Focus is key when trying to get the most out of your workday. Unfortunately, constant distractions are all too familiar for those working in an office. Whether it is your colleagues tapping on your shoulder, loud discussions in other parts of the office, flickering lights on the screens of other employees, or the constant ringing of phones and smart devices, true moments of focused work can be far and few between. Even people working at home are not safe from digital distractions that pull us out of the task at hand. That is why how and where you work has a great effect on productivity and overall enjoyment of work.
What are focus rooms?
A focus room combines the best aspects of working from the privacy of one’s own home with all the perks of an office environment. Most importantly, focus rooms need to provide privacy. With all the noise and commotion, this may feel like a luxury in an open office setting. A focus room allows office workers to retreat into a calmer, more private space where they can focus wholly on the task at hand. Focus rooms also allow for more intimate cooperation and small meetings with one or more colleagues.
For example, the Framery Four meeting pod transforms into a private focus room for one or two-person space for face-to-face collaboration without distractions. With superior sound insulation, it can provide a space for focused work even in a noisy office environment.
How to stay focused at work?
Whether you work at home or at the office, the surroundings of work can make or break your productivity. When working at home, if possible, dedicate an area for work and work only. Choosing a space that is devoid of all unnecessary distractions is key here. When designing the layout of an office, creating separate zones for different activities and types of work can also support focus.
And it is not just the place you work in that matters. How you schedule your day plays a role as well. Luckily, routines do not have to be dull and boring. In fact, they can help you gain better focus. If you find your current routine not working, try changing things up a bit by starting your day later or beginning the workday sooner, if your work allows. Try doing the most difficult tasks before others have time to cause distractions.
One of the biggest challenges of focusing on work is multitasking. When people try to be productive by doing as many things as possible at the same time, they are only contributing to poor quality of work without focusing on any single task properly. In the long run, multitasking is only a more exhaustive and mentally taxing way of getting less things done well.
The benefits of focused work
Too many distractions are not simply detrimental to employees’ well-being and nerves. They reduce their productivity, and as a consequence, the company’s bottom line as well. Every company should be interested in helping their employees stay focused at their work.
- Improved productivity. The ability to focus on one’s work can improve their productivity. Offering employees the tools and environment for focused work leads to an overall improvement in ROI.
- Flow of uninterrupted work. The state of flow is one of the most sought-after forms of work in an information-heavy office job. Removing all unnecessary distractions is the key to reaching a state of flow. When an employee gets in the flow, time seems to pass faster and the usual limitations to creativity disappear. Work also feels much more enjoyable and effortless.
- Relaxation and recovery during the workday. An office job can be very stressful at times. That is why moments of relaxation and recovery should not be reserved to only the time spent outside of the office. According to a test conducted with the health technology company Firstbeat, working or taking a break in a Framery pod helps workers decrease stress and improve recovery during the day.
- Work satisfaction. Workplace effectiveness and well-being are strongly connected. Providing the tools for focusing on one’s job is essential for improving worklife satisfaction.
- Staying engaged with a single task. The average person working on a computer gets distracted once every 40 seconds. It takes over 20 minutes to regain that focus once it is lost. Not surprisingly, getting distracted over and over again is not an effective way to get things done.
Focused work is the key to a happy workday
Companies can do a great deal to help their employees stay free of distractions. This can be done by dedicating quiet areas of the office for focused work and private meetings. Framery’s soundproof office pods can be used as focus rooms with a pre-installed working setup for those moments when no distractions are allowed.
Framery’s office pods not only muffle outside noise, they block it altogether with their superior noise insulation and acoustics. In combination with adjustable lighting, ventilation, and more, Framery’s office pods provide the optimal environment for focused work, recovery, and state of flow. Smaller office pods, like the Framery One, make for great escape spots from the noisy surroundings of the office, while the Framery Six is a larger focus room able to fit up to six people.
Make sure to read more about how distractions in a modern office have an effect on focus.
