Have you ever started off with a great plan for the day only to have it fall apart due to constant distractions?

🤦‍♀️Arghhhh… it’s the worst! I know, I’ve been there! 

If you started August vowing to be more productive, stick to a schedule, or complete a new project, but you’re constantly getting interrupted by kids, other people’s demands, pets, or email/social media distractions, then don’t worry…I got you! 🙋‍♀️

👊Helping leaders and teams successfully work remotely is one of my core areas of expertise when working with organizations that have been forced to work remotely since the pandemic. With my research over this past year on leading remote teams, I know a thing or two about dealing with interruptions & becoming more productive while working remotely. 

In my keynote and workshop, Hybrid Leaders- Best Practices For Leading Remote Teams, I help people like you discover ways to minimize distractions & interruptions so you can be more productive and feel accomplished at the end of the day. 

Here are 6 ways to minimize interruptions when working remotely

1. Hang a Do Not Disturb sign on your door to let others know when you’re in focus mode. It’s a great way to create boundaries with your family, and will help you stay in your prime focus zone.

💡Studies show that every time we get interrupted, it takes our brains around 23 minutes to get back into the zone again. 

2. Silence your phone during peak focus hours, and remove your smart watch so it’s not buzzing while you’re trying to focus. 

💡Studies show that 50% of employees say they are distracted by their phones at work.

💡Studies also show that we have an innate need to see what the call or buzz is about.

3. Let others know when your break times are. Again, this is your way of create work boundaries at home.

💡A great way to do this is to put a small white board on your office door with your focus times or the times you will be on important calls. This way people know not to interrupt you during those times.

💡Another great strategy for kids is to place an LED light around your office door. If the light is red, that means you’re busy. If it’s green, it’s ok to come on in!

4. Keep your children & pets busy during focus hours. 

💡With kids, have them play a fun learning game on their computer/iPad. 

💡With pets, keep them busy with a long-lasting treat, put the television on for them, or train them to nap in another room incase they are loud snorers. (Our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel literally watches Paw Patrol downstairs while I’m working in my office upstairs!) Pets like schedules, so the more you can stick to a schedule, the more likely they will get to know your break times.

5. Turn off email & social media alerts. 

💡Try to schedule pre-determined times throughout the day to check email and social media.

6. Plan your schedule for the day. Planning out your day is the best way to keep both you and your family/co-workers aware of your focus times and break times.  

💡Super Achievers take the first 5 minutes of every morning to schedule out their day, review big projects, prioritize their tasks, give some gratitude & then stick with that plan. If you’re not giving power to the start of your morning, then you will lose power for the rest of the day.

Get a copy of my FREE Productivity Kit, where I give you…..

✅ Daily Focus Sheet to start your morning off strong.

✅Project Breakdown List to help you tackle those big, overwhelming projects.

✅Time Chunking List to set your peak focus hours.

✅11 Time Stealers to watch out for that are robbing your productivity.

✅Procrastination Test to see how much of a procrastinator you really are.

✅10 Ways to Beat Procrastination.

➦ Claim Your FREE Productivity Kit Here: 

The average employee is only productive for 2 hours and 53 minutes per day. During one whole hour, employees get interrupted about 7 times. That means that during an 8-hour workday, an employee may lose up to 4 hours of valuable working time due to distractions. It’s time for you to take control of your agenda, set time boundaries and get prepared to focus post-covid, develop some resilience, and prepare to have your best year ever!

Contact me today to bring me into your organization for my keynote/workshop, Hybrid Leaders- Best Practices For Leading Remote Teams!

📧betsy@betsyallenmanning.com

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