By Azernews

By Rasana Gasimova

In a hectic world that we live in, we have no choice but to be productive. Life requires us to be able to meet thousand of deadlines, arrange meetings with lots of people, draw up reports and so on. It can seem hard and sometimes impossible to keep up with the pace of modern world.

It can become even more difficult if you let other not-so-important things get in your way. If you do, you may end up in an unacceptable situation. That’s why it’s better to learn what those distractions – productivity killer, so to say – are and be in control of your own outcomes.

Here are some of the most common things that are killing your productivity.

Constantly checking your social media

Researchers have found that even the smallest notifications that a phone shows can seriously affect the performance of its owner.

Even the most disciplined people who had the will to not immediately get a phone out of their pocket, still showed a decrease in attentiveness.

However, there’s a way to solve this problem. All you need to do is simply turn-off notifications on both your laptop and smart phone during your working hours.

Multitasking

Multitasking wastes your productivity, because when you switch back and forth between tasks you spend your attention on the act of switching, rather than a task itself.

In addition, when a person is exposed to too many stimuli, he loses the ability to distinguish between important and not important tasks.

Do one thing at a time. Complete one task and then move onto the next one.

Perfectionism

Striving for excellence can be one of the main obstacles to productive work. When you have unrealistically high standards you'll devote more time to a task than it actually takes.

Even after the task is completed, you still won’t be satisfied and will spend additional time re-checking it.

Instead of trying to do everything “perfectly,” try doing it “well enough.” If you feel that you are drowning in details, take time to rest, then come back and have a fresh look. No need to waste time striving for an unattainable ideal.

Postponing hard tasks

We all do it. We put off the tasks that we don't want to do or find too challenging. But the thing is, they don’t go away. They pile up and make it even harder to deal with.

The best way to relieve this burden is to start your day with the most challenging task and then move onto the easier ones.  

Wrong environment

Things and people around you can also significantly impact your productivity. Inconsiderate people can get us away from what we do at any moment, and focusing again can be very difficult.

Lack of fresh air or messy workplace can also be major distractions that you don’t even notice. Take this into account when pondering on your productivity, as well.