Sammy Zimmermanns, Pixabay via MGN In the age of constant tech distractions, like phones and social media, it may be a little difficult to stay on track of all your tasks. In fact, research psychologists at California State University say people rarely focus on a task for more than three to five minutes before getting distracted by texts, emails or social media. As technology is helping people connect around the world, it is also causing people to disconnect from the office. According to a recent Career-Builder survey, 75 percent of employers say at least two hours of productivity is lost a day due to employees being distracted. The biggest culprit? Fifty five percent of employees say cellphones are to blame; followed by the internet, office gossip and social media. So how can you tune out the noise? Place your phone on “do not disturb,” which will mute all notifications and keep it out of sight and out of reach. If you get distracted by web surfing at work, install the app ‘self-control’ or download “cold turkey,” which blocks distracting websites. Also get headphones or earplugs to cut out the background noise and signal to everyone else that you do not wish to be distracted. Productivity is contagious. So if you have the option, sit next to a productive person at work. One study says it will boost your job performance by 16 percent. Contributors to this news report include: Milvionne Chery, Producer; Roque Correa, Videographer and Editor.