I came across this New York Times article, How to Actually, Truly Focus on What You're Doing.
It talks about distractions and how they can truly interrupt our ability to get our best work done. I am guilty of having too many tabs open on my browser, unable to resist the new email notification. And all too often, it pulls me away from the important work I was doing.
At our morning check-in call with staff this morning, I talked with the reps about this. It seems especially important when working the Accounts Receivable (AR). AR has become so complicated and does require deep work.
Some tasks to need our undivided attention in order to achieve best outcomes. Here are some suggestions made to staff to keep distractions to a minimum.
Close your email tab! Don't keep it closed all day, but close it for a few hours so you can concentrate fully on the task at hand.
Put your phone away. If it is an emergency, you'll probably get a phone call (we remember what those are, right?)
Tell your colleagues you're unavailable for a few hours.
Block out time on your calendar for tasks that need your full attention. Stick to it, and use that time to do your deep work.
