Do you ever get distracted while you’re working? According to a recent study from Mopria Alliance, “today’s employees experience 77 distractions a week on average, or one distraction every 31 minutes,” leading to lower productivity levels and negative impacts on mental health.

When we are engaged in something, we tend to ignore other things around us — because our brains are hardwired to focus on the present moment. When that focus is broken, a distraction occurs. It’s important to be aware of these distractions and deal with them immediately. If you don’t limit distractions, they’ll eventually take over your entire day.

Here are some tips to help you stay focused and productive while on the clock:

1. Identify your triggers.

Distractions can come from many different sources: incoming phone calls/texts, emails, meeting notifications, coworkers, family members, social media, and even pets. It’s important to know what kinds of situations are most likely to divert your attention. Once you are able to identify those situations, it will be easier to either troubleshoot their impact or avoid them altogether.

2. Turn off your notifications.

Constant pop-ups and audio notifications can pull your attention away from what you’re working on, thus making it difficult to focus. Notifications from personal devices and accounts should be turned off when working — you can always turn them back on later.

3. Create a workspace that works for you.

It’s important to set clear boundaries between your working and personal spaces. You may not be able to completely eliminate workplace distractions, but you can certainly minimize their impact. When working in a noisy environment, try to close your door (if you have one) or use noise-canceling headphones.

4. Make a list of priorities.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the number of tasks that need to be done. To help manage your workload, create a list of priorities based on the most important projects first. Then, prioritize your remaining tasks using the same method.

5. Break bigger projects into manageable tasks.

When you have too much to do, it’s tempting to just start doing everything. But that approach won’t lead to success. Instead, try breaking big projects into smaller pieces which will help you stay focused and make your workload more manageable.

6. Avoid multitasking.

Multitasking doesn’t work well in today’s world. In fact, research shows that people who frequently switch between activities perform worse than those who stick to one task at a time. So if you want to maximize your efficiency, don’t multitask. Focus on one thing at a time.

7. Take breaks.

If you find yourself getting distracted throughout the day, take a break. Go outside, stretch, walk around the office, or grab a cup of coffee. Taking regular breaks helps you refocus and recharge so you can continue working effectively.

You might not be able to ignore every distraction that comes along, but with practice and a little trial-and-error you’ll be able to focus on the tasks that matter most to you.

Many people claim to experience the difficulty of procrastination when deciding to start a new business, hobby, or project – despite being determined to do it. Studies have shown that about 20% of adults suffer from chronic procrastination, while 1 in 4 adults see procrastination as “a defining personality trait for them.”

By unnecessarily putting off decisions or actions, your to-do list will continue to grow and your goals will be difficult to achieve. It’s important to understand the root cause of your personal experience with procrastinating to break these habits.

Let’s look at two common causes of procrastination to look out for.

Overestimating your availability.

Have you ever confidently told yourself “I’ll start that tomorrow” and then neglected to follow through? Or maybe you delayed starting a task because you thought “The deadline is weeks away – I have plenty of time”, but then something unexpected popped up and caused you to miss it?

Instead of pushing off an overwhelming project until it becomes an urgent matter, start by breaking it down into smaller tasks and working on them for at least 15 minutes a day. That way if something does throw you off your schedule, at least you’ve made some progress. In short: get ahead while you can.

Decisions, decisions.

Having too many options, having options that are too similar, or having goals that are too abstract can all make the decision-making process overwhelming. (These are usually caused by a fear of commitment, or a fear of losing out on other choices.)

Avoid the “paradox of choice” by making S.M.A.R.T goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound). Display these goals in a place where you’ll see them every day to remind you of your commitment – and inspire you to take action. Once your goals are established, try narrowing down your options so that they’re aligned. This will make the process of eliminating choices much easier.

Now that you are more aware of the root of your problem, you’re one step closer to achieving your goals. Procrastinating doesn’t have to wreak havoc on your aspirations – start working on those hindering habits today.

While some people thrive in traditional office atmospheres, many have had to adjust to working in the comfort of their own homes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2025, it is estimated that 22% of the U.S workforce will continue to work remotely, an 87% increase from pre-pandemic statistics.

There are often drawbacks to working in an office environment, but remote work can present challenges as well – such as prioritization and time management.

Here are three easy tips to help improve your WFH time management skills.

1. Schedule deep focus time.

To minimize distractions and maximize your efficiency, establish blocks of uninterrupted work time into your day and put them on your calendar. Consider using tools / software that temporarily blocks access to websites or apps of your choosing. Deep focus time blocks can be beneficial to get your hardest or most tedious tasks done since you won’t be able to use your identified distractors, and your colleagues will see that you are currently unavailable.

Scheduling these focus blocks for the periods that you have the highest energy levels will help you optimize your time, make the most progress on bigger projects, and improve your quality of work. Aim for sessions between 1.5 to 2 hours at a time to achieve maximum productivity.

2. Give yourself breaks.

Instead of dreading certain tasks that you end up dragging out, try scheduling microbreaks (short, regular interval breaks) into your day. Research has shown that taking breaks can give you a fresh perspective that helps maintain job performance throughout the day, lower stress levels and exhaustion, and increase productivity. Mental and physical fatigue can result from things like repetitive tasks or sitting in one spot for a long period of time.

Short breaks can give your brain the time it needs to recharge and the option to move and stretch your body. Use these breaks to meditate, call a friend, grab a healthy snack, or take your pet for a walk outside in the fresh air.

3. Establish boundaries.

Working in a traditional office setting makes it easier to be in the mindset and schedule of a good work/life balance. Without leaving an office and commuting home, you may struggle with “clocking out” or unplugging at the end of the day at home. Try disabling notifications from work applications, changing your chat status, and setting an alarm on your phone to remind you to “sign off”. This will help reduce the urge of checking back in after-hours, which should be time spent unwinding with your family.

Working remotely also means that your TV and refrigerator are within close proximity, so you may find yourself trying to multitask (unsuccessfully) or roaming to find a snack more often. Designating an area of your home for specific purposes can help you create a connection that allows you to focus on specific tasks. While it doesn’t have to be an entire office in your home, try to section off a small corner to establish as your desk and office space where you only perform work-related duties and nothing else. It can take up to 23 minutes to regain focus after being distracted, so the best advice is to limit those distractions as much as possible.

Because there are only 24 hours in the day, and often too much to do, it’s crucial to be efficient with how you manage your time. Give these tips a try so your time doesn’t slip away while working remotely.