The Number One Reason You’re Not Getting Everything Done
Victoria Lewis
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Staying focused on the task at hand can be difficult at the best of times but having your phone close by could be the greatest distraction of all.
I pride myself on being able to juggle multiple tasks and still get everything done. Emails answered, meetings attended, projects completed - you name it, I could handle it.
Lately, I've noticed my productivity taking a massive hit and I couldn't figure out why. Until I started watching how often I pick up my phone. It turns out, those little phone breaks are destroying my focus and ability to get work done.
If you're struggling to be as productive as you’d like, I'm willing to bet your phone habit has a lot to do with it. Read on to find out why your phone is the number one reason you're not getting everything done and what you can do about it.
How Your Phone Is Distracting You
As a fellow small business owner, I know how hard it can be to stay focused. There are so many distractions and demands on our attention that it's easy to feel overwhelmed and unproductive. Then your phone is constantly pinging with notifications - emails, messages and social media notifications. Even with the best of intentions to avoid distractions, I find myself mindlessly scrolling through apps and losing precious minutes (hours) of work time. Sound familiar?
According to a recent study by Ofcom, the average British adult checks their mobile phone every 12 minutes. The study also found that people are spending an average of 24 hours each week online, which is double the amount of time spent in 2007.
Why Distraction Kills Your Productivity
Your phone is designed to grab your attention. Every notification, alert, and ringtone is engineered to make you stop what you're doing and check your screen. Even spotting the phone in your peripheral vision diverts your mind from what you’re doing as you anticipate those pings and buzzes.
When you give in to the distraction, it takes a long time to refocus. A study from the University of California found that it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to regain your concentration after switching to another task. Think about how many times a day you check your phone for no reason. All those minutes add up and before you know it, hours of productivity have slipped away.
What's worse is that constant distraction rewires your brain to crave interruption. The more you feed into that craving, the harder it becomes to ignore. You develop a habit loop that's hard to break.
If you want to get more done each day, the first step is simple: remove the distraction. Put your phone on do not disturb when working, or better yet, leave it in another room.
A study in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research from 2017, “Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity.” found that the presence of a smartphone reduced available cognitive capacity and impaired cognitive functioning, even when people were successful at maintaining sustained attention.
The researchers found that participants who had their phones placed on their desks performed significantly worse on a series of cognitive tasks than participants who had their phones in another room.
The True Cost of Constant Interruptions
All these little interruptions really add up over a day. If it takes around 20 minutes to refocus your mind after a distraction and you get ten notifications an hour, that’s over three and a half hours of wasted time in a day where your mind isn’t fully focused. Let’s put that into context, each day you could be wasting the time it takes to fly to Croatia or Morocco. I know which one I'd rather be doing.
The true cost of these constant interruptions is a loss of productivity and income. When I’m distracted and unfocused, I’m not working on the things that matter for my business like creating new products, marketing to new clients, or developing key partnerships. The time spent responding to notifications is time I could have spent generating new leads or serving existing customers. Over the long run, these little distractions can have a huge impact on my bottom line.
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Another drawback of immediately responding to every call and email is that it can create a sense of expectation from clients. By always being available, and instantly addressing their requests, you inadvertently train them to expect an immediate response from you. By not having your phone readily accessible, you can establish some boundaries and reduce the number of notifications you receive, enabling you to engage in more deep work.
How to Take Back Control and Focus
Put Your Phone Away
The first step to regaining your focus is simple: put your phone away. I know, I know, easier said than done but I promise that you'll find you are much more able to focus without the constant pinging of your phone.
Set a Timer
Set a timer for 25-30 minutes and put your phone in another room. Start working on your most important task and try to remain focused. You'll be amazed at how much you can accomplish without distractions. Take a short break when the timer goes off and then set another timer if needed. Using timed work periods helps build your focus over time.
Disable Notifications
Disable notifications on your phone for email, social media and apps. Notifications pop up and instantly grab your attention, distracting you from what you were doing. Turn them off and check your accounts on your schedule. If you are an iPhone user, you could take advantage of their pre-set focus modes to reduce or disable notifications when you are working.
Take Real Breaks
When you do take a break from your work, avoid mindlessly checking your phone. Take a real break - step away from your desk, stretch your legs, get a drink or snack. Real breaks recharge your mind and body, leaving you refreshed and re-focused when you sit back down. I recently wrote about this in my blog post "How Taking Breaks Can Actually Improve Productivity".
I've found I can significantly increase my productivity and focus by using a combination of these techniques. At first, it will feel strange to be disconnected from your phone for periods of time, but stick with it and your ability to focus will strengthen over days and weeks of practice. You'll get more done, in less time and with less distraction.
My Top Tips for Reducing Phone Distraction
To gain back my productivity, I've had to be extremely disciplined with my phone usage during work hours. Some of the steps I've taken include:
Making these changes has helped me be so much more focused and productive. My phone is no longer a distraction but rather a tool I control and use intentionally.
Why your phone habit is destroying your productivity.
Our phones have become constant companions that provide an escape from the mundane and difficult parts of our day. Whilst taking the occasional break is fine, constantly checking your phone is destroying your productivity and focus. Make a change today - turn off notifications, leave your phone in another room and get to work without interruption. You'll be amazed at how much you can achieve when you're not distracted every few minutes. Stay focused, stay productive and get everything done - you've got this! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some emails to send...
Staying focused in today's world isn't easy, but with some discipline, you can overcome distractions and boost your productivity. Conquer your phone habit and you'll be well on your way to getting everything done.