How Having a Do Not Disturb Light Can Shockingly Increase Your Office Productivity
You’ve probably heard of do not disturb lights in the office, and maybe a colleague or a friend of yours have told you more about it. However, it’s likely that if you haven’t yet got one for yourself or your coworkers (as a corporate gift, maybe?), you’re not aware of all the benefits that come with having a do not disturb light.
Besides helping to indicate whether you’re available or not, there are so many benefits to equipping your office with do not disturb lights. To help you on deciding whether you and your coworkers should get one for your office, we decided to enlighten you on how to use a do not disturb light in your office for maximum productivity.
Here’s our full guide on how to make the most out of having a do not disturb light at the office, viewed in the light of office productivity.
Set up your do-not-disturb light for others to see
Source: Luxafor
The first thing to take in mind when you want to use a do not disturb light in your work day is to set it up just right. Don’t worry, it’s not rocket science. Typically, a do not disturb light – like Luxafor Flag – includes a fairly simple fastening. It only takes a few seconds to clip it to the surface, but it’s the strategic placement that matters very much.
It’s important to set your do not disturb light up in a place where it is visible the most: on your laptop, on your monitor, or maybe on your cubicle wall. If you are facing away from your coworkers, and most of them disturb you from the back, maybe it’s a good idea to attach the gadget to the front of the monitor, not the back.
If you want the do not disturb light to work for you, then you absolutely must dedicate a place to it where your coworkers and teammates can clearly see your availability.
Make sure everyone in the office has a do-not-disturb light
Source: Luxafor
When you decide to bring in a productivity adjustment like a do not disturb light to your office, you’ll probably need a larger part of the team to join in to make the most of it. If you and your closest teammates are the only ones around with the beacons of privacy shining bright, sure, you’ll be the coolest around.
However, you won’t be able to use the do not disturb light to the max, as you’ll have only a handful of people ready to use its features. See, when every team member in your office is equipped with a do not disturb light, the possibilities of increasing and optimizing your team workflow are endless – from setting up custom, team-specific notifications to creating your own personalized light signals (works for secretive messaging, too).
Educate everyone on how to use their do-not-disturb lights
Source: Luxafor
Once the office is equipped with LED flags, educate the team with easy-to-understand instructions on how to use the do not disturb light. If you feel extra creative, make specific posters explaining what code red and code green really mean within your team.
For example, some office heroes would use red to say: “Currently surviving deadline”, and green for “Entertain me with your best pun of the day”. Plus, Luxafor Flag features various colors and customizable light patterns, so it’d be a great idea to get everyone on the same page about what each signal means.
Do not abuse the power of the light - turn it green on breaks
Source: Luxafor
When given the power of the light, you must treat it with respect. Unfortunately, for the more stubborn ones, it’s easy to give in to temptation and sit with the red light on throughout the day. Remind your coworkers to turn it green as well – you mustn’t be busy all the time!
Also, it’s important you educate your peers about all the benefits of using a do not disturb light right. From there on, people should start using the gadget appropriately and benefit from the systematic productivity in your office.
Use your do-not-disturb light regularly - make it a habit
Source: Luxafor
Many people talk about the importance of forming new productivity habits, but it’s probably easy to be said and difficult to be done. However, the office is the place where most people experience very routine-like behavior. And just as how we get used to the morning chats around the water cooler, it’s equally possible to introduce a do not disturb light in an office worker routine.
If you’re the one who’s the most excited about this new addition to your office life, then be an example and start using your Luxafor Flag with all the integrations every day. That way you could become the pioneer and throw some light on the true benefits of using a do not disturb light in your office.
Use integrations to improve your workflow and productivity
Source: Luxafor
Make sure you tell your peers about all the integrations of your do not disturb light! For some, this nifty gadget can be the gateway to mastering the Pomodoro technique. Others would certainly benefit from Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams integrations.
And for those who enjoy tweaking with programming, our open-source software allows anyone with the skill to customize the do not disturb light to control other devices, create more features and accomplish exactly what you need!
Tell others about it - sharing is caring
Source: Luxafor
Now that you’ve achieved the ultimate tech-powered productivity level with an advanced do not disturb light solution, why not spread the word? Millions of workers in the US struggle with productivity issues every day, a lot of them work in open-plan offices and therefore are subject to many needless interruptions from their coworkers.
A lot of people don’t even know a solution to their problems that would be much more practical and attainable than the high-spirited advice from self-help books. If anyone comes to ask you about that little shiny gadget you have, be their guiding light and enlighten them on how you use yours do not disturb light. Also, you never know who you could help by simply posting a picture of your setup on social media.
Call us crazy, but we believe in the power of light and what good effect a do not disturb light has on office productivity. In fact, it only takes one minor adjustment to set off a chain reaction. So one step at a time, a do not disturb light can be the first positive change toward an ultimately productive and distraction-free work environment.
We hope this article was useful and you’ll begin to see the light (also, literally) about having a do not disturb light in your office!
