Edelman, a global public relations firm based in Toronto, has a 7-to-7 rule that discourages employees from sending email messages before 7 a.m. In an interesting New York Times article, Clive Thompson, author of Smarter Than You Think: How Technology in Changing Our Minds for the Better, argued that we need to end the “ tyranny of 24/7 email.” Thompson provides examples of major companies such as Daimler, Volkswagen, and Deutsche Telkom who have adopted policies that place clear limits on after-hours email. As we now know, it can take you up to twenty or thirty minutes to return to your work once you allow an interruption. You may find it difficult to shut email down, but it is essential that you do so to remove the temptation to respond to the “ding” alert of an incoming message.
Open but minimized apps and tabs are more accessible than those that are closed, even if they appear only trivially so, and thus they facilitate switching.īecause of its ubiquity, email has proven to be a special case in aggravating a Distracted Mind. Whenever possible, do not use tabs and when you are done with a website, shut it down it rather than minimizing or keeping it in your browser. If you need to access websites to perform your work, open only one at a time. Minimized icons beckon to you to open them, and that draws your attention, if only momentarily, away from your task. Don’t just minimize them: really shut them down. The next step is to decide which programs or apps you are going to need open to complete the task and close down all others. If you are on an airplane flight, consider using those headphones, and also make a conscious decision as to whether you are going to get Internet access. If you must work in a noisy environment such as a coffee shop, consider wearing noise-canceling headphones. Whenever possible simply find a quiet environment devoid of other people and the presence of interruptions. When that is done, get rid of those distracting books and notes. In addition, put away all nonessential work materials on your desk, leaving only paper materials that you absolutely need to complete a task. Yes, multiple screens are nice for spreading out your work, but they create distractions. This is the most difficult and challenging part of the process. Begin by setting up your work environment to avoid being distracted and interrupted. Here are some suggestions to help you reduce the accessibility. Try TrackTime or RescueTime for your computer and Checky, Moment, Instant, or Menthal will alert you to your daily smartphone use.Ī major problem in completing critical assignments, especially on a computer, is the constant availability of that most sought-after commodity: information.
It is important for you to truly appreciate how much time you are actually spending on different online or smartphone activities. Disrupted work may be completed faster but at the cost of a higher workload, more stress, higher frustration, more time pressure, and increased effort. In the workplace a seemingly brief interruption can lead to nearly half an hour off task.
We’ve seen this impact on students: multitasking while studying predicted a lower GPA, using technology in the classroom led to lower test scores and productivity across all grade levels ranging from elementary school to college, and engaging in interfering technology in the classroom was associated with an increase in high-risk behaviors for college students. Here are some strategies to use when you are faced with a critical assignment and an environment that constantly interrupts your thoughts.īy now, you should appreciate how the limitations of our Distracted Mind impact our performance on critical assignments. Add to that the research showing that a large portion of our interruptions come not from outside alerts but from internal pulls to check in with our virtual world, and it is no wonder why we all struggle to stay focused. We believe that we’ll be able to manage everything at the same time, and maybe even more productively.Ī barrage of interrupting email messages, texts, Snapchats, and notifications of social media posts equally beckon a student studying at home to switch attention from the less interesting work at hand. In the office we often juggle our work assignments between messages from those pink “While You Were Out” slips sitting atop our desk or responding to urgent email requests while trying to craft an important report. Whether working on a critical report at the office or a school assignment due the next day, we are all faced with a constant stream of distractions and interruptions.
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