Before you start building back those walls you so dutifully tore down, there are ways to reap the benefits of an open office while still enabling your team to get things done. In the long list of internal distractions this is very common to most people, we all have a desire to associate with people who are like us, but this can lead us to become closed minded and petty. #7 – Passion - Passion can be a distraction when we use it to run over people rather than lead them! Let us know in the comments below. Instead of living in your inbox, designate set times to respond to emails, and stick to it. Chrome extensions like DistractOff take the temptation away and help you avoid the impulse for mindless procrastination. In fact, we’re in the midst of a backlash against the open-office concept. From there, we have our inbox open all day, and when a new email pops up, we click into it right away. The infographic below is based on the responses of 34 instructors who were asked to name the most common focus-disrupting activities they see in their classrooms. Many of them are shows that no one else in my family enjoys... 2. Turns out, conversing is a bigger distraction than fidgeting with a phone or headset. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. Daydreaming. The top ten distractions If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. Social Media. Purposeful use of distraction techniques can actually be of benefit in helping people cope with emotions that are strong and uncomfortable. SnackNation Insights Identify your highest leverage activities first, and attack them with gusto. Your team will appreciate the perk, and they’ll have the nutrition they need for focused work. Building relationships with your team and your colleagues at work is essential. It may seem like it takes a lot of willpower, but it’s remarkably easy to do. Tech Blog Some people in business often seem to end up just answering emails all day long and doing nothing else. He avoided the distractions that Jesus warned about in the parable of the sower when He said, “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matt. You read the blog... 3. Music without lyrics works best. It’s not necessary and often kills a lot of time that you could have been using to get work done. Save time and money by providing your employees with healthy snacking options in the office. Responding to emails is, by its very nature, reactive. Terms and Conditions 21 Distractions that Decrease Your Productivity 1) Facebook. Remember that open office configuration that you fought so hard for? It’s all well and great that you’ve spent loads of time doodling awesome pictures, but if you’re not an artist or working in design then it’s just a distraction to your work. Television. Paul prayed that the young church in Colossae would be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so … Last on the list, one of the most pointless distractions that decrease your productivity is just simply staring at the clock. Which of the distractions on the list are ones that you let decrease your productivity? While the benefits of knocking down those cubicle walls are real, it’s true that open offices can be messy, noisy affairs. Again, constant phone calls throughout the day is going to distract you from what you’re doing, and you’ll often find that after getting off the phone you will have completely forgotten what you were doing. Often, this isn’t our fault. So, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Google Plus, StumbleUpon and so on will all be causing you distraction whilst working. When deployed right, Slack is still an amazing collaboration tool. Take the Quiz Or Snapchat… But along with these benefits comes some steep downsides. A 2011 review of more than 100 studies by organizational psychologist Matthew Davis found that open offices hurt attention spans, creativity, and productivity for certain types of work. Another ingenious idea is to hijack your Facebook habit with something more productive. While Slack is without a doubt an amazing collaboration tool, much of the information contained in emails simply migrated to Slack. Also, here’s an infographic that shows you some 6 simple tips to reduce your stress at work: A Canadian study made headlines worldwide by concluding that modern human beings now have shorter attention spans than goldfish – thanks, of course, to our smartphone addictions. For more info visit: Privacy Policy & settings. In a presentation on productivity hacks, SnackNation Head of Sales Kevin Dorsey made the point that the term “multitasking” is a misnomer, and we should consider dropping it from our vocabulary altogether. Unless your promoting your businesses Facebook page, then stay off Facebook whilst you’re working. Here are some common cognitive driving distractions: Talking to another passenger. Socialis, by far, the biggest distraction of all for the majority of people. In most cases, notepads increase productivity. Eliminating distractions is a great place to start. Oh but wait, your desk now needs to be a different height to compensate for your long legs… you get the picture. Our brains just aren’t built for multitasking, and we’re all terrible at it. Read a book. This idea comes from Brian Tracy’s popular book Eat That Frog! 8 Major Distractions in Your Life ... 1. We are, by nature, sinful, and if we live by our sinful nature, we will not get close to Jesus.No matter what you do, there will be a constant battle within yourself between spirit and flesh. And we’re not talking about athletic performance. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.