Multi tasking is the bane of our existence.
Even if our job is solely focused on single tasking, we’re all suckered into the wonderfully tempting world of immediate gratification through notifications.
A recent study conducted at the University of London shows that we lose as many as 10 IQ points whenever we’re distracted by notifications like incoming texts, email and social media.
The sad reality?
Even if you don’t cave in to these distractions. you still lose the IQ points.
While 10 might not seem like a lot, turns out it’s the equivalent of not having slept the night before, and twice as much as you would lose from smoking some pot
While you can’t necessarily control all the distractions coming in you can definitely lessen them
Here’s how :
1. Put your phone on airplane mode
It can be difficult to disregard our phones, when we rely on it for work.
Whether it be promoting the latest new product on Instagram for our brand, or creating a Snapchat takeover for a campaign, our phones are glued to us 24/7
Yet what happens after all has been said and done?
We STILL constantly check each and every notification.
Here’s the thing : you don't need to, but you choose to because let's face it :
it's the hit of dopamine you receive from every new notification that keeps you coming back for more
Once you finish your work, leaving your phone on airplane mode will eliminate all the unnecessary distractions
If entrepreneur, author and CEO Tim Ferriss can keep his phone on airplane mode for more than 80 percent of the day, so can you.
2. Or on "Gray Mode".
While air plane mode might seem too daunting for some , gray mode might do the trick of curbing your addiction to social media
Bright colors are used to grab our attention, while gray will deter you from checking.
I’ve personally tried this and it does a world of wonders when it comes to minimizing our need to check visually stimulating apps like Instagram.
To prevent yourself from spiraling back into the addiction, try it using one app at a time!
3. Cluster Similar Tasks Together
There's no need to keep your gmail open the entire day.
By clustering similar "admin" together like emails, phone calls, meetings, you're staying on task and preventing yourself from the negative effects of task switching such as high quality work
Secondly, you're not wasting any time constantly refreshing or checking in every time there's a notification
4. Have a clear distinction between important and urgent tasks
We're told to prioritize based on "urgent" matters first like sending an email or responding to a phone call. As a result we subconsciously think they're important.
In reality these tasks are interruptions from other people and often involve helping them meet their own goals and fulfill their own priorities.
Urgent tasks = reactive mode
While important tasks according to the Eisenhower principle creates outcomes that lead us to achieving our long term goals.
At the end of the day if your energy is drained, chances are you're focusing too much on reactive urgent tasks and focus instead on important tasks that'll make a positive difference in the long run !