Distractions are everywhere, especially in the workplace. The noises of talkative colleagues, the colleagues, the notifications you keep receiving on your phone, and a bunch of other little interruptions that could easily break your focus and keep you from being productive. We’ve compiled four simple tactical ways on how you can still work productively even when your surroundings don’t feel like so.

It's so simple that you can start implementing them now. Or as soon as you finish reading this article, that is.

1. Clear mind starts from clear work desk

First thing first, be mindful of where you work. Many people are careless about their workspace, even though it does have detrimental influences on work productivity on a psychological level. A clear and clean work space helps you destress because the more stuff you have around, the more they consume your attention. Decluttering your workspace is the anxiety-relieve that you should really consider to start doing to let your creative juices flowing like running water. You don’t have to go crazy and all Marie-Kondo, but the goal is to have a clean desk and everything in its rightful place, even if it means they belong in the rubbish tin.

2. Break out of procrastination with 2-minute rule

Oh, procrastination. The one thing we all regret doing, but will most likely do it again the next time around. Procrastination is surely one of self-imposed obstacles that keeps us from being as productive as possible. Not only that, but procrastination usually results in self-hate. David Allen in his bestselling book ‘Getting Things Done’ talk about how the 2-minute rule could be antidote for this bad habit. The philosophy is simple. If you can get something done in 2 minutes, do it. Before you know it, two hours have passed and your report is done.

3. Headphones on, even when the music is out

You might think that putting headphones on while working is not something new. In fact, this might have been exactly something you do by default the moment you’re sitting on your desk. Recent study discovers that 56 percent of employees are regular users of headphones to listen to music during work time. On the other hand, there are some who actually don’t prefer this method and end up getting unfocused due to noise and distractions. The good news is, if you are one of them, headphones could still be a friend. All you need to do is put them on without the music. The headphones will help you concentrate more as it puts you into a get stuff done mode. It's also an effective visual cue to let others know that you shouldn't be bothered.

4. Better tools for better work performance

One of the rules of productivity is to achieve more with less. Thanks to technology and the brilliant minds behind it, there are now a bunch of tools to help us do exactly that. There are tools for project management, note-taking, time-tracking, and a long list of software to let you get your job done much easier and quicker. For example, Sleekr is a modern HR software that focuses on helping you automate and simplify your HR management and administration tasks. Since it’s all tech-based and automatic, you can imagine just how much more hours you can add to your day without compromising your work performance.