With kids home during the day, planned vacations, and family visits, we may have more distractions that keep us from completing necessary to-do’s this summer.
We tend to focus on things that are interesting, making the routine tasks, work assignments, or longer projects more difficult to zone in on. Creating a list of distractors can be helpful to identify what might get in your way and make it difficult to complete your to-do list. Some distractions may include checking social media, taking personal calls during the workday, checking emails as they arrive, etc. Being aware of your distractors will make it a little easier to avoid them in the moment.
For example, we all have our phone close by and may check it as much as every 5-10 minutes throughout the day. This can be distracting while we are trying to complete a presentation or review a report. Using sleep mode, placing your phone on the other side of the room for designated amount of time, or creating a schedule to check your emails and/or phone on an hourly basis, can allow for an uninterrupted amount of time to focus on your work.
Throughout the day, new ideas come into our thoughts. Create a habit of asking yourself “is this something I need to do now, or can it wait?” If it can wait, write it down and set aside time in the evening to review your list of ideas and schedule a time to complete them during the week.
When you complete a tedious task, make sure to reward yourself with something more fun or interesting. Whether it’s spending a moment checking your social media or taking time to go for a walk or a swim, reducing stress and rewarding yourself is a great way to stay motivated on the more boring tasks.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!