Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot : FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Being back to work after Hurricane Sandy with my whole team has been a great morale booster.  So happy everyone made it in and I could see all their familiar faces — it’s one more sign that life is returning back to normal.

But it’s easy to get distracted with all the war stories being tossed around.  Plus — many people have to deal with insurance claims (myself mostly) and worries of childcare, heat, hot water and power at home.  So getting actual work done is quite a challenge.  Here’s some tips:

1.  Tune out: I’ve gotten very good at this over the years from working in busy news rooms but it does take some practice.  Engage for a bit and listen to all the stories from your coworkers but then at some point you have to mentally check out.  This will allow you to focus on tasks in front of you.  Sometimes headphones will help — I suggest blasting Dave Matthews Band or your favorite to drown out sounds around you.   Read more