Multitasking results in cognitive overload which later leads to making reckless decisions - and overall chaos. Switching between tasks or projects has proven to be counterproductive and attention-harming many times. Think about all this next time you grab your phone during work - digital distractions impair your ability to remain focused and ruin your productivity as a result. Newport further explains that being bored can lead us to do something productive and that we shouldn’t use boredom as another excuse for social networking. He owes his success to deep work and completely disconnecting from digital distractions. Newport claims that he didn’t own a smartphone until 2012 (when his son was about to be born) and that he never uses the Internet as a resource for getting information but gets his print media home-delivered instead.Īs a result, he managed to publish four books, earn a Ph.D., and get a job as a professor at Georgetown University within the ten-year period. If you are not familiar with the term cyberloafing – it means using the Internet for personal use (surfing the Web, using social media, etc.) during office hours.Ĭal Newport, a computer science professor and the author of “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World”, says that digital distractions are one of the main focus-killing devices that divert our attention from deep work. You can’t block digital distractionsĬyberloafing is one of the main causes of attention deficit. So, next time you end up wearing two different socks, or even worse, making a fatal mistake in your business proposal that can kill a deal – maybe it’s time to get a good night’s sleep. What’s worse, the inability to focus can sneak up on you when you least expect it. Together with other effects such as mood swings, mental fatigue, and poor balance, sleep deprivation also leads to decreased cognitive accuracy and lapses in attention. By sleep deprivation, we mean consecutive days of poor sleep quality or no sleep at all. One of the main culprits for being unable to focus is sleep deprivation. He had the go-to outfit that he wore all the time to center his decision-making energy on significant things - instead of trivial.
That’s why Steve Jobs wore the same outfit each day – black turtleneck, jeans, and New Balance sneakers. You shouldn’t think about what to eat or what to wear and try out numerous outfits (sorry ladies) for hours. He says morning routines should be simple and planned ahead so as to “conserve your decision-making”.
Tim Ferriss, an American author and lifestyle guru, emphasizes the importance of “scripted” morning routines in his “Morning Routines and Strategies” podcast. Thinking about trivial things before you even start your day will burn your brainpower and energy - brain power and energy that you later need for more important decision makings. “That light blue sweater doesn’t go well with these black pants. “Shall I eat eggs with bacon or ham for breakfast?” However, external distractions are not the only reasons why you fall behind on work.Īpart from external distractions that get in the way of finishing work successfully, you have trouble focusing at work because: You waste time on trivial things Colleagues mumbling on a conference call, doors shutting, constant fidgeting, or a neighbor breaking the ceiling to convert his apartment into a duplex (perks of living on the top floor), kids running through the house - you name it. Whether you work from the comfort of your home or in an actual office – distractions are everywhere. Why is it difficult to stay focused at work? Why is it difficult to stay focused at work?.
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