You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

Avoid These Distractions at Workplace to Stay Focused This will help you think constructive, work smart and focus on important issues that were ignored earlier

By Nidhi Singh

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock

Workplace distractions can kill your creativity and productivity. From noisy colleagues to unavoidable telephone calls, diversions are many and eat up a lot of your precious time at work.

According to a 2016 survey by Oxford Economics, noise and distractions pose big challenges, especially in an open workplace setup.

A phone call from such open workplaces can disturb people working in other offices as well.

In today's busy lifestyle, everyone wants to get their work done in less time to stay ahead of his/her co-workers. Entrepreneur India lists a few distractions that can be easily avoided at the workplace to think constructive, work smart and focus on important issues that were ignored earlier.

Social Media

Social media consumes a large part of our daily lives. In today's digital era, the fear of missing out on social media is something people are bothered about apparently more than anything else.

Though it helps us in staying in touch with friends and family members and also keeps us abreast of various latest news and developments, it also creates a world of digital distraction for the young working population. Thanks to the excessive penetration and use of internet, even the most puritanical employees of an organization are fast falling into the traps of social media. The habit of scrolling through sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram has become so regular and binding that it starts interfering with your work. This further leads to lack of focus, which affects your performance.

Overflow of Emails

While on one hand access to the internet makes the workplace more competitive, on the other hand it has affected employees' ability to focus on their jobs.

Going through an endless stream of emails can take a lot of your time. It doesn't matter what job you are into, email is one of those things that form an integral part of work practices. On several occasions, we end up wasting time in writing an email, clearing up the inbox and going through each and every notification. To manage your email effectively, follow a systematic approach. Clear the unnecessary clutter, automate email follow-up setting, decrease the number of newsletters and decide what's more important. Lastly, set aside a specific time to read and respond to emails.

Noisy Coworker

Are you sick of your annoying co-workers? Every once in a while you will come across a noisy colleague, who bothers you in the daily work routine. The rising trend of open offices makes noise distractions and disturbances worse. Noisy co-workers can be the worst nightmare for people working in such setups. They lower productivity of an employee and thus in a way, the entire firm's output is affected. To get rid of them, confront them without being rude and sounding as if you are complaining and explain that you're having troubles in focusing on work. But if your colleague is self-justifying, then talking to your manager may be the best option.

Nidhi Singh

Former Correspondent, Entrepreneur Asia-Pacific

A self confessed Bollywood Lover, Travel junkie and Food Evangelist.I like travelling and I believe it is very important to take ones mind off the daily monotony .

Business News

I Tried Airchat, the Hottest New Social Media App in Silicon Valley — Here's How It Works

Airchat is still invite-only and prioritizes voices with no option to upload photos or write text, making it feel more human than Facebook or Reddit.

Leadership

You Won't Have a Strong Leadership Presence Until You Master These 5 Attributes

If you are a poor leader internally, you will be a poor leader externally.

Growing a Business

They Designed One Simple Product With a 'Focus on Human Health' — and Made $40 Million Last Year

Marilee Nelson, Allison Evans and Kelly Love founded cult-favorite cleaning brand Branch Basics in 2012.

Leadership

This Leadership Technique is the Secret to Optimal Team Performance

Through my experience in business, I've found one particular leadership technique that works better than others.

Starting a Business

6 Effective Funding Strategies for Startups

Navigating startup financing is complex. Entrepreneurs find themselves at the crossroads of innovation and survival, where a single decision can either fuel their dreams or extinguish their aspirations. Here we look at six ways you can finance your startup to support your business for long-term success.