6 Tips on how to stay focused at work

Finishing all your work in an eight-hour day can seem impossible. With co-workers and clients constantly demanding your attention through emails or calls, it is truly challenging to eliminate all the distractions around you and still get work done. 

These 6 tips will help you stay focused by organising your mind and helping you find periods of distraction-free time every day. 

Get organised

Keeping everything organised is key in becoming a focused employee. Keep your desk neat, shelving or storing those things you don’t really need. 

Apply the same concept to your email inbox. Unsubscribe from senders you can live without, and separate personal emails from work emails.

Bonus tip: Limit your email time to when you’re done with the most important tasks of the day. Interrupting your work flow to reply to trivial emails will slow down your productivity.     

Keep a to-do list

A good to-do list will help you prioritise pressing tasks, and at the same time keep track of everything else that needs to be done. To minimise distractions, opt for a list on paper rather than on your phone, and keep it next to you - where you can always see it. 

Most people are more productive during their first hour at work. Push challenging tasks to the top of your list, and leave the more mundane tasks for later in the day. Working around your concentration patterns when organising your day will help you make the absolute most out of it. 

Bonus tip: If a daily to-do list isn’t your thing, start your Monday by listing your week’s top priorities. Review this list every morning, and decide which tasks you can realistically accomplish on that day.  

Use music to your advantage

Listening to your favourite genre of music while you’re working, when practical, can block out distracting background noises and help you focus on your own thoughts. Putting on headphones might also ward off co-workers from distracting you. 

Schedule your distractions

You have the power to control your distractions - so schedule them as rewards for completing a task. Log into social media only when you have a few minutes to spare, and keep phone calls short if you’re running behind on your tasks. 

Another positive technique is to deliberately practice not being distracted. At lunch, focus on eating rather than also trying to answer emails. During meetings, participate and stay attentive instead of checking emails on your phone.

Bonus tip: Have a look at the many apps available to help you focus while at work. There are apps to block out distracting websites, and others that can track how much time you spend surfing the web or using social media sites.   

Keep food and drink nearby

Water within arms’ reach is a must. Drinking water is not only healthy and refreshing, but it can also keep away hunger and fatigue, prolonging your rate of concentration. Same goes for snacks, so long as you stick to healthy ones.  

Coffee is definitely not as healthy as water, but a cup or two can help you focus more when tackling demanding tasks. A cup in the morning once you settle in at the office, and another in the afternoon when your energy starts dwindling, are quite a good balance. 

Take short breaks

The longer you work without stopping, the more prone you are to making errors and taking longer to finish your to-do list. Work for blocks of 60 to 90 minutes, and take short breaks in between - listening to music or going on a short walk. Consider setting a timer for yourself until you get used to the rhythm.

This routine should reenergise your brainpower and help you stay focused for longer. 

Exercising is a great way to give your concentration levels a much-needed boost. Go ahead and find your nearest fitness club listed on Yellow. 

Focus on discovering local - visit yellow.com.mt!