Time is one of our most precious resources and often the most challenging one to protect as life begins to return to post-pandemic “normal”.
We might have felt more productive while isolated and working from home. As it turns out most of us worked longer, but somewhat less efficiently.
Let’s face it, emails, messages, news articles, and social media continued to hack our attention.
The new “hybrid” phase of balancing in-office and remote work adds even more complexity. There is pressure to address things such as responding to emails quickly, check out the latest news on Twitter, or even walk the dog.
Ultimately, the distractions that can imitate productive uses of time, are far less productive than we think.
The iStratus App aims to protect your time against noise and distractions. In this article, we will provide some practical ideas to optimize your time and stay productive as well.
Define Your Goals
Outlining distractions is rather challenging and varies with each individual. Thus we suggest beginning by identifying your goals.
A goal might be to finalize a pressing project or search for a new job. Essentially a distraction is anything that sidelines you from achieving that core goal.
Use iStratus to evaluate your “To Do’s” and record reminders of ways to moderate your work time and objectives against your goals and the distractions that become immediately obvious. Could emails, for instance, be moderated? These can easily begin to merge into looking a lot like someone else’s checklist if you allow it.
Identify Focus
Defined goals are one thing, however, the reality is, it’s unlikely you allocate the time to address your priorities. You’re not alone. It happens to the best of us.
Thus to discover what’s working and what isn’t, perhaps adding undue stress, we suggest creating a list in iStratus of everything you undertake at work and how much time you usually spend addressing each item.
Do this for at least a week to track details. This process should help to identify the specific distractions that evaporate time you could otherwise spend working towards your main goals. This helps us stay motivated to keep taking one step at a time.
The Social Media Diet
The algorithm of “likes, comments, clicks, and click bait” of other users within our social media networks determines what emerges in our feed.
Automatically, this becomes your information diet.
Do you find this a distraction that eats into your time?
Use this tool to network amongst experts. Quality journalism has high expectations to clear. It’s not a newsflash that random news posts across social media don’t follow this same protocol.
To help you avoid the distraction blues and advice on how to maintain productivity follow us at, iStratus on Facebook here.
Routines Reduce Distractions
Often people think productivity equates to motivation. However, establishing strong habits and routines is just as central to the process of combating distractions, as motivation is. Even the most disciplined, ambitious people succumb to their devices. No doubt you’re tempted to check certain apps every time you grab the phone.
- Set those time blocks and reminders in iStratus, before you pick your phone up to check that email app or Facebook.
- Try your best to check off those necessary slots first.
- Perhaps, create a folder known as “distractions.”
Be OK, With Saying NO.
“No” is an important word. We’ve mentioned this a couple of times in previous articles. However, it is worth repeating because it truly is a central rule for success and depletion of distractions.
By saying “No,” you are saying “Yes” to important goals and leaving more time available to execute them.
Use iStratus to define workplace goals, and redirect and brainstorm objectives easier amongst all team members. Having a clear direction helps to easily identify when saying “no” to a new project or task that competes with or overrides those higher priorities.
“Working from home meant we could vary snack and coffee breaks, change our desks or view… meet to gossip or share ideas.
On the other hand, we bossed ourselves around…demanded longer hours than office jobs usually entail.
It was the ultimate “flextime”, in that it depended on how flexible we felt each day, given deadlines, distractions, and workaholic crescendos.”
~ Diane Ackerman
So, if you have read this article through and take no action, you will have lost about ten minutes of your day. The pandemic bubble arrived and in many ways became a guard. However, we must embrace this world we’re in. Be social and schedule instances to do the things that are important in your life. Set the bar high for the value of your time. By focusing on what matters, you’re more likely to experience improved outputs and maintain productivity.
Set some new goals and ruthlessly protect them from those distractions around you.
Live life and roll well with iStratus.