Distractions are everywhere. It causes us to lose focus. But, have you ever thought that you could be the distractions to others?

Being distracted

Our work requires us to constantly communicate with the people we work with. With the help of technology, we use email and chat most of the time. We usually have it open and if anyone sends a message, the notification gets our attention and we immediately look at it and then, either respond to it or put it for later depending on the need.

We also say that being productive is doing the things that matter. We put our focus on the tasks we set out to do so we could complete them by the time we had set either by someone or by ourselves. It is managing our time by using it to work on specific tasks that we need and/or want to do.

However, when we receive a message thru email or chat, we stop what we are doing and immediately attend to it. The idea of seeing that notification badge on the app icon distracts us and we want that to be gone immediately. We also think that it might be important or related to what we are doing thus we look at it.

Now, with these two things in mind, have we ever stopped to think about why we keep getting distracted and consider that those messages are more important than what we are doing at that moment? And if productivity is all about results not just being busy, is being distracted something we can use or is it purely taking away time from our work?

Distraction is caused by you

Pause for a moment and reflect on how and why you yourself send out that email or chat to another person. The reason is plain and simple – either to ask about something or tell someone about something. You send out that message to let someone know of what is happening or ask someone for some information you need to complete your task.

And in your head, it is important for you because it is your work. You need it to move. For it to make progress, you communicate that information by asking or telling. If you do not communicate, nothing will happen to your work.

Simple as that, the idea that the information is important distracts us from what we are doing. We think that whatever the content of that email or whatever the message in that chat must be something you need. Maybe. Maybe not. However, you are already thinking that it could be beneficial to the work that you are doing and that is why you check what the message is all about.

If you are a leader of a team or an organization, you also create distractions for those you lead. When you send them a chat message, undoubtedly, your expectation is for them to respond within a minute. You’re the boss. They report to you. They should be available when you ping them, at least during their shift hours. But this expectation tells them to put you in priority rather than the work they are doing. And if so, how do we expect them to be productive and produce the desired results that we set them out to do?

Better way to communicate

A faster response is what we usually look for when we send out a message. For email, we can wait a day or two but for chats, we expect a response in a matter of minutes. With this expectation that we have from others, we also tend to provide our response the way we want. Or vice versa. We respond immediately and we tend to expect the same from others.

With this kind of thinking, we created a workplace that is very distracting and takes away attention from people to do their work. It is a paradox. A loop. And it will affect the quality of work.

What we need to do is establish a better way to communicate. One thing that I have in my work right now (the moment I am writing this) is that conversations for important information is done on a weekly basis. This actually works because it creates a deadline for us that weekly, there must be a significant improvement on the tasks we do. Discussions also revolve around priorities. This also helps us focus on what matters.

Chats are still used but the conversation is not about doing something else but always related to the priorities. This way, the information stays relevant to the work we are doing and does not take away our focus on what we want to accomplish.

Leverage distraction for better results

We will get distracted. That is already a given. Whatever system or approach we do may or may not work but at some point in time we will give our attention to whatever is vying for it.

As a leader, clear the information that is being regularly sent to your team. Provide them with the details that they need to accomplish their priorities. Do not be someone who derails them from their current task and eventually wonder why are work not completed or even mediocre to say the least.

As a colleague, always consider that other people are doing something else too. Their world does not revolve around you. Same with leaders. Give others time to respond in their own time.

Now, you may think that sometimes your concern is small and you just need a quick answer. Well, if it is so small, then put it for later. It means it is not urgent. It will not cause the world to fall. It can be discussed some other time.

Fast and quick does not mean good

Lastly, with the technology available for us to use, we have now developed a thinking that faster response means efficient and effective. Subconsciously, we do it to impress the people we talk to. In effect, we create a distracting workplace for others.

Communication is important. Timely sharing of information is relevant to any organization’s well-being. We can not deny that. However, creating a place of work full of distractions would only result in mediocre results and unhappy employees.

Let us start being considerate of other people’s time. Let us be more understanding that each and one of us needs our own time to do our work without any unnecessary distractions. Once we are able to live with this mindset, it would definitely result to a more committed workforce and more desired results.