How Smartphones are directly linked With your Productivity
Undivided and focused attention is the key to high-performance achievers. Recent studies found that the constant reaction to emails, texts, IMs has an adverse effect on the brain, it shortens the ability of attention span.
How we develop the addiction
When You check your phone first thing in the morning. You are lost in the deep hole of the notifications, emails, and out of curiosity, one video leads to another and this loop keeps on repeating. When you hear a sound of a new message our brain releases a little shot of dopamine. This dopamine provides us pleasure. It stimulates us to react and respond instantly, no matter what we are doing. You instantly divert all our attention to that new notification.
The Illusion of multitasking
Most of us engage in multitasking, going through work, and checking emails back and forth. But our brain can focus on only one task at a time so basically what we are doing is shifting our attention from one task to another. It takes around 17 minutes to shift our total attention back towards the work and continuously working. This is why we are working harder and harder but still not getting the desired result.
How to get attention back
The solution to this is simple and is widely accepted by productive people. Do not check those notifications first thing in the morning. Stop those instant tiny doses of dopamine. Turn off those notifications and put your device on silent.
If you need to check those emails go fast and come out quickly and get back to work. Set aside time to check the emails twice a day (ex.11 AM and 3 PM) and turn it off again. Set out contact information handy so people can reach you in an emergency.
Start to apply the same protocol everywhere when you meeting people in person. Turn off your device and focus all of your attention on another person. Never insult them by working on your laptop or talking on your phone.
How to increase and double your productivity
Start with planning your every day in advance. Begin with your most important task first thing in the morning before you do anything else. Work 90 minutes straight on that task with zero interruptions then give yourself a 15-minute break. After that start again with 90 minutes of flat-out work. These three hours of deep work will increase double productivity if you focus on your most important task.
If 90 minutes of straight work is too much then use the Pomodoro technique, 25 minutes of focused uninterrupted work followed by a 5 min rest. Do it 3–4 times and then take 15–20 minutes of break., after these three hours of deep work you can give yourself a shot of dopamine and check those notifications.
