DISTRACTIONS. DISTRACTIONS. DISTRACTIONS. In a perfect world, there would be none. We’d wake up, have our coffee, and head to work for a productive day crossing everything off our to-do lists. I’d love to visit this dream optometry land but realistically, on any given workday, there seems to be 100 things vying for our attention. It’s super easy to get off course and lose focus.
We can’t control everything that pops up to disrupt our flow, but we can control our actions. Many of us have pesky habits that kill productivity and make it hard to focus. Identifying and making modifications in our habits can help the day run more smoothly. Do you suffer from these productivity killers?
Social Media Breaks. Raise your hand if you’re guilty of checking social media during the workday. We all are! Punctuating the day with social media is the easiest way to kill productivity. You don’t need to post a status ranting about your complicated contact lens fit. It’s estimated the average person will spend about five years, or 116 minutes per day, on social media in their lifetime. Reclaim those minutes spent mindlessly scrolling and focus on the task at hand.
Multitasking. By far this is the worst habit we all have. Being a clinician requires us to do multiple things at once, but multitasking can have the opposite effect of the one we seek. The more we try to juggle, the more we stretch ourselves thin; in fact, studies have shown multitasking can reduce productivity as much as 40 percent. As a yoga teacher, I often invoke the principle of “be here now.” Be present to what you are doing at the moment.
Not Sleeping Enough. It’s counterintuitive, but you cannot be your best self without those 8 hours of rest. Arianna Huffington is trying to create a sleep revolution for good reason. We live in a society that praises entrepreneurs who run on three hours of sleep, but have we asked ourselves why? Sleep deprived people are more at risk for high blood pressure, obesity, and other adverse health conditions. Instead of picking up an extra cup of coffee to improve your focus, try heading to bed earlier.
Stressing About Things You Can’t Control. Stress is an emotional drain that depletes us of the energy necessary for focus and productivity. You don’t have to be a Zen monk to understand the philosophy of letting go of what is outside of your control. Anxiety and worry are the background chatter running through most of our heads and, when left unchecked, they can affect our behavior, making it hard to focus on the present. Nix this negative habit by picking up a mindfulness practice to help de-stress and refocus on your internal locus of control.
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