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Getting distracted at work isn't a hard thing to do. With all the talkative co-workers, tempting break times, and cool gadgets now allowed in the office, it's amazing we get anything done at all. Staying focused at work is super important for all sorts of reasons. It looks good on you as an employee, especially if everyone else is off task. A little extra focus may even lead to promotions, increased pay, better positions, and greater opportunities should you ever decide to leave your current job. Choosing to pursue a more productive lifestyle is efficient in every way, but sometimes we need a few tips on how to concentrate. Fortunately, that's what today's post is all about! Brain Food Eating the right foods is essential to a healthy lifestyle, but it's also a big part of how we function throughout the day. Just having something in your belly when you go into work is super important, but junk food like doughnuts, sugary cereals, and pop-tarts do little to help our focus throughout the day. To focus, you need brain food! At testing times during the semester, students in school are told to eat things that are high in protein and antioxidants, because it helps them concentrate, and the same is true for adults at work. Studies show that eating things like blueberries, wild salmon, avocados, whole grains, and nuts are amazingly helpful in improving concentration, and they all make wonderful nutritious breakfasts. Instead of just popping a freezer-waffle in the toaster, get up a little earlier to blend yourself some go-go juice using frozen blueberries and other fruits, with yogurt or milk. Make yourself a nice, delicious egg breakfast like a salmon omelet, and use the leftovers to make a salmon sandwich on whole wheat for later at work (which totally goes great with some avocado slices!) Nuts, seeds, and dried fruits make excellent snack food while at work, so take advantage of the Food Network and some other healthy food recipe sites and get focused! You'll feel healthier, and are much more likely to lose some weight too! Keep Friends At Bay Not many blogs will tell you to keep your friends away from you, but a work environment is the one place where you may need to, especially if you're easily distracted. We all love our buddies, but the last thing you need when you have two minutes to finish typing that proposal is Joe coming over to discuss last night's football game. If it does sound like a buzz-kill, your manager is right when he says the modern executive desks for office use are for work, not socializing. If you know you're prone to distractions, let your friends know; they'll understand. If you work at home with kids, pets, roommates, and spouses as your distractions, it can be a little more difficult to curb their attention on you. To do this, try writing your work hours on stylish presentation boards for office use so they know when not to bother you. At work, save the talking for break times. If you've got kids at your home office, take the opportunity to go to the park for lunch with them as a distraction. If you're park allows pets, you may even kill two birds with one stone this way. Playing around a bit is a good way for all of you to unwind and enjoy the best part of the day. Who knows, they may even take a nap when you get home! Turn Off the Tech Technology is probably the biggest distraction of the modern age, and it doesn't help that most of us are surrounded by it at work. A lot of companies have rules against phone use at the office, but with a computer right in front of us, it's not always easy to keep from opening a new tab for Facebook or some other fun websites. If you know the computer is your worst enemy as well as your best friend, block all your favorite sites from your work computer. Have friends set the passwords if you must, so you can't access them even if you do happen to click on one. Many of us have reasons for keeping our phones on, but if you know deep down that yours could be turned off, go ahead and do it, or at the very least, keep it on silent and out of sight. Most technology nowadays comes equipped with time blocks designed to keep kids on task by not allowing them use of a certain device between set times, so set those up for yourself if you need to. Do whatever it takes! The good news is that not all technology is your worst enemy. Things like air purifiers for office use can clean the air of toxins that probably aren't doing anything to help your concentration, and they aren't very tempting toys either. Get one, and let the focus flow! Keep Calm and Prioritize Its easy to feel overwhelmed at work. Some of us have so much to do, we just don't know how not to freak out about it, and for this, we offer a simple but of advice: to keep calm and prioritize. Prioritizing tasks is a great way for those prone to distraction to get things done. Putting the more important or more difficult tasks at the beginning of the day when you're more focused helps you to get them out of the way faster. Also, with the easier tasks at the end of the day, you're more likely to feel better leaving work. If you know you're prone to fits of freaking, set up an atmosphere in your office that helps you keep calm. Have yourself and your co-workers post photos of the ones you love or the places you want to visit around cool office cubicles for business use, so all of you work a little easier. Scented candles like lavender, chamomile, coconut, flowers, and sandalwood are good stress-busters, and many of them have been proven in studies to calm. If you need a bit more energy, try something citrusy or spice-scented. Setting up the right atmosphere is a great way to stay focused, and prioritizing can keep you from looking for distractions in the first place! Clean Up Your Act Keeping clean at work is great for all occasions, but did you know it can also improve your focus? Taking the time during a week when you're not so busy to de-clutter your workspace can make a world of difference the next day when you come into the office. Knowing where to find things keeps you from getting distracted by looking for them (and from getting distracted by the cool things you find!) When organizing your office space, it's a good idea to keep things off of the floor. Not only does it make a space look cleaner, but it also gives you more room to move around. Choosing to go with cabinets for office storage and shelving that mounts to the walls is the perfect way to give yourself more square footage to get things done. Also, providing yourself with more places to keep things isn't a bad way to get organized either. Get Comfy Even if technology, stress, and talking doesn't faze you, sometimes distractions can come from a whole new avenue. Discomfort is one of the biggest stressors around, and it can be super distracting. Common office aches like back pain, joint problems, and poor circulation are all caused by poorly designed furniture. If you've been sitting in the same old office chair for years, perhaps it's time for an upgrade, and nothing is better for comfort than ergonomic furniture! Ergonomic furniture is designed to improve all aspects of the modern workplace, from efficiency, to work ethic, and even health. Many businesses have already made the leap, providing comfortable computer chairs with ergonomic features for their employees because they recognize the benefits. All ergonomic chairs are designed to relieve the biggest office aches, like back pain, and many of them also offer other benefits, like height and arm adjustment to relieve joint pain, and waterfall seats to improve circulation in the legs. If you're not comfortable at work, it can take a huge toll on you. Getting comfortable just eliminates one more potential distraction.
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