If you struggle with maintaining your concentration in the workplace, it can pose various risks that affect the production process. And naturally, you want to prevent that, both for yourself and for your colleagues. To assist you in practicing your focus, we’re sharing our favourite tips for enhancing your attention span.
Why is good focus so important?
A few seconds of inattention can lead to an unsafe situation in the workplace, a hiccup in the production line, or missing an important action item. Production work often moves at a rapid pace, requiring you to stay sharp mentally. But good concentration is also crucial for personal health. A continuously wandering mind can lead to fatigue and demotivation. Thus, to maintain efficiency, effectiveness, and safety in the workplace, it’s important to manage your tasks effectively and stay focused. A team of concentrated employees will be better able to meet quality standards and collectively ensure a safe working environment in production. Good focus is thus essential for the entire organization.
How can you improve focus in the workplace?
Focus in the workplace is essential. But what is concentration? And when do you know it’s time to work on it? Low concentration can manifest in various ways. For instance, you might find yourself not remembering what you were doing several times a day, lose track of time easily while chatting with colleagues, or struggle to stay engaged during meetings. Perhaps even reading this article is difficult without getting distracted. If this sounds familiar, it’s time to work on your attention span. Below are our top 5 tips for concentration:
Tip 1: Time management
Combine task management with time management by working with a good schedule. Gradually completing tasks scheduled for specific times is easier than constantly searching for a suitable time to perform a task. If planning tasks and managing work time is challenging for you, consider taking a time management course.
Tip 2: Minimize distractions
These days, distractions are easily found, and they can disrupt your concentration. Therefore, try to eliminate as many distractions as possible before entering the workplace. Think of phone notifications, conversations with colleagues better suited for the break room, and email alerts. Turn off sounds and notifications, indicate that you’re busy with a task requiring focus, and specify when you’ll be available again. Try to eliminate all distractions you can hear and see to improve your concentration.
Tip 3: Happy body, happy mind
Many people forget that a mental focus is much easier to achieve with a healthy body. Unhealthy eating, drinking, or lack of exercise can negatively impact your focus. If you struggle with concentration, it’s wise to first consider your lifestyle. Eat healthily, sleep well, and maintain a positive mindset. The results will undoubtedly be visible in the workplace!
Tip 4: Think ahead and motivate yourself
The right motivation is essential for maintaining strong concentration. Therefore, focus on the benefits of completing a specific task and what you can do afterward. By using this form of motivation for all tasks, focusing on work will become much easier.
Tip 5: Go for ‘stimulus-free’ breaks
Scrolling through social media, watching short videos, or quickly responding to all messages—this is how breaks often look in many organizations nowadays. However, such breaks are detrimental to your concentration. If you want to improve your focus, avoid these kinds of stimuli during breaks and turn short stimuli into longer, calmer ones. Consider reading a book, watching a longer documentary, or having a casual conversation with colleagues. This way, your brain won’t be triggered to switch back to concentration spans of 10 to 15 seconds.
How can EZ Factory help with poor concentration?
We have talked about task management and time management. To implement these effectively, it’s highly recommended to use an online platform where everyone can instantly see which tasks are still pending. With the EZ-GO app, this is possible, allowing you to keep checklist forms and work instructions at hand while performing tasks, ensuring you don’t miss a step and can immediately tick off completed steps. Simply put: the right information in the right place, with the right person, and nothing or no one else. This not only improves concentration in the workplace but also ensures quality and efficiency. Besides practicing concentration with the above tips, an online platform tailored to standardization within a production process can also be immensely helpful. If the idea of using online workflows sounds appealing to you, we’re happy to explore the options for your organization.