The truth is that your colleagues very likely use the internet for non-work related reasons and make personal phone calls during office hours. Online purchases are also quite common, as also is playing video games. Add breaks and snacks and you will see why your to do list seems not to be growing shorter.
Of course, we all need an occasional break but if we have more of them or allow them to be longer than a few minutes, we will again lose a considerable amount of working time. This warning comes from the famous coach Brian Tracy.
Don’t be constantly distracted by trivia
Here are a few well-known culprits as regards reduced productivity. Read through them, together with some simple solutions:
1) Office gossip
Gossiping about colleagues or the company may steal a full hour per day in some offices. When gossip starts, you can simply walk away and get back to work.
2) Socialisation
Try to reduce the number of times you engage in friendly banter with others. Don’t let lunchtime exceed a reasonable timespan.
3) Noisy colleagues
Noisy co-workers can be a major distraction. To escape the noise, wear earphones. Isolate yourself from all unnecessary distractions. Or pick a working spot which is somehow to one side if your office layout allows this.
4) E-mails and meetings
These two are ubiquitous: when you are flooded by emails, you can be stuck for a long time. It might be useful to plan some time for each day when you will deal with non-urgent e-mails.
If you need to finish something important, you can also choose to read only the most important mails and skip the rest. Attend only meetings where your participation is really necessary.
-jk-