If your productivity is starting to suffer as a Virtual Assistant, you may want to have a look at what is distracting your focus.
Right now we are in the throes of Coronavirus, and many Virtual Assistants I know suddenly have a house full of people that aren’t usually present during our work days.
Is that you? If so, I’ve got some suggestions for you that might help.
Managing distractions is a big issue when you are in situations that you aren’t used to, but you may also need these tips if you struggle with distractions even when no one else is around!
Here are 10 things to look at if distractions are affecting your productivity:
1. Dedicated Office Space
Ideally to minimize all distractions you should work in an actual room in your house with a door that closes. If you don’t have one, find an office space that is away from the rest of the family so you can work in peace.
2. Headset
To avoid hearing everything that is going on around you, consider wearing a headset or earbuds to block out some of the noise around you. Music is optional (I love instrumental music while I am writing or working on something that requires focus).
3. Notifications
The biggest distraction for most people is notifications – like ones you have for email or social media. When you are trying to get work done, it’s essential to turn off your notifications so that you can focus on the task at hand. Once your focus time is up, go and check your email or whatever notifications you have. They can wait!
4. Timers
Use timers to help you not just start tasks, but stop them as well. If you set an alarm to remind you when to do something, you can switch more easily from task to task. Relieving your brain of looking at the clock is a good way to keep it focused on what you are working on. And a timer also helps you not get totally lost in something for 4x as long as you had planned.
5. Taking Breaks
Breaks are a hot commodity for VAs and others who work from home. If you don’t schedule time to take a break, you may end up working too long. Not taking breaks creates a bad habit that once you start something you don’t stop. Set a length of time for any task to work productively, and stick to it. Plan many short breaks in your days – you should break for 5 minutes every hour – in a 7 hour day, that’s 7 breaks!
6. Time Buckets
Buckets of time – with a start time and stop time – work. Set aside a specific duration of time to work on anything you do – client tasks, your own business admin, housework, anything – to be most productive. Stop times are as important (if not more!) than start times. If you give yourself 2 hours to write a blog post you will take 2 hours. Give yourself 30 minutes and you will find ways to be more efficient – and you will do it!
7. Post Your Schedule
If people in your home are distracting you, post your schedule so they know when you are working on focused time and when they are able to see you. And stick to those times.
8. Response Times
If you get phone calls, texts, or messages, be sure that people (I mean clients, here, but yes – even family!) know that you may not respond right away. Respond to all messages on your breaks. Preserving your boundaries and policies around them is essential to managing distractions.
9. Your Phone
Work away from your phone. Don’t leave it on your desk. If distractions are a big issue for you, try to work away from your phone, even for a portion of the day. Leave it in another room for an hour and see how much more productive you are. You will be surprised!
10. Distractions List
Leave a pad of paper beside your computer. When you think of something that you need to check or look up, or when something pops up that would normally change your focus, write it down on that pad of paper. On one of your breaks, take care of one or two of your distractions on the list. A distractions list is an essential tool in keeping your focus where it needs to be.
Working efficiently is challenging when you work alone. Many Virtual Assistants I know have difficulty staying on task and focusing on only that.
The secret is to book your work in short periods so that you can get as much done as possible, but also keep tabs on where you time is going – and what is distracting you.
Managing distractions is an ongoing process and something that you need to build good habits around to keep them under control.
For more help with time management, productivity and distractions, register for my time management lesson Work Smarter: Time Management for Virtual Assistants. We’ll talk about good habits and routines, and some tools that you can use to track and analyze your time, so you are more efficient and profitable! Check it out here: www.yourvamentor.com/timemanagement