Often when you’re trying to concentrate it’s easy to become distracted, but working smarter will help you to be more productive, potentially freeing up more time.

1. Social media is tricky to ignore. While working, avoid logging onto social media sites or if you can’t resist the temptation then work off-line for a few hours.
2. Emails can be equally distracting, especially if you reply the instant a message hits your inbox. Instead of continuously checking your email, set aside specific times and close your email program the rest of the time.
3. If your mobile phone distracts you then check caller ID to see if the call is urgent. Otherwise let it go to voicemail and set specific times aside to check all your messages.
4. It’s tempting to think that when you multitask you get more done, but research says the opposite. Trying to complete several tasks simultaneously usually takes longer than completing them one after the other.
5. When you have a boring task, make sure you work on it for a specified length of time then reward yourself with a short break, snack or a coffee.