Do you ever feel like your business is running you? Do you find yourself constantly on the phone, responding to emails, or checking social media beeps? Everyone who owns a business knows that time is money. Unfortunately, it seems like there are never enough hours in the day to get everything was done that needs doing.
In this article, we’ll explore how making a change in your workflow can help you get back some of the time lost to endless interruptions and distractions on your phones.
Stop checking your phone every 5 minutes
Phones are very convenient. Not only can you use them to make calls, send messages and stay in touch with people, but they also tell the time! They’re incredibly useful tools when used correctly. However, it’s way too easy to get distracted by incoming notifications, whether that be a text message or an email alert popping up on your screen.
The average person checks their phone every six and half minutes (that’s roughly 150 times a day). The problem with this is that almost 60% of those interactions are considered distractions — meaning you aren’t getting any real work done.
Many people try to incorporate “quick bursts” of time into their day for email processing or posting on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc., but all this does is leave you feeling frustrated and with a shorter temper. You find that no matter how much you get done during these short bursts of time, it’s never enough.
The problem with this is that every time you check your phone, it takes your mind off whatever you were working on. You’ll lose focus and likely need to restart whatever you were doing when you get back to it. This interrupts the natural flow of your work, making everything take more time than it really should.
Use a timer to set work time and break time
A great way to increase your productivity is by setting regular work hours and regular breaks. Dividing up the time you have for working each day can help you set boundaries, which in turn will help you get more done during the working day.
The reason why people fail when they attempt to be productive is that it’s very difficult to maintain focus on one task for an extended period of time.
One of the most useful tools you can use to help get more done in less time is a kitchen timer. It doesn’t matter what kind, even an old-fashioned egg timer will do. The reason this works is that it takes away any opportunity for distraction. You know you have a set amount of time and when that runs out, your break time begins.
When you work straight through your working hours with no set break, you’re just reinforcing the bad habit of checking your phone constantly during that time. You’ll find yourself mindlessly opening apps or checking notifications. By setting a timer, you will only have to check your phone for important calls and messages — everything else can wait until your break time.
Take care of yourself – get enough sleep, exercise, etc.
Ensuring that you’re always on top of your game is the best way to ensure you’re getting more done in less time. Taking care of yourself by getting enough sleep, exercise, and healthy food options will mean that even if there are one or two days when you feel like you’ve hit a roadblock, you can push through it.
Everyone deserves to take care of themselves. Ditching the phone every now and then during your work hours is beneficial, but if you don’t take care of yourself too then your productivity will be seriously affected.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, take a short break to relax. Then come back to your work with fresh energy and you’ll find that everything seems easier than before. Ditching the phone once in a while is the perfect way to refresh, but it’s important not to let yourself become so dependent on putting your phone down that eventually you’re not able to work at all.
Spend less time on social media for more productive hours in the day
Thanks to social media, it’s gotten easier for people to communicate with each other. Because of this, it makes sense that you’d want to check your phone every now and then to see if there are any updates or notifications from the sites you follow.
However, spending too much time on social media is not productive at all. The one thing that wastes so much of our time IS social media. Ditching the phone during work hours will cut out a lot of useless browsing and scrolling, but it’s important to dig deeper than just deleting apps from your phone.
By spending less time on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you’ll find yourself getting more done in less time. Ditching your phone from time to time means you won’t get sucked into endless streaming of content and news stories, all of which is useless and contributes nothing helpful to your life.
One of the most important things to do in a work environment is to establish trust. Many companies have a zero-tolerance policy for employees using social media sites during working hours, and it’s easy to understand why.
The problem with social media sites is that they’re so addictive. It can be hard enough when you add up all the time that most people spend on social networks every day, let alone the time spent checking your phone.
Keep your workspace clean and organized so you can focus better on tasks at hand
Keeping your workspace clean and organized is also a great way to increase productivity. Ditching the phone means that you’ll only have to check it for important calls or messages, which can wait until break time.
Everything else on your desk should be given more focus during working hours. Anything that adds to the distraction of having an unorganized workspace is not advisable. Ditching your phone to focus more on what you’re doing is pointless if you’re surrounded by clutter and you’re still distracted by the mess.
Whether you work from home or in an office, a clean workspace is one of the most important things that contribute to your productivity. Ditching your phone every now and then ensures that you’re getting everything done with as little distraction as possible, but a messy workspace is just going to lead to more distractions.
When your workspace is clean and organized, you can more easily focus on the task at hand. Ditching the phone means that there’s nothing else for you to distract yourself with. It also means that while you’re working on a project, you won’t be distracted by any other tasks or chores.
Conclusion
It’s time to take a break from your phone and do something more productive.
The next time you find yourself opening your phone to check your messages, stop and think about what that behavior is doing for you. You might be surprised by how much more productive hours in the day can become when you don’t spend them on social media or checking texts every five minutes.
We understand how hard it can be but if you want an extra push or motivation, get in contact with us at Top Tier Coaching Services.
