Tips to Beat Distractions While Working from Home 居家辦公防干擾的八條建議

戴安娜·石文 李小麗譯

Its who-knows-what day of social distancing and， if youre like many people， youre struggling to keep yourself focused. You may have started this work-from-home experiment with high hopes of calibrating both your work responsibilities and your downtime aspirations， but instead， youre just plain distracted.

The logistics of finding a comfortable space， carving out time to concentrate， and making it clear to your roommates/spouse/children that you are working is a painstakingly learned art， rather than a formulaic science.

Moreover， amid the current COVID- 19 crisis， our definitions of productivity are going through a transformation. A lack of physical office space and casual conversations has collapsed the normal structure of what keeps us collectively on task， or what some experts call “private paternalism1.”

Looking to master your focus and cut out all those remote-work distractions？ The following expert tips will steer you in the right direction.

Fight the urge to multitask

There are a million distractions when you are hunkered down at home—that pile of dishes from this morning， the siren call of Netflix on your computer， and， scattered around you， your devices buzz with notifications.

But when you get down to it， not all of these distractions are important. More likely， your mind is assigning significance to tasks and activities that should be several notches down on your to-do list.

Curt Steinhorst， author of Can I Have Your Attention？， previously told Fast Company that “distraction is actually just confusion about what matters.”

People prone to constant multitasking are not， as assumed， short on attention， but more likely need to improve their prioritization skills. If this sounds like you， pinpoint your most important tasks and make sure you address them before the day is over.

Schedule your time

An extension of prioritizing， clearly attributing time for tasks is one way to limit distractions. If you break down your day into defined blocks of time， youre less likely to get distracted.

To excel at this， allow yourself a mix of both work and social interactions. Fill your day with a mix of practical check-ins with your employees or managers—but also include time to socialize with coworkers. Casual run-ins with colleagues are now missing， so you may have to be intentional about making up the difference by piping up on Slack2， or taking a walk and calling your mom.

Let go of what you cant control

Live and let live. This tip may seem out of a self-help book， but it applies to time management just as much as shedding emotional baggage.

As Kyle Cease， author of I Hope I Screw This Up： How Falling in Love with Your Fears Can Change the World， told Fast Company， the more you try to exert control over something completely out of your hands， the more stress you will feel.

To avoid these uncomfortable feelings， your mind will seek out distractions. Sometimes this will mean diving into a huge time-waster that leaves you confused at how you ended up off task for hours. Says Cease， “Something outside of you is pulling you away from yourself or a goal. But the distraction is actually on the inside.” By letting go of what you cant control， you will “open yourself up to opportunities.”

Warm up your brain

Its okay to need some time before you get started checking things off your to-do list. If you allow your brain to warm up a bit before “eating the frog，” youll feel more motivated and less tempted by distractions.

Aaron Britt， who leads the editor-ial team at Herman Miller3， told Fast Company that he and his coworkers always start the day with a few rounds of a word game before diving into their need-to-dos. Granted， Britt points out the game delivers very little output， but what it does do is maximize a time of the day where distraction can easily swoop in.

Establish clear boundaries

Do external forces—such as in-person office meetings—usually help dictate your schedule？ If so， develop strict parameters for yourself when working from home， focusing on guarding the time when youre “on the clock.”

Consider what characteristics of the office suit you best， and adapt them to your new work space. This can apply to the organization of your home office， or how you set expectations with family or roommates.

Laura Stack， the founder of the Productivity Pro4， says personal quirks are important. She tells Fast Company to “create and maintain the boundaries that will acknowledge your personality and allow you to be your best.”

Along with your space， consider the times when you are naturally most productive. Career coach Elizabeth Whittaker-Walker says， “If your freshest thinking is before noon， save meetings or intense work periods for the first part of the day. Cross off the days objectives as you complete them.”

Know your triggers

To that point， be aware of certain workplace stressors， which trigger your most time-wasting behaviors. Oftentimes， youre not able to recognize these stressful emotions immediately， so pose a few helpful questions to yourself， such as “What was it that stressed me out just now？” and “What am I trying to avoid here？” A purposeful amount of self-reflection will prevent you from falling down a rabbit hole of YouTube playlists instead.

Turn off your devices for deep focus

If youre prone to reach for devices when the stress sets in， try your best to create safeguards to ensure you arent tempted by technology.

This can be particularly difficult when working from home， considering its all on you to fight off these urges. Michael Dermer， founder of the Lonely Entrepreneur5， previously told Fast Company， “You have to bring the discipline to keep these distractions away from you at home just like you would in the office.”

Listen to your body

Just as there are times when you are at your best， there are times when you genuinely hit a wall. Eliminating distractions can come down to knowing when youre no longer able to focus. So when your body feels less than energetic and your brain has reached its limit， listen.

Colin Doherty， CEO of software platform Fuze6， told Fast Company that its important to pay attention to when its time to wind down， since your body needs time to reset for the more productive hours： “Being engaged is very important， but taking time to decompress can help you make your time online more valuable.”

這是要保持社交距離的渾噩日子，天曉得怎么回事，也許你和很多人一樣難以集中注意力。你可能懷著能平衡好工作與業(yè)余生活的熱切希望，開始試著居家辦公。但事與愿違，你完全心不在焉。

找到一方舒適的空間，留出專心做事的時間，明確告知室友、伴侶或孩子你在工作，這一系列的統(tǒng)籌安排是一門需費神學習的藝術，而不是固定程式的科學。

此外，在新冠肺炎危機的當下，我們對生產力的定義正在發(fā)生轉變。沒有了實體辦公空間和閑談，集體辦公的正常體系或某些專家所說的“私人家長制”已然失效。

想要掌控注意力，排除遠程辦公的一切干擾？下面這些專業(yè)建議將指引你至正確方向。

拒絕一心多用

宅在家里，干擾數不勝數——吃完早飯的盤子，電腦上奈飛的誘人召喚，還有四周電子設備推送消息的嗡嗡聲。

但若開始認真做事，你會發(fā)現并非所有干擾都重要。很可能是你的大腦將待辦事項清單上原本靠下的任務和活動的重要性提升了。

《請注意》的作者庫爾特·施泰因霍斯特早前告訴《快公司》雜志記者，“分心其實只是分不清任務主次”。

不同于人們所想，經常一心多用并不是因為缺乏專注力，更有可能是因為有待提高分清主次的技能。如果你正是這樣，那就明確最重要的任務并確保當天完成。

合理安排時間

在分清任務主次之外，明確設定每項任務的時間也是一種減少分心的方法。若將一天劃分成各個明確的時間段，就會減少分心的可能。

要做好這一點，你應工作與社交兼顧。一天中既與下屬或經理在社交網絡上實際溝通，也花時間與同事交往。居家辦公無法與同事隨時隨地爭辯幾句，因而你可能不得不有意在Slack上聊天，或是一邊散步一邊給母親打電話，以此彌補這一不足。

放手無法掌控的事物

待人寬如待己。這句話聽起來似乎出自某本勵志類圖書，但這個道理不僅適用于擺脫情感包袱，在時間管理上同樣有效。

如《希望我搞砸了：愛上恐懼會如何改變世界》的作者凱爾·西斯接受《快公司》采訪時所說，你越想掌控某樣你全然無力掌控的東西，你的壓力就越大。

為了避免這些令人不適的壓力感，大腦會物色分散注意力的事物。有時候這意味著你會沉迷于枉費大量時間的活動，渾然不知自己開了數小時的小差。西斯說：“某種外界事物使你遠離自我或目標，但分心的誘因其實在內部。”放手掌控不了的事物，你就能“迎來機遇”。

給大腦“預熱”

執(zhí)行待辦事項前需要一定的時間做準備是可以的。在“啃硬骨頭”前，若讓大腦“預熱”一下，你將更有動力，對干擾更有抵抗力。

赫曼米勒公司的編輯團隊負責人阿倫·布里特告訴《快公司》，他和同事在一天開始時，總會先玩幾局填詞游戲，再著手處理待辦事項。的確，布里特表示玩這個游戲沒什么成果可言，但它確實讓人充分利用了一天中最容易分心的那段時間。

設定明確的規(guī)范

你的時間安排通常取決于外在因素，如面對面辦公室會議嗎？若是，居家辦公時為自己設定嚴格的規(guī)范，在工作時尊重時間觀念。

考慮辦公室的哪些特點最適合你，將其改用于自己新的工作空間。這一點適用于布置居家辦公環(huán)境，或者設定對家人或室友的期望。

“生產力專家”的創(chuàng)始人勞拉·斯塔克表示，個人習性很重要。她告訴《快公司》，要“設定和堅守那些適合個人習性并能讓自己做到最好的規(guī)范”。

除了營造工作環(huán)境，還要找到自然狀態(tài)下工作效率最高的時間段。就業(yè)指導伊麗莎白·惠特克-沃克表示，“若你在中午前思路最清晰，那就在上午完成會議或最繁重的工作。完成當日目標后就在清單上劃掉它們。”

識別壓力源

對于這一點，要意識到某些職場壓力源，它們會導致你做出最浪費時間的舉動。很多時候，你并不能立即識別這些緊張情緒，那么問問自己，“剛才是什么讓我焦慮不安？”“我在試圖逃避什么？”這樣的問題會有所助益。進行一定量目標明確的自我反省將防止你陷入優(yōu)兔播放列表而難以自拔。

關掉電子設備以全神貫注

如果壓力來襲時，你總是不由自主地拿起電子設備，就要盡力找出應對措施，確保自己不受技術引誘。

由于克制這些沖動完全依靠自身，居家辦公時做到這一點就尤其困難。“孤獨創(chuàng)業(yè)者”創(chuàng)始人邁克爾·德爾默曾向《快公司》表示：“居家辦公時要像在辦公室一樣，必須保持自律，以免分心?！?/p>

聽身體的話

有時候你精力充沛，同樣，有時你確實也會疲憊不堪。知道自己何時注意力無法再集中，這可以排除一些干擾。就是說，感到自己精力不濟，大腦已達極限時，聽身體的話，就此打住。

軟件平臺Fuze的首席執(zhí)行官科林·多爾蒂告訴《快公司》，注意什么時候該放松很重要，因為你的身體需要時間恢復，以便擁有更高效的工作時間。他說：“專注非常重要，但留出時間減壓可讓線上時間更高效。”

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）

1 private paternalism私人家長制，也稱責任制，這一工作形式以小組為單位，設定目標、劃定時間節(jié)點、進行日常匯報、追蹤任務進度、評估員工表現等，每個項目都責任到人，可有效監(jiān)督員工，提升其自控力。

2一款兼具聊天、大規(guī)模工具集成、文件整合及統(tǒng)一搜索的軟件。

3總部設在美國密歇根州，始于1905年，最初是一家生產傳統(tǒng)家具的公司，后來逐漸發(fā)展成美國現代家具設計與生產中心。它是美國最主要的家具與室內設計廠商之一。

4位于美國丹佛的一家國際咨詢公司，一直在為《財富》500強企業(yè)和其他機構，特別是高壓力行業(yè)提供生產力方面的咨詢。內容涉及減少信息超載、多重任務管理、平衡工作與家庭、增加條理性、減少壓力等。

5創(chuàng)立于2015年，主要向創(chuàng)業(yè)者提供支持，其宗旨是釋放全球創(chuàng)業(yè)者的潛力，幫助創(chuàng)業(yè)者將激情轉化為成功。其創(chuàng)始人還創(chuàng)作了公司同名暢銷書，該公司也創(chuàng)立了同名在線學習社區(qū)平臺，以便為所有創(chuàng)業(yè)者面臨的商業(yè)和個人問題提供解決方案。 ? ? 6總部位于美國馬薩諸塞州波士頓，主要業(yè)務為基于云的通信系統(tǒng)。