One of the things I enjoy about working from home is I get fewer distractions. Yes, I said fewer. I can really dive into a project and not worry about groups of people chatting outside my door. Or emails about there being birthday cake in the breakroom.
On the other hand, I will admit that sometimes I like need a good distraction. This morning I managed to find a YouTube channel called Thug Notes. Have you seen this?! One of their most popular analysis is “To Kill a Mockingbird”. (Heads up: there are some NSFW moments.)
Anyhoo, I was reminded about the upsides and downsides of distractions when I saw this infographic from the Human Capital Institute (HCI). The statistic that really stood out for me was 60% report pressure to instantly respond to email.
If you want to read more about this topic, HCI has a full report titled “The Mindful Employee: Finding Focus in the Age of Distractions”. Just become a member of the HCI community (it’s free!).
Distractions are everywhere. The key to being productive is learning how to identify and manage them.
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Ewa at iRevu says
I’d say lack of incentives and low employee engagement are the most crucial problems which negatively impact productivity at work. Technology can be a distraction but also a solution – especially Millenials, who are the most distracted, can benefit from using technology (mobile is the most natural for them) as a tool which helps stay motivated – simple app can help share feedback on the go, stay connected to the objectives of the team and reward employee performance in real time.
Sharlyn Lauby says
Yes, I totally agree. Technology, when used correctly, can motivate and engage us. Thanks for sharing!
Susie says
Thank you for drawing attention to this issue! Do you think that self-discipline plays in to the way we treat technology?
Sharlyn Lauby says
Hi Susie. Yes, I believe that our self-discipline plays a role in how we manage technology. I’ll give you an example. People who go out to dinner with friends and spend the entire time on their phone instead of chatting with their friends across the table. I’d like to think if someone spent the time and energy to plan an evening with friends that they would put the phone down for an hour.
Thanks for the comment.