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Productivity – Keeping Up!

| February 3, 2017 11:33 am

As I attempt to write this blog post, I’m already contradicting my topic. Cellphone’s distracting me, emails popping up in my inbox, LinkedIn timeline filled with noise, calls coming in, and several things on my to-do list. How can we regulate our time to gear ourselves towards getting results and making forward progress? Many people are different in the way they manage their time and execute tasks effectively, so there is no simple answer. But, there are many tools and methods that can be used to eliminate time spent on unnecessary distractions.

In college, I became very attached to my planner. Listing out things that were to be completed each day and each week really helped me get a better sense of how to prioritize. Once beginning my new career at NSS RPO, Conor Nicholson, our Founder & CEO, converted me to a FranklinCovey follower. These planners allow you to make a to-do list, write down any appointments and plan ahead for each month with a Franklin Planner. FranklinCovey also holds a seminar, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which I attended last year. The class helps you to be a solution focused worker, manage your time wisely, and plan out your day, while also managing urgent items that come up without getting off task completely.

Apple and Samsung both provide us with an AWESOME tool called the ‘Do Not Disturb’ function. This will eliminate any and all notifications from apps and contacts. No more banners popping up on your phone, no phones vibrating, or sounds going off. This function allows you to maintain focus to complete a task in a timely manner. If you’d rather not use this function, another method is placing your phone/tablets in another room. This way you are not constantly peeking at it while trying to send out that meeting summary or staffing update.

Depending on the type of work you are doing, music can be a huge help! It is often said that Classical music aids focus and productivity. Check out this article by The Telegraph, “This is the kind of music you should listen to at work.” When I’m able to buckle down, throw in some headphones and play my favorite music, I find myself honed in on what’s to be done. As the Telegraph mentions, this is all based on personal preference, however, there are some genres that work for specific tasks.

My final tip is for the most extreme cases of distraction. Most companies block certain websites, however, if you’re working in a smaller company or from home you can utilize a tool called Blacklist. This tool is available in the AppStore on iTunes (click here) and allows you to block websites for a set amount of time. You can turn your computer off and on, and this app will not disable. Whether you’re sitting down to do tedious hours of data entry, or writing a blog post for your company *cough, cough* this app truly comes in handy.

Emma Sieber is an Internal Recruiter at NSS RPO, a consulting firm that provides on-site and virtual recruiting professionals. Contact NSS RPO to learn about how we can help your organization meet and exceed it’s hiring goals.