The people and information you interact with on a daily basis have an incredibly large impact on your happiness, productivity, and success. If you’re able to manage these influences in your life, it will have positive impacts on your overall quality of life as well as the culture of your company or group. Here are 8 ways to manage influences in your life to help you live the life you want and love where you work.
Working from home can be great, but it can also make it easy for you to get distracted. When team members are able to manage their influences, they’re more productive and ultimately have a larger impact on a company culture.
If you find that you’re frequently distracted by social media, email, or other sites like YouTube and Wikipedia, consider removing these sites from your browser’s home page. By preventing yourself from visiting these sites right off of the bat, you can make it more difficult for yourself to use them as a crutch while working. Another option is to bookmark time on a schedule so that those websites are only available at specific times during the day.
Everyone has influences, whether it be people, media, or situations we find ourselves in. When you’re conscientious of what is impacting you and how it impacts you, it enables you to be more productive and make better decisions for yourself that can positively impact those around you.
We’re living through a revolution of sorts, where we are constantly plugged into digital devices. These devices—and their accompanying technology—can help you manage influences or become a an influence that manages you. Look for digital tools that will minimize the wrong kind of influences and help you stay productive.
Check out some cool productivity tools here.
Studies have shown that having an accountability partner can help you stay on track with your goals. This can be a coworker, friend, or even a spouse. The key is that you hold each other accountable and make sure to follow through with both tasks and habits alike. It’s also important that they understand what steps are necessary to achieve your goals and work as a team towards success.
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when you’re working long hours on a project or task. If you don’t take regular breaks, then it is likely that fatigue and stress levels will build up, impacting your productivity levels. Breaks should be device-less moments that allow introspection and time to recenter yourself. Make sure you make time for breaks – even if they are short, at regular intervals.
When you’re constantly striving for progress, it can be easy to lose sight of why you’re doing what you’re doing. Focusing on a bigger picture will help ensure that you remain dedicated to meaningful objectives—and that you reap their long-term benefits. You know, like a better work-life balance and healthier relationships with friends and family.
It’s tempting to focus on what we don’t have, or what’s wrong. But focusing on negative influences makes us feel down, which can hurt our productivity and can make us less productive. In addition, when we let negative thoughts occupy our mind, it often leads to more of those thoughts—leading to a cycle of negativity.
Still having trouble with influences? Check out this article on taking control!