keep your workspace clean – uncluttered , organized
don’t have distractions ( cell phone , tablets ) in reachable range
turn off audio notifications for all your devices – messages , whatsapp , notifications , facebook , news articles , emails
dedicate a block of time for emails – when your brain is the least productive – say after lunch – 1 to 1:30 pm
have a dedicated 1 – 2 hour(s) block of time where you concentrate on a complex task and focus on it completely
don’t take any breaks to be on the cell phone during this time
let your team members know you are not to be disturbed in this block of time ( instant message notification – busy or do not disturb )
you could set an auto email responder – you are not able to answer emails received between 10 am and 12 pm
clean your mind – write down the ideas, thoughts , to do lists somewhere and use the calendar for appointments
the cleaner your mind , the lesser the thoughts running through it , the more it can focus on the tasks at hand
don’t multi-task – studies have shown that the brain takes about 23 minutes to come back to the task at hand
if you don’t get interrupted in first 40 – 50 seconds of starting your focus time , chances are you will complete a lot in your allocated block of time
have you noticed how you want to buy from some physical stores in the mall because they have an uncluttered look and a few products ? they are well lit , organized and have a lot of walking room – a few examples are apple , abercombie & fitch , ralph lauren – minimalist – they function on the basis – less is more
steve jobs , of apple , was known to have workspace designed in white with nothing else to distract the attention.
when you walk into an apple store , notice the minimalist look – it has since been copied by a lot of other competitors like one plus etc.
other stores have all sorts of products – they don’t know who they are catering to ..
ever been to a high end car showroom – mercedes , audi , bmw , jaguar , land rover ? do you notice something similar in all of them – an uncluttered look , straight simple lines , plenty of space to walk around , high ceilings , quiet , well organized , open spaces ? there is a reason for it .. the people who buy these cars have a similar mind – clean , uncluttered , simple , a high ceiling helps them think – it is a sign of no limits or boundaries
music – if you need to listen to music , listen to something without words – an instrumental song , it also reduces stress , plays quietly in the background – since there are no words , your mind will not sub-consciously pay attention to it
in a company called sevenly (www.sevenly.org) , there was a tradition – a lamp on each desk . when this lamp was on , the person on that desk should not be disturbed at any cost . the people loved it so much that the lamps were on almost the entire day – the people would have very productive days …
know your strengths and weaknesses – outsource your weaknesses , work on the things that you are good at and is the most useful use of your time