Expert gives tips on how to improve concentration at work

Concentration deficit is a common problem for many people working both in the office and remotely. Lusine Abgaryan, Operations Director of Ventra HR Holding, told Izvestia on February 1 how employees can improve their concentration and be less distracted.

According to her, the workplace should be organized.

"Concentration is affected by many factors, including the ergonomics of the workplace. So the first simple step is to look around. Pay attention to the furniture and objects in the working area - they should not distract you from tasks and make you uncomfortable. Check how comfortable you are at the desk, whether the chair or armchair is comfortable, how the documents, stationery, laptop or keyboard, monitor are located on the work surfaces," she said.

The expert advised at least once a week to conduct a revision and throw away everything unnecessary, as well as agree with a colleague or relative, with whom the work area is shared, to leave the place in order and keep clean.

"Related to ergonomics is the overall hygiene of the room. Make sure it has enough air and light: try to air the room regularly or take short breaks in the fresh air," Abgaryan added.

She also recommended scheduling tasks on a calendar. In her opinion, to stay productive, the number of work meetings should be balanced - it is worth setting aside no more than 60% of the time on the calendar for them if possible.

"For example, if you have several meetings a day, allocate the remaining time to one large task that you can definitely complete by the end of the day, or several smaller ones that don't require much effort. Also, don't forget to pause for meals and rest between tasks - resetting is important," she advised.

In addition, it is important to prioritize. The expert recommended to allocate cases by slots during the day. This way you can see what the calendar is filled with and prioritize.

"To concentrate on the important helps time management techniques. For example, the "1-2-3" method - it includes one complicated thing, three medium-sized and five simple ones. Or the method of themed days: when planning the working week, you can agree with colleagues that on Monday you deal with, for example, reporting, and on Tuesday - strategic tasks. Or the famous 'tomato method' - 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest," Abgaryan explained.

If it's hard to stay focused, you need to remove everything that can distract you. You should put notifications temporarily on silent mode, get rid of visual stimuli - it can be a lamp, garland, ornaments or flowers. If the room is noisy, you can use a meeting room or noise-canceling headphones, the specialist said.

"Increasing the chances of getting things done by the end can be a publicly stated deadline in front of coworkers or clients - accountability to others interested in the outcome allows for fewer distractions. Sign up for deadlines and then report back on the task afterward," Abgaryan concluded.

Earlier, on January 15, it was reported that every third Russian respondent (28%) planned to change jobs in 2025. This is stated in the results of the study of the Russian School of Management. Among the most frequent reasons for such a decision are named: low salary (47% of respondents said so), lack of opportunities for professional growth (45%), lack of career prospects (39%), dissatisfaction with management (24%), dissatisfaction with the team (8%).