Hi Happy Scrappers!
Wait, is it 9 p.m. already? How in the world is it so late? Where did the time go?
How often does this happen to you: you sit down at your computer to get some work done. Before you start, you decide you’ll take a quick peek at some emails or a glance at a little social media. Two hours later, you’re freaking out– realizing you’ve just spent tons of time looking at photos of your cousin’s wedding or videos of cats falling in bathtubs and now you’ve got no time for your work. It happens to me more than I’d like to admit. Sites like Facebook and Pinterest are deadly for my productivity because they offer a never-ending wealth of new and interesting information that keeps popping up. It’s tricky because after a long day, it’s really nice to just sit down and scroll for a while but if you let it get away from you, you’re liable to fritter away hours of valuable time in a blink of an eye. Here are some tips I’ve developed to increase productivity and decrease distractions:
1. Easy first steps
Turn off any alert sounds from email, phone, social media, etc. The mere sound of these alerts is enough to pull us away from our work. Don’t worry– anything new can wait for a bit while you finish your work. Most of us can remember a time when we didn’t even have computers or cell phones and it was a whole lot easier to finish our work. You can live without it for a few short hours. Also, be sure to make the work window full screen so you can’t see anything else on your computer.
2. Make a list
List all the things you need to accomplish at your computer (experts say no more than seven things on the list makes it feel doable). Put the list on a sticky note and stick it to your monitor in a prominent place. Be sure to cross things off as you accomplish them. (Feel free to add things you’ve already done just so you can cross them off.) :) I also found it helpful to make a list of all the things I should be doing instead of browsing the Net, such as putting laundry away, washing floors, tidying, dusting, purging my closet and of course scrapbooking!
3. Make a deal
An incentive is usually a powerful way to keep our eyes on our work and get it done. Make yourself a deal that when you finish all the things on your list you can have a half hour to do anything you want on the computer. It certainly works for kids but often adults need it, too. Besides, you’ll have your work done so you can truly read and unwind on your favorite sites.
4. Set a timer
Timers are another powerful tool for increasing productivity and decreasing distractions. Set a timer for the amount of time you think you need to get your work done. Try not to use your phone because any texts, calls or alerts will add further distraction. I like to use an old fashioned kitchen timer because the ticking sound reminds me to stay on task.
5. If all else fails, use an app to help you control your time
In the summer I have a harder time staying on task because the warm sunny weather calls to me from the open windows. Recently, I found an app for Macs that is wonderful for limiting my time browsing tempting sites. Ironically, it’s called “Self Control.” You can use it to make a list of all the sites you want to restrict access to for a designated amount of time, up to 24 hours. You add any tempting sites to the “Black List”, set the time, give permission and BOOM— no more access. Not even if you quit the application or restart your computer. (Don’t worry- if you really had to have access, you can use your smart phone or tablet to access the sites.) Conversely, you can create a “White List” of sites which are the only ones you can access– the whole rest of the Net is shut off. This is extremely helpful if you’re one of those people who gets caught up in clicking links to other sites. You can also limit email access for a certain time if you need to. I’ve been using Self Control for a few months to limit my access to Facebook and Pinterest and I really love it. Best of all it’s FREE!!
I hope you can use these tips to help increase your productivity and avoid distractions. Lastly, I would like to give a very warm welcome and congratulations to our brand new Pollys!! They’re listed here. From what I understand, we had an overwhelming amount of very talented people apply to our call. Those who were not chosen were incredibly gracious and positive. There’s a lot of love floating around our forums… go check it out!
renne says
I loved this article- and find that “deal making” works wonders- :)
Soco says
I loved this post, Liana! It seems you wrote it for me, lol! :) Very true and helpful, thanks!!!