everything every three seconds. If you are constantly glancing at your email inbox and notifications all day, your productivity is going to greatly decrease.
You could schedule time for phone and emails for first thing in the morning, around lunch, and at the end of the day so you space it out. Take anything that's high priority and make it earlier in the day; otherwise, move it to a later time. #4: Ask your family not to interrupt you. Don’t be sheepish; ask loved ones not to interrupt you while you’re working. Tell family members that unless it’s an emergency, you need to be “off the grid” for certain hours. If you're constantly taking phone calls or taking care of stuff that's not urgent, it's really easy to get off track. Obviously, family is very important, but it’s better and more relaxing to spend quality time with them outside of work versus constantly communicating with them throughout the day. #5: Turn unnecessary notifications off. I don’t remember which app it was that I had a few years ago, but it would constantly ping me when I was working with emails and text messages. This kind of relentlessness throws you off your game. You’re likely to get distracted because you're struggling with something, and notifications present an easy out to procrastinate. So I turned off these notifications. A lot of times, I take my phone and set it face down a good ways away from me. I don't want it in my pocket, tempting me to look at it. #6: Block out the water cooler talk. I work in an open office with coworkers all around me, so I plug my headphones in and that way, if they're chatting, I don't hear them. I simply focus on my work. If you're at a coffee shop or a place where you don’t have a door to close, put your headphones on. Whatever you can do to focus and put yourself in the zone so you can get more work done is going to help you be more productive. #7: Do your most difficult work at your peak. Whatever work takes the most discipline for you, make sure you schedule it for when you have the most energy. I’m a morning person, so it’s harder for me to make decisions, focus and get stuff done later in the day when my battery drains and I get tired. But some people are more energetic at night. The key is to know when you feel your best and your sharpest, and tackle the hardest projects at that time.
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