part of my job is to be up to date on the latest news. On the other hand, when my little Google Reader tells me I have (14) new items to read, I can’t really focus till I’ve read them. I’ve had to create new reading times for myself, much like the people who check their email three times a day, now I only check my RSS feeds three times a day.
3) Twitter
Again, a hazard of my job. Finding balance between staying in the know and actually getting things done can be hard, especially now that there is Twitter search. It’s endless entertainment! So endless in fact that it has once again been quarantined in my quest to accomplish more in one day, to special visits done in the morning and later afternoon.
4) Facebook
Why, oh why, Facebook, must you send me emails notifying me that someone has commented on my status, or added me as a friend? Well, I know why, because it gets people like me to stop what they are doing a second, login to their account and then get sucked into the Facebook world. It’s strategic, it’s effective, and darn it - it’s just about the best weapon they have against productivity.
5) Smells, especially microwave popcorn
Recently our office was gifted a case of microwave popcorn. This is both a blessing (who doesn’t love popcorn?!) and a curse. Once a single bag of popcorn gets popping, that sweet smell of buttery, or in this case Smart Balance, goodness spreads throughout the office and literally forces me to stop what I am doing, appreciate the smell and remind myself that I can wait till later to have a snack.
So let’s hear it, what are your biggest distractions, and how do you work around/though/against them?
Well, as a mother of ten (6 still at home), a pastor’s wife, a WI Realtor and an air and water purification distributor working from my home; I do have distractions. Jott.com is one today; but I’m enjoying testing it out.
Others are:
1. kids….but they do have occupied hours of their own that I capitalize on.
2. scatter-brainedness - St. John’s Wort? other supplements?
3. Messy desk - start a new file folder today and put some of it away.
4. Messy office - turn my back on it & concentrate on my monitor & keyboard.
5. Noise in home - close office door.
6. Wishing for more air purifier customers - check email.
7. Finding free ways to advertise online - postlets.com to craigslist.com
8. Finding real estate buyers - local college grads, newlyweds, investors, other???
9. It’s distracting to write about distractions when I should be listing properties.
Comment by Beth Stanley — November 14, 2008 @ 12:57 pm
Wow, you’ve described my list to a “T”. I’m amazed how my ten minute breaks can stretch to an hour. The only thing I could add is reading about new gadgets and golf clubs.
Comment by Matt — November 15, 2008 @ 9:42 am
Excellent. True. From obvious experience.
Comment by Kyle — November 16, 2008 @ 8:23 pm
I’ll add fatigue to the list; often toward the end of the week I am just plain physically tired which makes concentrating much harder. When I am having trouble concentrating or pulling together the motivation to do something I am dreading I have two favorite tacticts.
The first is break it down to small steps. That is why Jott works for me–instead of trying to solve everything at once I break out what I have to get done and leave reminders for myself for the other stuff.
The second thing I do is get a very strong coffee, crank up pandora, and choose whatever task I am most dreading from my “broken out” list and tackle it head on. This usually helps me identify and knock off what has me stuck and keeps the day rolling.
Comment by daniel — November 17, 2008 @ 2:24 pm
RSS, Twitter and Facebook are HUGE for me. Especially midafternoon as my concentration lags after lunch. I finally had to offload all of those distractions to my iPhone. I still indulge while sitting at the desk, but when using the phone I am more aware that I’m not working. For whatever reason that helps me not stare at every RSS feed, tweet, and status update.
I’ve only been using Jott for a short time, but I have to say it’s been a help rather than another distraction. I often think of things I need to get done at random times. Then forget them in a haze of online distractions. Jott has become my quick and way way to keep my tasks recorded and cut through the nonsense.
Comment by James Bedell — November 19, 2008 @ 5:01 am
That is so true. just like anything else we need to limit what we do.I love the jott”to do list .”In this life we only have time.
Comment by Abby Mathew — April 12, 2009 @ 6:09 pm