4 Ways to Overcome Workplace Distractions
Written By: Sean Cashman, Senior Consultant at Treeline, Inc.
How many times have you been doing a task at work when…wait…oh, I have to take this call…I’ll be right back.
…ok, sorry about that. I have been waiting for that call for 2 days. Where was I? Oh yeah…it is so difficult these days to keep your focus on the task at hand…oh, wait…my colleague just sent me a great video clip…that is hysterical. I need to send this to some friends…
…I’m back. Ok, I am focused on this…what am I focused on?! Oh, yeah – this blog.
So, I’ll cut right to it. We live and work in a world of distractions. We are more accessible than ever before. Cell phones, smart phones, email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and the list goes on. In the information age, we have access to endless amounts of data which is great but there is a catch…the data has access to us as well.
While I type this, I am receiving emails, Twitter updates, Face Book posts, phone calls, texts and funny looks from my colleagues as I ignore their requests to check out the YouTube video of the woman falling off the porch. …I’ll be right back…I have to check that out…
It was worth it…absolutely hysterical. Where was I?
The point of this blog is that it is more difficult than ever to complete the task at hand in one sitting. There are so many things pulling at us to for our attention that it can only be expected that we will be distracted from what we are trying to accomplish. Now, some people will argue that multitasking has been around for a while now and it is expected in the everyday workplace…I am not referring to typing an email as I talk on the phone.
I am talking about discipline to complete what you are working on before you move on to the next item up for business. How many times do you start a simple task and get distracted and when you come back to the incomplete task, it takes you twice as much time because you are trying to remember that the heck you were trying to accomplish…oh, the tangled web we weave.
Here are some tips to keep you on track and on schedule:
- Block off time and stick to your schedule. If you set aside an hour to make cold calls then stick to it. If you find yourself cleaning out your inbox in that hour, you are going to have to make up that time on the back end and we all know that there are not enough hours in the day.
- Make a ‘To Do List’. If you do not know what needs to be done, it is because you did not write it down…simple, yet very effective.
- Eat the Frog. If you never read this book – go get it. If you have, you know what this means. Eating the frog is that task that we dread doing and we will avoid it at all costs. We end up looking for distractions in order to avoid eating the frog. If you eat the frog first, everything else you do will be easy in comparison.
- Discipline. Stick to the plan. Set a task, set a deadline and stick to it. Ignore the emails, phone, Facebook posts, etc. Simply put, Get’er done.
I am not saying it is easy…it’s not. I started this one page blog at 8:30AM and it is approaching lunch time. I am a fast typer and I find it relatively enjoyable to write. The reason it took me so long is because since I began writing, I have taken 7 phone calls, sent 13 emails, made 1 Facebook post, watched 3 YouTube videos and discussed current events with my colleagues.
Just another day in the 2010 workplace. Now, what am I doing next??…
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Motivating Your Sales Team Using Feedback and Disciplince
The Importance of Feedback and Discipline
Written By: Brian Tracy – Novemeber 9, 2010
An important part of business communication is giving feedback, correction and discipline to your staff.
How You Can Be More Effective in Giving Feedback to Your Staff
An important part of business communication is giving feedback, correction and discipline to your staff. One of the jobs of the manager is to be a teacher, and in some cases a disciplinarian. This means that, in order to do your job properly, and in order to develop your staff to make their highest potential contribution to the organization, you must give them regular feedback on what they are doing right and where they can improve.
Constructive Criticism
Most people are very tense about giving discipline or what is often called, “constructive criticism.” However you can make it a low stress occasion by focusing on the behavior and the performance rather than on the person. This requires that you report what you see, rather than what you feel, or your interpretation of events.
Focus on the Behavior
For example, a person comes back from a luncheon two hours late. Instead of getting angry with the person, you could say, “I see that you took more than two hours for lunch today. This causes some disruption in the office because of the work that doesn’t get done. Is there a reason for this long lunch?”
In other words, what you are doing is reporting on the individual’s behavior and leaving the door open for a variety of interpretations or explanations. The individual may have had a car accident or a medical appointment, or a family emergency.
Thinking about the Future
One of the best ways to deal with poor performance is to focus on the future over the past. Instead of becoming angry over what has already happened, or not happened, you should explain clearly to the individual what you want to see done differently. Get an agreement from the individual that the job will be done differently in the future. Agree to meet on a regular basis to review progress.
Build Self-Esteem
Always end a disciplinary interview with an expression of faith and confidence in the individual. Always do everything possible to preserve the individual’s self-esteem and self-image. End the conversation with a positive statement that causes the person to go back to work feeling better about himself or herself.
Aim for Improved Performance
Remember, the only purpose of a session of constructive criticism is to improve performance. If you lose sight of that and instead you attack or criticize the other person, his or her performance will not improve. In fact, if you criticize a person too often, the individual will stop doing that job altogether. Their performance will deteriorate and they will become less and less willing to contribute to the goals of the company.
Action Exercises
First, always criticize or correct a person in private. When someone has made a mistake or done a poor job, arrange to see them alone, explain your concerns and ask for their explanation – before you say anything.
Second, no matter what has happened, always focus on the future over the past. Focus on what can be done now rather than what has already happened. Focus on what the person should do next time rather than the mistake that has already been made.
Tracy, Brian. “The Importance of Feedback and Discipline | Brian Tracy’s Blog.” Achieve Your Personal and Professional Goals Faster – Brian Tracy International. 09 Nov. 2010. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.briantracy.com/blog/daily-thoughts/the-importance-of-feedback-and-discipline/>.
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