One Thing To Boost Productivity - Avoid Distraction
Ever been doing a task and then get distracted to find yourself hours later surfing your 50th web page or LinkedIn post?
Or you may find yourself crawling through email threads, exploring data or on amazon buying yet another book you may not thoroughly read.
The thing is we all do it, parts of brains are set up to look out for novelty constantly. Its how we went about our business as cave dwellers and kept an eye out for those sabre tooth tigers.
However our brains thirst for novelty is what's sending us down those rabbit holes.
For me it was LinkedIn and then surfing the web, going from one bit of research to the next and then back again.
While I am being distracted, I'm not productive.
A few weeks ago, Apple sent me a notification that my screen time on my iPhone was 3hrs 21 minutes a day.
This shocked me.
The majority of this time was on LinkedIn, safari and emails, so work stuff.
However when I look at the value from 3hrs 21 minutes I got from being on my phone compared to what else I could do for 3hrs 21 minutes, its a no brainer that it just isn't worth it.
I should and must use that time more productively.
If you're like the handful of people I talked to about this, you may find similar durations on your phone.
Yes, we can easily justify the use of our phones; however, when we compare it to what else we could do with that same time, I don't think it's justifiable.
I also question how much value we gave when we were probably with our kids or spouses and on the phone at the same time!
Productivity Hack:
Delete.
That's right; I'm serious delete them off your phone.
Get rid of all the apps that you use that distract you and suck you down that rabbit hole.
If you don't want to go the full hog, move them to a folder or an alternative page on your phone.
The trick here is to put friction between you and the thing you want to get away from.
If it's more challenging to get on the LinkedIn app on your phone, you won't use it.
The other thing is to turn off the notifications, so you don't get prompted.
Once you've done that, schedule time in for when you do want to go on these platforms, use that time wisely.
Always have an intent, always come away with a positive outcome, as in get something from the time you spent.
When you're not tied to your phone, you'll find more time with your thoughts. Savour this; this is how our brain forms new connections, you may find you start getting some rich ideas. Please make a note, so you don't lose them.
