How Much are Distractions Costing You?

Squirrel!

Story of my life. Can you relate?

Between juggling the demands of work, family, relationships, “me time,” and that awesome side hustle you have; it’s easy to see why so many of us spend time in a sympathetic (fight or flight) state.

DING! Shoot, you forgot to turn off your notifications while working on your big project.

Did you know there are more and more studies coming out that show it can take up to 20 MINUTES to refocus after a digital distraction? Yikes!

Not only do distractions derail productivity, but a new study from George Mason University confirms that distractions also affect overall quality of work.

Tips to Curb Distractions:

1. Utilize “focus time” on a daily or weekly basis. Turn off ALL notifications (on your smartwatch too), don’t answer calls, texts, etc for this 2-3 hour block. Focus on your most important, high level tasks that really move the needle.

2. Utilize the “focus” feature on your phone. I had no idea my phone had this! I can set a timer and my phone will hold all notifications and lock itself for a set period of time.

3. Have dedicated “social media” time. This is one of the biggest time vampires--the algorithm is designed to keep you engaged! Unless social media is your job, keep it to dedicated times during the day.

Until next time…

Stay FOCUSED, my friends!

Lindsey