{"id":110,"date":"2021-08-16T05:14:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T09:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.istratus.com\/blog\/?p=110"},"modified":"2022-01-27T10:43:37","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T15:43:37","slug":"guarding-our-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/time-management\/guarding-our-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Guarding Our Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Time is one of our most precious resources and often the most challenging one to protect as life begins to return to post-pandemic \u201cnormal\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

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. <\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it, emails, messages, news articles, and social media continued to hack our attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

The new \u201chybrid\u201d 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, the distractions that can imitate productive uses of time, are far less productive than we think.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Define Your Goals <\/b><\/h2>\n

Outlining distractions is rather challenging and varies with each individual. Thus we suggest beginning by identifying your goals. <\/span><\/p>\n

A goal might be to finalize a pressing project or search for a new job. Essentially a distraction is <\/span>anything<\/span><\/i> that sidelines you from achieving that core goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use iStratus to evaluate your \u201cTo Do\u2019s\u201d 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\u2019s checklist if you allow it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identify Focus<\/b><\/h2>\n

Defined goals are one thing, however, the reality is, it’s unlikely you allocate the time to address your priorities. You\u2019re not alone. It happens to the best of us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus to discover what\u2019s working and what isn\u2019t, 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Social Media Diet<\/b><\/h2>\n

The algorithm of \u201clikes, comments, clicks, and click bait\u201d of other users within our social media networks determines what emerges in our feed. <\/span><\/p>\n

Automatically, this becomes your information diet. <\/span><\/p>\n

Do you find this a distraction that eats into your time? <\/span><\/p>\n

Use this tool to network amongst experts. Quality journalism has high expectations to clear. It\u2019s not a newsflash that random news posts across social media don\u2019t follow this same protocol. <\/span><\/p>\n

To help you avoid the distraction blues and advice on how to maintain productivity follow us at, iStratus on Facebook<\/span> here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Routines Reduce Distractions<\/b><\/h2>\n

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\u2019re tempted to check certain apps every time you grab the phone. <\/span><\/p>\n