Illinois Workers All Have This One Bad Habit at Work

Let's be honest—there's one thing that keeps majority of us from being fully locked in at work, and it's not work gossip or the coffee machine.

When you clock in, you usually have a game plan to tackle all of your daily tasks.  You tell yourself, "Nothing is going to get in the way!" and then ten minutes into your shift your brain just detours.

Apparently, distractions at work have a significant impact on workplace productivity.  From a Workplace Distractions Report, employees stated distractions in the workplace:

• Keep them from performing as well as they should (54%)
• Make them significantly less productive (50%)
• Keep them from being able to advance in their career

Read More: Top 7 Reasons Illinoisans Find Themselves Bored At Work

Your phone dings, you get a text, a spam call, and a Reddit notification that's about someone's failing situationship you just have to read.  Now, you're totally distracted and so much time has passed that you don't know if you'll get any of the work done you planned on completing.

We've all been there.  We're all guilty of it.  It's a habit we just can't seem to break living in such a digital age.

So, if you thought your coworkers, work meetings, the break room, or constantly responding to emails distracted you the most at work, you're absolutely wrong.  It's way simpler than that!

Illinois Workers All Have This One Bad Habit at Work

Digital notifications/checking phone notifications are our worst enemy when we're in work mode.  It kills boredom and makes time go by faster, sure.  But it can be harmful to your time management!

• Distractions can increase stress levels and decrease job satisfaction.
• Multitasking is actually a reaction to distractions – not a gift for our productivity – and slows us down while making us more prone to mistakes. [activtrak]

Every time you check that phone notification, you're about to waste 23 minutes and 15 seconds form your workload.  That's the average amount of time it takes to re-focus on whatever it was we were working on.

Here's what you can do to boost work productivity and put your bad habit in your back pocket:

• Limit your phone usage only on your lunch breaks
• Put your phone on Do Not Disturb
• Turn off notifications from your favorite social apps
• Only use your phone after completing a task

Reducing workplace distractions should be a huge priority in every work environment.  It'll help employees stay focused, and lead to a happier, healthier headspace!