When you’re hard at work, the last thing you want is someone to interrupt you and take you out of your zone. Unfortunately, offices are extremely dynamic environments where noises and interruptions are basically the norms. If you want to be able to concentrate for long periods of time, you need to take measures to prevent these work interruptions.  

Schedule those E-mail checks

Constantly pouring E-mails are a crucial part of any office experience. You need to check on them every once in a while, in order to find out news about projects and company meetings. Sometimes, you need to send crucial information to your coworkers through a safe medium. A lot of communication at work is handled through secure Emails, which is why checking them often is very important.

How often is too often? Checking Emails out of boredom or worry isn’t a great way to spend your time at work. It’s easy to get distracted by any number of notifications that reach your inbox folder. You keep asking yourself questions like “what if this one isn’t a spam mail?”. This isn’t a very comfortable way to deal with mail, which is why some changes might be in order.

Try scheduling the E-mail checks during your workday. Set aside a specific time for yourself to check Emails. If you don't receive very important information all that often, you can decide for yourself when the optimal time to check is. Most people check their email once they take a seat at their desk. Obviously, you want to know what you missed while you were at home. How you go from there is up to you. Every hour or two might be the optimal time to have a look at the inbox, so as to not miss anything.

Keep a list

Any meticulous worker will want to keep their tasks well organized. Forgetfulness is a surefire way to miss deadlines and end up with a lot of problems at work. When you suddenly remember that mandatory E-mail you have to send, it’s going to push you to stop what you’re doing and the task. It’s the kind of interruption you don’t need while working.

If you keep a detailed list of all the things you have to do throughout the day, you can be sure that your day will go a lot smoother. You don’t have to worry about remembering or forgetting anything, which allows you to relax and actually focus on the task at hand. When the appropriate time comes, you can handle the things on the list without any worries. All you have to do is keep the list safe and tucked in a drawer, or use a sticky note to stick it onto your computer screen.

Block sounds

When everyone around you is busy, it’s easy to get lost in all the noise. The hustle and bustle of work can get pretty loud at times. You have a bunch of people chatting about, talking to clients on their phones, and typing away at their keyboards. This can be very distracting for a lot of workers, which is why minimizing the impact of these sounds is crucial.

Noise cancelling headphones are a viable option. They can drown out any and all frequencies that might annoy you while you're busy doing your thing. If you're focused enough, you might even forget that there are other people around you.

If you need to be reachable during this time, headphones might not be the best option. However, you can make the office itself cancel out noises instead. Experts in acoustics, such as 45dB Systems specialize in this type of noise cancelling design. With the right kind of ceiling and wall designs, noise is dispersed properly and it doesn't feel as overwhelming. You can feel like you're in a quiet room, even when you really aren't.

Disregard your phone

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, it can be difficult to separate yourself from your electronic devices. The internet allows you to communicate with everyone you know at a moment’s notice. This is a wonderful tool that helps you socialize with your close ones, but it can also serve as a major distraction during work hours.

It can be tempting to answer that message from your family members really quick, but even the slightest interruption will take you out of your work. Even the mere sound of a received message could put you out of a working mentality for a few seconds. Because of this, your best course of action is to simply put your phone on silent while work hours are active.

You can use your lunch break to answer messages and send interesting content to your close ones instead.

Conclusion

People tend to underestimate the effects of interruptions on their work day. Getting in your productive mindset might require a certain wind-up and anything that takes you out of it simply delays your work. Preventing these interruptions is crucial. Follow some of these tips and you can be sure that your work day will go by much more efficiently.