Did you know that recent research suggests that the average worker now only works about 3 days a week – or about 1.5 hours a day. These interesting statistics compiled by onlinecoursereport.com and outlined in detail here, suggest that todays average worker experiences an interruption approximately every 3 minutes and that it typically takes at least 23 minutes to return to their original task. The result, they say, is that workers keep progressively falling more and more behind in their work on a daily basis. In other words, the ability to get “in the flow” and get the job done without interruptions is becoming impossible in today’s work environment.
In order to help combat this, onlinecoursereport.com has come up with an informative infographic that outlines 4 effective strategies businesses can employ to help minimize office distractions and optimize workflow. According to their report, 74% of businesses report that they are now employing at least one of these measures to help in their quest to minimize office distractions and ultimately optimize workflow. These strategies, summarized below and highlighted in the infographic are:
- Cancel all your meetings – while it may not be possible to cancel all of your meetings, employing some of the tactics below to help cut down on meeting mania may help those poor souls who are constantly bogged down by unnecessary meetings, particularly as 70% of employees in the study say meetings don’t help them complete their work
- Get Rid of the multi-task ethic – Multi-tasking definitely impedes ones ability to concentrate on any one particular task. There has never been a time before in history when the average employee has been expected to juggle so many tasks in a single day, be it emails, phone calls, social media, instant messaging, texts and more. Following some of the techniques outlined in the infographic below may help you focus more on getting that important report finished or prepare for your next client presentation.
- Let workers determine their workspace – It’s important to enjoy your work-life surroundings. Even if you don’t have a window office with a view, at least bring in some photos and plants. Try some of the recommendations in the infographic below to create your perfect workspace.
- Take a break – breaks have seemed to disappear along with the 40 hour work week so bring them back. According to the study, even a 30 second mini break can increase worker productivity by 13%.