Are you working at a coworking space? Then you are most probably motivated to use the space well and be productive during your work hours. Although we are sure that everything you need will be available (a quiet area, good WiFi, a comfortable desk), what about your mindset? The right mindset is the most critical part for a productive workday, and often the hardest part to get right.
Our life is full of distractions. We have our phone, the internet, people around us, and simply our mind. And with a busy life, our mind can keep us incredibly busy.
To help you spend your time at a coworking space even more productive, we created a list of five tips to avoid distractions and will help you focus during a day at work.
Plan your breaks
No one can focus all day. A problem many people have is the fact that they try to focus from the start until the end of a working day. After a few hours most of us get tired, but often try to keep going. Soon our focus starts to fade away, and the rest of the working day consists of half-focus, many distractions, and a lot of frustration.
Taking breaks is important. The more regular you take breaks, the more productive you usually work. A great schedule is a short break every 1,5 hours. A 10-minute break can be enough. When working at a coworking space, you can align your breaks with your coworkers. Taking a short coffee or tea break together every 1,5 hours gives you something nice to look forward to. And on top of that, you can motivate each other and exchange completion, questions or struggles.
Plan your tasks
Having your tasks floating around in your head, email or calendar can be overwhelming. It’s hard to keep track of your exact goals for the day, and chances are good that you will start to work on different things at the same time. This is stressful and not productive at all.
To really have a productive day, creating a to-do list can be very helpful. Try to put your tasks on a particular order and follow that order as much as possible. This helps you not to get distracted and focus on one task at a time.
At ANDA we love using Trello to create to-do lists. Besides your tasks for the day, Trello allows you to add notes, documents and even share your lists.
Remove distractions
Do you really need to focus? Then think of what distracts you most. For many of us, this is our phone. Facebook, Instagram, or Whatsapp. For some of us, it is the street outside our office. Watching people is way more fun than working, right? For others, it’s the sounds in the office or at home.
Being aware of what distracts you is important because you can work on eliminating the main distractions. Is your phone the problem? Why not switch your phone on airplane mode for a few hours? Or simply delete your Facebook and Instagram app from your phone? Or maybe create a special folder on your phone where you move all the apps that you are not allowed to look at during work time.
Are distractions from outside your problem? Coworking spaces are designed to make you comfortable. Just ask your space manager for a workplace that will help you. Do you, for instance, keep looking out of the window? Then ask for a desk that faces the other side.
Creating a distraction-free space can mean a huge difference in the amount of work you get done in a day.
Go outside
Spending all day indoors makes us sleepy. We lack fresh air and sit still for so long that our bodies get more tired every hour.
At ANDA, we like to take a walk outside at least once a day. This can be a little walk to a shop, a walk around the block or even a longer walk into the city. Luckily the weather is beautiful most days is Granada, but we try to go out even when the weather is not perfect. Believe us, even getting out in the rain for a bit can be really refreshing.
After a walk, you return to your desk feeling clear and refreshed, ready to continue your day.
Yoga or meditation
space really helps you to your focus during the day. Yoga and meditation literally teach your brain how to concentrate.
Practicing before work helps you clear your mind and get into a well-balanced state. Practicing after work enables you to calm down after a day of thinking, and gets your thoughts well organized to go into a good night of rest.
Come focus at Anda
Creating a perfect environment for our coworkers is our top priority at Anda. We have different rooms and desks available to give everyone the work environment they need. On top of that, we have a lovely community of coworkers who like to support each other, take breaks together, go for a regular walk, or end the day with a yoga class.
Are you interested in joining us? Feel free to contact us at hello@andacowork.com. We will be happy to answer all your questions and show you around at ANDA.