There are a lot of things that can interfere with our workflow when we’re in the office. From distractions like our phones and social media, to office politics and difficult co-workers, it can be hard to stay focused and productive. But there are some things you can do to make your workflow smoother.
In this article, we’ll give you some tips on how to make your office workspace more conducive to productivity. We’ll also help you identify and avoid some of the common office distractions that can interfere with your workflow.
Keep your workspace clean and organized
Let’s start with the basics. Keeping your workspace clean and organized is one of the best ways to boost productivity. Clutter and disorganization often go hand in hand with distractions such as clutter, unfinished tasks, and lack of focus.
A cluttered workspace can cause stress and anxiety, which can put a real damper on productivity. Managing a publicly shared room can also be difficult, check out DeskFlex and learn how to automate the process.
Keeping your workspace clean and uncluttered can help you stay focused and avoid unnecessary stress. A tidy and uncluttered workspace will also make you more likely to get more done. Not only will you be able to find the tools and supplies you need more easily, but you’ll also feel more motivated and inspired to get your work done in a neat and tidy environment.
A clean and uncluttered workspace will also make you more efficient. It will be easier to organize and prioritize your tasks, and you’ll have less chance of misplacing important documents and items. This will cut down on the amount of time you spend trying to find things and clear up some of those annoying little office distractions that can interrupt your workflow.
Tips for a more productive office space
These tips include some of the things we just mentioned—cleaning up and organizing your workspace and making sure your office furniture is comfortable and functional. Let’s go over a few other things you can do to make your office more conducive to productivity.
- Get rid of unnecessary clutter. Put away your pens, staplers, and other supplies that are out on your desk. This will make your desk look cleaner, and will also make it easier to find the things you need when you’re working. Put your papers in folders, and don’t leave papers lying on your desk. This will make your workspace more organized, and will also make it easier to find things when you need them.
- Make sure the lighting in your office is good. Bad lighting can make it more difficult to focus and work efficiently, and can also cause eyestrain and headaches. Make sure your office has plenty of natural light, and also make sure there aren’t any glaring lights that could make it difficult to focus on your work.
- Make sure your computer monitor and chair are set up correctly. When you’re sitting in front of your computer, your monitor should be no farther than an arm’s length away so that you don’t have to squint or strain your eyes when you’re working. Your chair should be comfortable and offer support for your back so you can sit up straight while you’re working.
- Take regular breaks when you’re working. You don’t have to do your work in one, long, continuous stretch. In fact, it’s better not to. Taking regular breaks will help you stay focused and efficient.
Create a designated workspace
Some people like to work in a shared office space, or maybe you work from home. In any of these situations, you might not have a separate, designated workspace. If you don’t have a separate workspace, you might want to try and create one. Having a designated workspace will help you focus and stay on task and reduce the chance of distractions that can interrupt your workflow.
You can create a separate workspace in a corner of your office, on a patio, or in a room in your house. Just make sure that it’s away from common distractions. For example, if you like to listen to music while you work, you might not want to put your workspace in the same room as your computer or TV.
Or if you often get interrupted by family members or pets, you may want to put your workspace somewhere else where you won’t be disturbed. Having a designated workspace will help you stay focused, and it will make it easier to get your work done without being interrupted by outside distractions.
Invest in comfortable office furniture
Comfortable and functional office furniture can really make a difference in your workflow. If you’re in an office, and you have some say in what kind of furniture you use, then you may want to try and get some new, more comfortable furniture. This is especially true if you’ve had the same desk, chair, and computer setup for a while.
You may find that your current furniture is no longer comfortable or functional because you’ve changed over the years. If you work from home, you may want to take into consideration your overall health when choosing furniture and look for items that give you proper support and reduce stress on your body.
Also, if you have to sit in a chair for long periods of time, it’s especially important to invest in a comfortable chair. If you’re tired and uncomfortable, you’re more likely to want to take breaks, and you’ll be less likely to stay focused and productive.
It’s also important to make sure your computer setup is comfortable. For example, you probably don’t want to sit with your keyboard on your lap for hours at a time. Having your computer set up at the right height and distance from your eyes will help you avoid eye strain and headaches. It will also help you stay more focused.
Avoiding common office distractions
There are a few things that can be easily avoided that can cause distractions in the office and interrupt your workflow. Try to stay away from office romances, don’t get drawn into office politics, and don’t overuse social media. Let’s go over some of the other ways you can avoid these common office distractions.
- Avoid office romances. You may think that having a romance in your office would help people get along better. This is true in some cases. In others, it can lead to jealousy, broken friendships, and an uncomfortable or distracting work environment. This can especially be the case if it’s a manager and their subordinate who are involved in a romantic relationship.
- Avoid getting drawn into office politics. It can be easy to get involved in office politics, especially if you work in a large company or organization. But getting involved in office politics can be a huge waste of time. It can also create a lot of drama and tension in the office. Office politics often involves gossip, making judgements about other people, and taking sides in conflicts. When you get involved in office politics, you’ll spend more time talking about other people, and less time working on your own projects.
- Avoid overusing social media at work. You probably already know that social media can be a huge distraction. It can also get you in trouble with your boss if you use it too much at work. It’s especially important to keep social media at work to a minimum when you’re on a deadline. It can be easy to like social media too much when you have your phone nearby. It’s even more likely to happen when you have access to it on your computer.
Stay off of social media
If you find yourself really into social media while you’re in the middle of working, it may be a good idea to remove the temptation and stay off of social media altogether. Some people might find it helpful to just block social media websites altogether. You can also try to be more mindful about how you use social media.
Instead of just mindlessly scrolling through your feed, take some time to really think about what you want to get out of social media. If you want to use social media to stay up to date on current events, find interesting articles, or communicate with friends and family, that’s fine.
But if you find yourself really into reading about other people’s lives, or spending too much time on social media, you may want to try and find ways to limit that.
Conclusion
You can always improve the workflow of your office by following these tips. Remember that using a certain tool like mentioned above, can help automate the process and allow you to focus on other tasks.
