Your Time Is Ticking So Get Rid Of The Digital Distractions

A split second is all it takes to kill productivity. How often are you totally absorbed in a project, completely in the zone, when your phone rings, you receive a text message or someone messages you on Facebook? You take an instant second to quickly glance at this momentary disruption and more often than not curiosity surrenders as you take time out to engage in this distraction. All that productive effort has come to a screeching halt and attempting to get back in the zone takes time.

Digital Distractions Are Killing Your Productivity

When you are totally mesmerised in your work, Vishen Lakhiani refers to it as being in a state of flow, Anthony Robbins describes it as being in the zone. You are completely lost in your work, you lose track of time and you skip lunch, your productive state is accelerating as tasks are completed. Temptation descends and the digital distractions takes precedence as your productive focus is obliterated and redirected. Attempting to regain this focus takes time. I too have caved in to the digital distractions, as an email message alert pops up and curious to know the progress of a particular issue, I stop what I am doing to read the email message. Now that I have read it, I have to respond. Clearly unless the email is urgent, the response could have waited. You have the power to control your working space and limit the number of digital distractions invading your time. Have you noticed the number of social media platforms that have alerts to notify you when someone has sent you a message, when a friend has tagged you, the list is endless? People have become addicted to such alerts that even when having dinner, one is constantly checking their mobile devices. The good news is that the digital distractions can be controlled and can be done very quickly:
Text Messages – When working keep your phone on silent and set your text message alert to vibrate. I often keep my phone face down so that alerts do not get in the way of my productivity.

Email – Unsubscribe to any unwanted email lists.

Instant Messages – You can select to have the messages switched off by default rather than them uploading when you start your computer.

Audible Notifications – The expression silence is golden matters when you are in the zone so remove all audible notifications.

Live Updates – Distracting scrolling live updates can be annoying and a productivity killer, switch them off.

Simply removing the digital distractions will improve your productivity and allow you to concentrate more efficiently on the tasks at hand.