It’s not uncommon to feel like you’re just spinning your wheels and getting nowhere fast.
Many of us are stuck at the office or home feeling bored with what we’re doing. It’s not that what you’re doing is boring.
It’s more likely that your mind has wandered away from the task at hand.
The following are some of the biggest distractions. Some are obvious, while others may come as a surprise to you.
Once you become aware of them, they will no longer be an issue for your productivity levels.
Too Much Web Surfing
Yes, even web surfing can become a huge problem if you let it get out of hand.
Social networking sites have to rank first on this list because being obsessed about checking up on all your social networks could mean spending hours away from the task at hand.
These sites are notorious for sucking up your time, so it’s best to stay away until you have a specific reason for visiting them.
Multitasking
We all love multitasking, but research has shown that it doesn’t always work out in our favor.
When we are constantly switching back and forth between tasks, we aren’t giving much thought to any of them, which often leads us to make mistakes or errors that could have been avoided if we just focused on one thing at a time.
Overeating
It’s common knowledge that overeating is bad for your health, but it can also affect your productivity levels.
Instead of having a healthy lunch at your desk, you may opt to go out to eat with your coworkers or friends.
You may binge on candy bars or snacks throughout the day as well, which adds up very quickly in terms of time spent eating.
If you are suffering from binge-eating disorder, you should make a binge-eating treatment plan with a reputable eating disorder treatment center.
Interruptions
Everyone loves an interruption during their workday because it gives us the chance to take a break and chat with our coworkers about nonbusiness-related issues.
Another reason people are susceptible to these types of distractions is that they are usually humorous or entertaining, so we ignore all other tasks until we see what’s on.
Socializing
Socializing with coworkers is another way of dealing with boredom.
Instead of sitting at your desk mindlessly surfing the web, you could be having an engaging conversation with someone else in the office.
This may be relatively harmless when you only take part in conversations at lunch or breaks, but they can often lead to taking up large chunks of time that you should be spending on work tasks.
To avoid this happening, set specific times for socializing and stick to them if possible.
Make sure you stay away from the kitchen area in the office; instead, head outside where it’s not so easy to loiter around for extended periods.
Lack of Motivation
One thing that can drag down your productivity levels is a lack of motivation.
It could be that the task at hand is so mind-numbing, or it’s been going on for so long you find yourself constantly putting it off.
Obviously, if a task falls under this category, you should speak to your manager about what can be done to change things around.
If you can’t get any of your managers on board, maybe it’s time to look for a new job.
If this isn’t an option for you, then try applying the Pomodoro Technique.
This is where you set a timer on your phone or computer to work in 25-minute blocks.
Once the block has finished, you take a five-minute break before starting up on another one.
Breaking tasks down into manageable chunks makes it much easier to stay focused and not get overwhelmed by how much work you have to do.
Microbreaks
Even when we are working hard at our desks, sometimes all we want to do is roll our eyes at everything around us and stare off into space.
If you’re finding yourself in this position, it’s time to take a microbreak.
You could do something as simple as standing up and stretching or grabbing a glass of water, which will help you refocus and get back on track.
You should work from home or perhaps in a coworking space if possible.
This will eliminate those seemingly innocent distractions, such as someone dropping by with something to ask you or the smell of freshly brewed coffee coming from the kitchen area.
These are just a few factors that could be hindering your productivity levels.
It’s important to make sure you know where and how to cut down on distractions so that next time you’re feeling unproductive at work, it doesn’t have to come at the expense of another day wasted.