Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Defending against Distraction

Your ability to focus changes throughout the week—and stress plays a big part.

Distractions at work can be costly—and, depending on your sector, potentially dangerous. A 2020 Canadian report found that 57 percent of workers find themselves distracted daily. It’s estimated that an average of two hours of work is lost by each worker, each day, because of wandering thoughts.

The day of the week can have a big impact on your ability to hone your attention, too.

Have an important project that you need to devote time to?

A survey of 225,000 global workers determined that Wednesdays are the best days for staying focused at work, while attention is at its lowest on Mondays.

Stress also follows the flow of the week. Unsurprisingly, researchers found that people are calmer on Fridays, with Mondays being the most stress-inducing workday.

Of course, being calm isn’t always beneficial to workflow. Survey participants responded that they felt the calmest on Friday, when mind-wandering was found to be at its highest.

5 Ways to Counteract Focus Fluctuations

1. Strong social connections at work can keep you on track.
2. Getting a full night’s sleep will also go a long way in sharpening your focus.
3. Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and purposeful breathing, were found to be associated with staying the course as well. Those who participate in these practices found their minds wandering 28 percent of the time, compared to 52 percent of the time for those who don’t.
4. Employers who provide ample breaks and social support for their workers can help keep their crew on task and prevent boredom, which can lead to distraction.
5. Forge bonds with your coworkers. This will help ensure that you are committed to persevering to the end of a project, even when the going gets tough.

Sources: hrreporter.com, Global News

Defending against Distraction

5 Ways to Counteract Focus Fluctuations

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