Workplace Productivity:
Resist Temptations and Stay Focused at Work

By: Larina Kase

What Tempts Us?

Let’s face it, there are many things that are more tempting to do at work than work. Essentially, the temptation is either to avoid doing something that seems taxing or intimidating or to do something that seems like more fun, or both. Your temptation may be social, such as chatting with coworkers. You may avoid work by surfing the internet. You may be tempted by looking out the window at the sunny sky and daydreaming.

Many people are tempted to slack off when the weather gets nice outside, when they’re tired, when their energy levels drop (such as mid-afternoon), and when they have difficult work activities to do.

A Little Slacking Is Good

Plan both productivity and slacking off into your work day. We can’t work at 100% without breaks, so the best thing to do is to be productive when you’re being productive and relax when you’re relaxing.

Plan a brief 5-10 minute relaxation activity every 90 minutes. Plan a lunch break to re-fuel and re-energize. There is no pride or strength in getting into a battle of wills with yourself. Instead, predict your distractions and set up a schedule to keep them from interrupting you.

Forget Willpower

I don’t believe in willpower. I think that the best way to resist temptations is to create situations where you aren’t forced to face temptation and battle yourself about whether to give in. The psychological term for this is “stimulus control,” and it’s about structuring your environment and habits to reduce temptation.

The first step is to know what tempts you, and the second step is to plan to avoid those situations.

For example:

• If you’re tempted to stop in your coworkers office and chat (wasting 30 minutes of your day) every time you pass her office, choose to walk down a different hallway.
   
• If you can’t resist checking email every time a new message comes in (distracting you and requiring much more mental energy to refocus constantly), turn off your email indicators, close Outlook, and only check at designated times of the day.
   
• If you’re tempted to duck out of work early to enjoy the beautiful spring or summer weather (but doing so will not impress the boss or make you miss out on important opportunities), schedule a meeting for later in the day. Then plan something enjoyable outdoors for when it is time to leave.

Boost Your Energy

When you battle temptations at work, you use a lot of energy and often end up giving in and feeling guilty. Using these “stimulus control” strategies keeps you focused on what’s most important, keeps you out of situations which distract you, and channels your energy into productive or relaxing endeavors.

Keywords:
workplace productivity, Stay focused at work, workplace temptations, boost your energy

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