A lot of people find themselves losing their productivity throughout the day. It happens to everyone, whether it's work or personal life. But, it doesn't have to be that way. The key is to learn how to avoid distractions. This article will give you 5 Productivity Tips that you can use in order to get back on track and focus on your work.But Before we Start we should know the common mistakes we are doing in our day to day life are killing our productivity. So With Wasting any time Lets get Started.

Introduction

Where does the time go? People talk about minutes passing like hours so why isn't that the case when you're working? Why is that analogy turned upside down where the hours fly by like minutes? Could it be that unseen aliens are fiddling with the cosmic clock somehow? With everyone you know complaining that there's not enough time in the day, perhaps it's not such an outlandish possibility!

One of the most frustrating things for busy people is that there's just not enough time in the day to get everything done. You wake up early full of vim and vigor, looking forward to a busy and productive day. You put in the hours, work diligently, and try to get through your carefully planned schedule as efficiently as you can.

But before you know it, the day's over. You're mentally and physically exhausted and yet, you've only got half of the things on your to-do list done. What are you doing wrong? Do you need to manage your time better? Are you scheduling your day unrealistically? Should you multitask or delegate more? More importantly, why do you feel that your work (that you do manage to get done) just isn’t up to par?

The short answer is that you're not doing anything wrong - at least not intentionally. The problem often lies in one word: distractions. And that word needs to be eliminated from your vocabulary!

Distractions are probably the number one cause of your lack of time - and lack of productivity. A few minutes here, a few minutes there, and suddenly you have distractions building up and eating a huge chunk out of your day and totally derailing your mental clarity.

Distractions don't only waste time but they have an immense impact on your ability to stay focused and get tasks done efficiently and on time. The reason many people don’t understand this is because distractions happen a few minutes at a time, which seems quite harmless. You'd be amazed at how many hours those minutes add up to. Whichever way you look at it, distractions are bad.

Why keep reading?

This book will help you identify and explore 10 common distractions that are massive productivity killers. You'll probably recognize several of them right away (and plead guilty!) Some of the others may come as a surprise because you never realized they were distractions.

After each distraction, you'll get a quick fix to help you overcome it. Once your most common distractions become a thing of the past, you'll notice a surge in your overall productivity, as well as in your ability to focus and function with amazing mental clarity. Yes, it's that simple! So, let's jump right in!

These are the most common distractions that cause seriously low productivity and very poor work outcomes.

1. Social media

I know I said that these distractions are in no particular order – with this one exception. Social media distraction just has to top the list! It's possibly the biggest simply because of the sheer number of people affected by it - and by the amount of time it wastes.

What is it about social media that's so addictive? It's the number one digital addiction in the world, followed by gaming. Naturally, there are lots of theories about why people get hooked on social media but that's another discussion altogether.

Here's a typical scenario: you're busy doing something when you get a Facebook notification. Your best friend has just posted a photo. You really know you shouldn't but she always posts such amazing photos and you're dying to see it.

The struggle is very short-lived. You decide to take a quick peek and maybe give her a like… just a quick peek! After all, you've been working hard and need a break anyway.

You open your Facebook and before you know it, you're scrolling through other posts and posting comments… you’re totally lost to the world. Then you decide to check out Instagram while you're at it… before you know it, you've wasted a good 15-20 minutes.

The amazing thing is that this scenario is being repeated at formal workplaces all over the world. Bosses and supervisors are going nuts, complaining of how employee productivity has gone down. But short of banning cell phones from the workplace, there's nothing they can do.

Social media isn't just a huge time-waster, but it’s also a major brain fogger. While you're having fun scrolling through your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, your brain is in overdrive processing all the colors and information. Digital media in general exhausts the brain and saps it of energy.

This is why you may be experiencing energy crashes and mental exhaustion very early on in the day. Even a few minutes can drain your clarity and mental sharpness.

So, in addition to running late on that deadline, you must now deal with a major case of brain fog.

Quick fix: Some people suggest unsubscribing from email and phone notifications but who are we kidding? That's not going to stop you from going online anyway.

So, what's the real solution? Get a social media blocking app, pronto!

Let’s face it. If you're a social media nerd, there's no way you're going to abstain willingly, even when you start to realize that it's killing your productivity. That's what an addiction is.

The alternative is to force yourself to stay off - by making your social media inaccessible. A social media app blocks you from using social media on your phone or computer for a timeframe of your choosing. It's a brilliant idea.

Just block yourself during your working hours, or at least for a while when you need to focus on something super important. If your fingers start itching to check out the latest, you won’t be able to access your Facebook, Instagram, or whatever platform you chose to block.

There are dozens of these apps with various features and options to choose from. The most popular are Offline, Social Fever, and Stay Focused. Problem solved. Get yourself to the App Store right now!

2. Cell phones

Keeping your phone turned on and answering every call can literally distract you every 5 minutes. If you're one of those people who just needs to take every call, you don’t need to look any further for why your work isn't up to par.

Even if the call lasts a minute or two, each time you get back to work, you've lost your focus and your train of thought. Just as you start getting your mind into focus, the phone rings again. It's your mum calling to say hi, your partner asking you to bring home takeout, or a friend calling to chat.

Even legitimate calls from clients can be a major pain. If you let clients know that you're always available, you may be inundated with calls about trivial issues that can be extremely stressful. Add to that an incessant stream of email alerts and random notifications, and you've got a real problem.

Quick fix: There are two quick fixes here. The first is to set firm boundaries. Let your friends and family know that they should never disturb you when you're working unless it's a real emergency. Let clients know that you're available to take calls at designated hours. Otherwise, they can leave a voice message and you'll get back to them as soon as possible.

The second fix is to simply turn off your phone or put it on silent and check your calls every couple of hours. Return calls that are directly related toyour work such as client queries or calls from coworkers in a branch office, etc.

But here’s the catch. Studies show that silent or turned-off phones can be as much of a distraction as beeping ones! It can be more distracting to keep glancing at the silent phone on your desk, wondering who called.If this sounds like you then the only thing to do is just keep that phone out of reach. Put it away in a drawer or in another room (if you work from home) or with a trusted coworker. That way, you eliminate a lot of the temptation while being able to focus better. Read More