Distractions are a part of everyday life. They are hard to avoid whether you are trying to read a book or a more pressing task like completing your taxes. Unfortunately, these diversions also bleed into your professional life, where focus is even more crucial. And there isn’t a profession that requires laser focus, quite like the medical field. Regardless of if you work for a health center or a regular practice, finding ways to kick distractions to the curb and give attention to your core activities is vital. We’ll investigate the biggest distraction troublemakers and ways you can reduce their workday effect.
Smartphones seem to always top any list of the worst office distractions. However, there is one issue. In many cases, they are required tools. So, how can you use a smartphone for productivity and not get distracted by a quick game of Among Us? For one, try to remove the main distraction offenders off your home screen. Next, turn off pesky push notifications. You don’t have to turn them all off, but if they don’t serve a workday or emergency purpose, mute them. If all else fails, uninstall the apps that tend to lead you away from your work like the Pied Piper. You can always reinstall them when you get home.
Does your work area look like a small tornado just ripped through your office? It may be time to clean up and organize. Your workspace doesn’t have to be pristine, a study found that a little clutter can inspire creativity, but if it’s a complete mess putting things in their proper place can reduce unnecessary distractions. Such as taking 5 minutes to locate a pen. Before arranging your workspace, come up with an organizational plan. And once implemented, try to keep it clean by scheduling a time daily to tidy up.
You may think you’re multitasking, but you aren’t. All you are doing is switching your focus from one task to the next without ever truly concentrating on one. It feels like you are doing more than one thing at a time, but unfortunately, it’s just not possible. Multitasking is the sneakiest form of distraction. Your brain is fooling you into believing that you are a task tackling dynamo. What should you do? Forget about completing more than one task at a time and instead focus on one until it is complete. In conclusion, if it kills efficiency, then it’s a distraction.
Meetings aren’t as evil as some want to portray, but too many waste precious time. How can you discern from a time-waster versus a needed meeting? If you can send a concise email that accurately conveys your message, then choose that option. If not, make sure your meeting is well-planned and has a clear goal. Don’t allow meetings to become a distraction, instead harness their power to promote teamwork and efficiency.
Cutting down on distractions, and learning how to focus, can make your day go much smoother, and improve productivity. If you are finding tasks, such as billing and credentialing, are distracting you from your core tasks maybe we can help. Contact us today to learn more.
