Life is often eventful. Every day, good and bad things happen. Maybe your kitchen faucet starts leaking. Or your apartment lease is running out and you need to find a new place to live. Or you need to plan a wedding. Or you need to take care of an aging parent. Life is full of ups and downs. And those things can be extremely distracting. Sometimes they can be so distracting that it’s very difficult to focus on work and get things done.

If you find yourself in this type of situation, here are a few things you can do to make things better:

  • Make a list – Make a list of all the things you need to do to better manage the events going on in your life. If you get it down on paper, the thoughts will no longer be swirling around in your head, and you’ll find it easier to focus on work-related issues.
  • Try to avoid triggers – If you’re worrying about finding a new apartment, don’t start searching around on Craigslist. Or if you’re planning a wedding, avoid Pinterest altogether. You’ll just end up getting even more distracted and probably wasting time. Be aware of the things that make it difficult for you to focus on work and try to avoid them (if possible).
  • Use that lunch break – It’s fine to run errands on your lunch break. If you need to run to the bank or the post office, do it. And don’t feel guilty about it. Crossing things off your personal “to do” list will help you to feel more relaxed and be more productive when you get back to the office.
  • Find some support – When you’re distracted with life events, it’s easy to let things slide at work. To prevent that, find a friend or coworker who can help to keep you accountable. At the beginning of the week, give that person a list of the things that you hope to accomplish at work by the end of the week. Then at the end of the week, review that list with your friend or coworker to see how you did. Just knowing that another person is going to be tracking your progress should help to keep you on task.

 

Augustine, A. (n.d.). How to deal at work when your mind is on something else. The Muse. Retrieved from https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-deal-at-work-when-your-mind-is-on-something-else