Nov 25, 2016 11:41 AM EST By Audri Taylors, UniversityHerald Reporter

The constant incoming emails, telephone calls, the noise from the other cubicle, all these can get you distracted from work. When you get distracted, you lose valuable and productive minutes of your work every day. And it can be a problem because these things turn your focus away from your work. It will even take 23 minutes for you to be able to get back on track, according to Professor Gloria Mark who led a study in the University of California.

Take a look at the following examples of distractions and take note of the tips that might be helpful for you the next time you feel distracted.

Your colleagues

There's always that chit-chatty colleague who would just drop by to ask a quick question and then ends up spending the next 30minutes talking about something else. Cathy Sexton, a productivity strategist, author and founder of The Productivity Experts, advises that when a colleague approaches you to ask a question, it's better to get up when you talk to them. This way, it will be easier for you to cut the conversation shorter.

There are also times when your distractions are purely work related and what you can do so that they don't take so much of your time is to make a list of the people you need to talk to and the things that you need to discuss with them.

Your own distracted self

You cannot keep on blaming others for being distracted. A significant part of your distractions is yourself because you are the one who also interrupts yourself or you also allow interruptions. For example, if you easily get distracted by the noise in your office, you can grab your headphones and listen to music that can help you stay focused. Also, it is a misconception that multitasking makes your work faster. Working on a single task at a time actually does the trick to make you more productive.

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