5 Ways To Stop Your Mind From Wandering At Work

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We get it. Work can be tough. It can be mundane at times. And when the going gets boring, the bored get distracted.

It's perfectly natural, yes. But is it advisable? The answer is a hard no. After awhile of working, you start to build up a momentum. After doing monotonous work, people get bored. There are the focused ones who soldier on and get their work done, but there are others who decide to take a break, and revisit work after that. And when they go for a break, we know what it really means. How many notifications have I missed? Did anyone like my post on Instagram? Have my friends made a joke I've missed out on?

The next thing you know, half an hour is gone out the window while you were checking your phone, and the momentum for work is gone, and getting back into it is like swimming against the current.

But lucky for you, we have a foolproof five-step system for staying focused so you can fight the laze bug at work.

1. Organise Your Desk

This step can't be missed because it is probably one of the most important ones. If your desk is littered with candy wrappers, old documents mixing with new ones, paperclips and loose change, it's hard to be productive. Finding things will be a bother, and time and level of focus will be wasted and broken through fumbling. 

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The thing about stationery is that they easily get messed up, no matter how many times you have tidied them up. It's totally understandable and we don't blame ya. Use these organisers and put them at the same spot. Our greatest consolation is that at least everything is in this holder. So all's good!

2. Make Your Computer Distraction-Free

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The death of your productivity comes with an unclosed Netflix tab from the night before. Or maybe you were doing a bit of online window shopping on ASOS and it's still there. Staring at you.

Not only is having a lot of tabs open very messy, it will also easily cause distract you from the work you're doing. Closing them doesn't mean goodbye forever, you can always find them again in History or Bookmarks. After you're done and at home.

3. Make a Daily To-Do List and Keep It Nearby

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Writing down what you have to do for the day is important. According to Forbes' tips, a better way to get your to do list together is to actually prepare the night before, so you are ready for the day ahead, knowing what you need to accomplish before lunch time the following day. 

Also, if you have been an avid to do list writer, you know that it's easy to get lost in the list of tasks you need to finish, causing you to lose focus on what your priority is. Try listing down of no more than 3 important tasks for the day and work on them. Limiting your tasks to 3 can help you to filter and prioritise efficiently. 

4. Stay Away From Social Media

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One of the hardest things to do is to stay away from social media. In this digital age where everyone is so hooked on their phones and scrolling through their feeds, it's really easy to get distracted. 

So put your phones aside, face it screen down, and focus on your computer screen. 

5. Take a 10-Minute Break After Every Task

We all deserve small rewards. And to pepper your breaks after each task is a good way to push yourself through to complete your task. Take a 10-minute break - catch up with your colleagues, finally logging on to social media, make yourself a cuppa coffee etc.

Once 10 minutes is over, go back to your work and embark on a new task. It's basically a rewards system, like giving a candy to a child after they finish their homework. And it works. 

Now that you've done reading this, cross this window and get some awesome productive work done!