Finding focus in the workplace is a much different challenge than it was even ten years ago. There are more distractions and demands than ever before, making it hard for employees to focus. Moreover, multitasking has become an aspiration in business.
While there isn’t one set of productivity rules that will work for every business, there are strategies to find the right fit for your company and keep your employees on task while developing a culture of focus in the workplace.
Ask Your Employees For Input
Since employees are an essential part of the workplace, starting conversations with colleagues is a great way to improve. Your employees may have a great deal of insight on what distracts them throughout the day. Is there a squeaky door in your office? Are most of the desks pointing toward a window with a distracting view? There may be small things like this that you don’t notice, but that pull your employees’ attention away from work all day.
They may also have input on the productivity of meetings or other communication tools that could be better used to help them focus. Ask for their feedback and consider it carefully.
Organize What Needs To Be Done Communally
Every person in your company likely has an individual list of things to do that day or week. But do they know what the people around them are doing? Is everyone clear what the team goals are for the day?
Whether your office is best served by a prominently-displayed whiteboard or an organized, online to-do list, teams should understand broad and long-term goals. This way, they have a focus born from priorities. They also have a motivation to work on their individual tasks as they lend to group focus. When employees can better understand how their work plays into the whole, they will be more motivated to focus on what needs to be accomplished.
Know What Your Priorities Are
To develop focus in your organization, simplify goals. When there are dozens of tasks being thrown around and discussed, the workplace can feel chaotic. It isn’t easy to focus your attention on one thing when ten other things are on your plate. Focus on fewer tasks, and you’ll have more attention given to the important ones.
If there are dozens of tasks to be accomplished in a given timeframe, move the lower-priority ones further down the list, and start at the top. For yourself and your team, focus on just a few of the most critical tasks at a time. Everything else can wait for your attention until you’re ready.