Focus in on the Tasks at Work

Work has distractions. No one can argue this, even if you work at home by yourself.

But whether you work in a busy office surrounded by others or on your own in your quiet home, you're going to have distractions from your coworker slurping coffee or your dog barking at the joggers outside.

Here are 5 tips to create the perfect office environment and reduce stress and distractions so you'll be both productive and peaceful, something all bosses will come to love and appreciate:

1. Keep your personal life out of it - Whether you're at home or at an office, when you are working - work. Only respond to work related communication (unless of course, it's an emergency). Maybe you can set a certain time, like 10:00 and 2:00 to check on your personal email and voicemail and respond to personal texts. Other than that, stay off of it. That goes for social media, too! Hanging around on social media can suck your productivity away. There's a time and place for everything.

2. Invest in some noise cancelling headphones - Whether you need to cancel out the dog or that coffee slurper, noise cancelling headphones can do wonders for your focus. Major retailers like Walmart offer the latest in these headphones which can help your peace and productivity go way up.

3. Be firm - If your coworker comes over to chat, be strong that you just don't have time right now, but you'd love to catch up later. Once you're distracted, it can be tough to reel yourself back in. Also, by avoiding the office chit chat, you stay away from that office drama.

4. Keep your desktop clean - That goes for both your real one and your virtual one. Clutter causes distractions, so put the coffee mugs in the sink, close the extra files and try to keep as clean of a workspace as you can.

5. Prioritize - Sure, who wouldn't want to do the "fun" stuff first? But maybe that's not what has the first deadline. Make sure you are working on what needs to be done before taking on other tasks. If you need to get work to another person, make sure you do that with plenty of time for them to go over it as well.

Disorder can be changed to order, stress to peace and wasted time to productivity.

It's not so tough. Stay organized and prioritized, and you'll be surprised how much more you can get done.

Cancel out the distractions, whether it's with headphones or simply turning off the TV. And let the drama and social media wait till you're on your own time. Not only will it make you a better employee, but your boss is likely to take notice.

You can do it! In fact, let us know some tips you've found work for you.

About the author

 Heather Legg is an independent writer who focuses on small business, social media, and health trends.

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