09 Jun How to Limit Distractions and Enhance Workflow During App Development

Company productivity is an important issue no matter what business you are in, and it is especially important in a software developing company, where projects often need to be completed at an incredibly fast pace. Unfortunately, working on a computer comes with a lot of distractions, as there is so much entertainment to be found on these devices.

If you are in a position where you are using all of the professional software tools and are working on an exceptional platform, yet your employees are not as productive as they should be, there are a few things you can do to help them become less distracted. Taking the following steps will keep your app development team more focused and more productive.

Set up a great work environment

Working in a great environment is something that definitely makes an impact on a person’s productivity. This has even been confirmed by a study conducted in Britain. Therefore, creating a perfect setting plays a vital role within a company, as it can greatly affect the productivity levels of your team. The more satisfied the people are, the better they are going to perform.

For example, imagine working in a dark office next to a highway. This can be quite distracting, because of all the noise and the lack of natural light, which causes people to start feeling tired after just a few hours of work.

On the other hand, if you are in an office that looks aesthetically pleasing, is soundproof and rich with natural light, you can expect your employees to be much happier. Additionally, this type of environment makes it easier for your employees to focus on their tasks.

Therefore, if you notice that your employees are not as productive as they should be, think about making the office a more pleasant place to work in. It is definitely the first issue that should be taken care of.

Use software tools to prevent distractions

As mentioned above, working on a computer comes with a lot of responsibilities, as there are plenty of websites that can easily eat up a lot of your time. However, with enough resolve and dedication, you can easily overcome these challenges. There are various tools perfectly aimed at making people more productive, by either motivating them or by removing distractions.

• Employee monitoring software – This is the least favorable solution, as your employees are going to feel a lot of pressure over being monitored. However, in some scenarios, like when dealing with a remote worker, it is the best way to keep them motivated.Also, the employee should agree to these terms, because it is practically illegal to do this without consent. This is an effective technique, as knowing that their performance is being measured is going to push the employee to put in more effort during work hours.

• Rescuetime – This is the perfect little app that your employees can use. It is an effective way to measure how they are spending their time while in the office. Despite improving their productivity at work, this application will also let your employees better organize their life.The app works in the background continuously and captures the user’s activity. At the end of the day, you can take a look at how you have spent your day, every minute of it. Using this application is going to help you easily realize how much of your employees’ time is being wasted, and it will help them better organize over time.
• Toggl – This is a perfect tool for time tracking, it is quite similar to Rescuetime. The application will track your daily performance and show you the fields in which you can become much more productive.
• Strict workflow – This is a great Google Chrome extension that is based on the Pomodoro Technique. Basically, the extension lets you block all the distracting websites.Also, it establishes a workflow based on 25 minute work and 5 minute break at the end of each cycle. Once you finish 4 cycles, you can make a 20-30 minute break. This is a great way to increase team’s productivity and is already used by many people across different industries.
• StayFocusd – Another Google Chrome extension that lets you take control of the websites you wish to block during work hours. It is a perfect way of staying focused over a longer period of time.

These are only some of the ways in which you can remove the online distractions that continuously lurk in the background, calling people to relax more and work less.

Find unique ways of awarding productivity

This is one of the great ways to help your team stay focused on their tasks. If they know that they are going to be awarded financially or in other creative ways, they are more likely to ignore all of the distractions. However, it is very important to find a unique approach to awarding productivity, as repeating the same approach can become less motivating in the long run.

These are some of the best ways in which you could limit various distractions in the workplace. Following these tips will allow you to significantly increase your productivity in a fairly short amount of time.