I am more distracted by my phone than I am present...
Casey Chung, CPA, PCC
Helping accountants progress in their careers and lives | Professional Certified Coach | Life & Career Coach for CPAs
The average person will have a phone screen time of 3.5 hours per day.... this does not include time we spend on our laptops.
How is your relationship with your phone?
This article is a different one. I document what happened in the hour of writing this article and the temptations I had to look at my phone.
This is what happens when I procrastinate during my work day.
Skip to the tip number 8 if you want the gist of this article.
12-1PM - Lunch break
1:00PM - Open my computer to get a task done (this newsletter)
1:01PM - Choose to reset my computer because I have too many tabs open
1:02PM - Procrastination begins
While computer is resetting I pick up my phone. Unlock it. Check the notifications. Click the notifications. End up scrolling through Instagram for a few minutes... for some of you this could be an infinite TikTok loop. Message some people on IG.
1:20PM - Realize my computer finished resetting 15 minutes ago
1:21PM - Start writing this newsletter (phone is still face up on my desk)
^ playing the catch up game
1:27PM - I'm now writing this live.
I'm focused and I'm present now. I see my phone next to me. I'm tempted to open my phone and see if there are any new messages. I realize that I wasted 20 minutes of my hour simply because my phone was within arms reach.
While I am present and focused on my task, I believe I will have the willpower to eliminate distraction.
1:30PM - My smart watch buzzes to remind me of an appointment for 2PM.
I need to focus and get this done in the next 30 minutes, otherwise it will have to wait for another hour… maybe I won't finish it.
How could I have eliminated distractions from my phone?
1:32PM - I realized how time can move so slowly when we are focused on the present moment.
I thought it would be neat to document this writing process and to let me mind free flow.
Our phones distract is A LOT. How efficient and productive could we be if we simply removed the #1 source of distraction from our work environments?
How many hours are you on your phone during the work day?
1:37PM - Check my phone usage for the day
As of now:
… it's only been half the day
领英推荐
1:38PM - Reflecting
I could have saved 1 hour of my time today by putting my phone away.
Why do I have so many notifications? Which ones actually matter?
Our phones are designed to grab our attention. When we are not paying attention, we are more susceptible to get sucked into our devices.?
1:40PM - Practical tips
1.Look at your phone usage and become aware of your daily and weekly usage (hours, notifications, times opened).
2. Assess whether or not you believe it is a) Too high, b) Appropriate, c) Not enough.
3. Take notice of which apps you use the most and assess if it was distracted time or productive time.
Example: Yesterday I had 4 hours of screen time. The most time was on Duolingo (I am learning Spanish). I deem that as productive time. I give myself permission for using my phone as a tool for my education.
There have been days where most of my time is spent on Youtube (2+ hours).
In those moments, I need to be responsible to monitor and regulate the amount of time I spend on those apps.
1:44PM - I got distracted again
While looking at my screen time stats I got a message from a friend to do a favor. I stood up and was about to leave my room to do it. Right before opening the door, I turned around and came back.
That was a close call.
What would happen if I didn't have my phone on me?
1:45PM - Let's get back to the tips.
4. Set up time limits on apps that distract you most (you can choose to block it fully or have a limit on minutes per day).
5. Turn off notifications for apps that you don't need notifications for.
6. Use do not disturb mode.
7. Turn phone on silent or remove vibrate.
?^ all of the above can work, but here's the best one yet.
8. Put your phone away. Turn it off. Focus on your one task at a time.
1:48PM - Quick edit and formatting
1:55PM - Create a title and banner
1:59PM - Ready to post
2:00PM - Complete!
------------------------------------------
Thank you for subscribing and reading. I truly appreciate your interest and curiosity in self-improvement and learning. It means a lot to me!
I am always open to new ideas, collaboration, feedback (compliments and constructive). You can email me at [email protected].
Want to chat about a career change, passion project, or just connect? You can find a time in my schedule here.