Improving Observation Skills

How often are you distracted while working? It's a question that's almost laughable, right? Most of us are distracted more than five times an hour. We get emails and phone calls. We take breaks and browse the Internet. Co-workers stop by for a quick chat and friends send us amusing instant messages. Distractions happen every day, and they are costly. A 2007 report by Basex, a business research company, estimated that distractions cost U.S. businesses $588 billion per year [Spira, 2007].

A recent study found that an interruption as short as 2.8 seconds results in high error rates [Altman, 2013]. Then it can take 25 minutes, on average, to resume a task after being interrupted. After resuming the task, says Tom DeMarco, co-author of "Peopleware," a book on productivity, it can take an additional 15 minutes to regain the same intense focus you had before the interruption [DeMarco, 2013].

What are the biggest distractions? CareerBuilder's 2014 survey reveals that technology is the leading culprits. One in four workers admitted that, during a typical workday, they will spend at least one hour a day on personal calls, emails, or texts. Twenty-one percent estimate that they spend one hour or more searching the Internet for non-work-related information [Career Builder, 2014].

Managing your focus and knowing how to handle distractions are valuable skills that can be easily learned. These skills improve your focus and prevent costly and fatal mistakes.