Increase Your Production by Handling Distractions​

Have you ever ended a very busy day only to realize you accomplished nothing? You were probably distracted.

Ever wonder why you feel frustrated at work? Distractions might be stopping you.

Ever feel stress? Distractions may be the cause.

Distractions are not just irritating; they are destructive forces that ruin your productivity. Examples: Chatty coworkers, personal problems, sunny days, rainy days, Facebook, holidays, earthquakes, debts, political news, salespeople, money concerns, health problems and more.

How do you handle distractions?

You get organized.

“THOSE INDIVIDUALS OR AREAS THAT ARE THE LEAST WELL-ORGANIZED ARE AFFECTED THE MOST BY DISTRACTIONS.” — L. Ron Hubbard

A well-organized business understands distractions and organizes to deal with them.

For example, a key worker calls in sick. In a well-organized group, the manager calls in a temporary worker from an agency, gives the worker a written list of instructions and everyone gets their work done. A poorly-organized group discusses the problem for 20 minutes without coming to a solution. The group members are then distracted all day because they have to do the missing worker’s job.

When a well-organized business owner gets a legal notice, he or she delegates the problem to a lawyer and focuses on making a prosperous day. A poorly-organized business owner drops everything and worries about it all day.

Well-organized groups handle emergencies, disasters and sudden increases in production without breathing hard. Poorly-organized groups are overwhelmed by them.

Personal Organization

Organizing your personal life so you are not distracted boosts your productivity and income!

For example, you don’t need to talk to everyone who calls you and it’s silly to read every piece of e-mail or every text when it comes in.

If you are organized, your communications are organized so you only receive information that is relevant to your job. Except for emergencies, you ignore family problems, personal problems and even your health problems. All superior producers do this and are not easily distracted. While working, nothing is more important than the work itself.

If your car won’t start, your computer crashes or other small disaster occurs, you have backup plans. You are organized and not distracted by these problems. You get your work done despite everything that gets in your road.

How to Get Better Organized

1. Write down five of your biggest distractions or potential distractions.

2. Next to the first distraction, write down how you can get organized so you are not affected by the distraction.

3. Do the same for the other items on the list.

4. Follow your plans and get organized!

5. Write down permanent rules or policies for yourself or your work so you stay organized.

Personal policy examples:

“I will only take personal calls during my lunch hour.”

“If I get hungry during the afternoon, I will chew gum and keep working until 5:00.”

“If Joe tries to upset me, I will pretend he is three years old, not get into an argument and get back to work.”

Business policy examples:

“If someone asks me to do their job, ask them for their pay.”

“If you have a suggestion for me, do not come into my office. Just send me an e-mail with the details.”

“Each summer, we will do the following program to keep our sales up, despite the vacations.”

Because you are well-organized, you make faster progress toward your goals and ultimate success as you are not easily distracted.