From the course: Time Management Tips

Manage digital interruptions

From the course: Time Management Tips

Start my 1-month free trial

Manage digital interruptions

- Many people wonder if technology has actually made us less productive, if all these interruptions are causing us to get less done. I like to say that technology is not the problem, rather our improper use of technology. We get so many interruptions via the computer and the smartphone in a way that constantly is causing us to switchtask, and every switch we make is reducing our productivity. We want to be able to focus on our most valuable activities. In this way, we need to use technology, rather than be used by it. I'm going to give you a few tips. Keep in mind that with these tips, they apply to any kind of digital interruption, whether that's sound or a visual pop-up or your phone vibrating. First is email. Email can help you be more productive. However, many people are constantly in a state of checking their email. Either they are always hitting send and receive on their email, or the email is always popping up and notifying them when email's coming in. The first important step to take is to go into the settings of your email app and turn off those notifications. That small step will dramatically increase your productivity. So when do we check this email? Instead, use the calendar. Have a scheduled time when you're going to check email each day. Some people worry when I say that and say, "I'm not going to be able to keep up on everything." Even if you checked your email every hour on the hour, and eight times per day, that's still far more productive than constantly checking your email or being interrupted by it. Number two, what about text messages or instant messaging? Now for some people, this is a necessary part of their work environment. If that's the case, I still recommend that you follow the same rules as email. Turn off the notifications and have a set time to check it. But, if this instant messaging program or text program is necessary for emergencies, then I recommend that you establish a policy within your team that text and instant messaging is reserved only for emergencies. That way you know that when the pop-ups come in, you have to check it immediately, but that's going to be a rare occasion. Third, what about social media? Now all of these tools can be powerful in building relationships and building our career, yet often, we get too many push notifications. A push notification is another word of saying it's pushing itself in front of you. It's reminding you that it's there. Those notifications can be valuable, but you can do something to control how often you want to receive those. For instance, let's say I went to a conference where I made lots of great contacts, met dozens of people, but now I'm getting too many notifications that they're accepting my LinkedIn invitation. This is a situation where I might want to manage my settings. For instance, you could go into the settings of LinkedIn, choose "Privacy," go to "Communications," and you'll see a place where you can establish the frequency of emails or the frequency of push notifications. In this way, you can take control of how often you want to see these notices. And finally, what about apps on our smartphones? Now apps are wonderful tools. They help us get a lot done, except for when they send us too many notifications, when they pop up on the screen or make a noise on our phone that distracts us from our most valuable activities. You can take control of these notifications. For instance, on an iPhone, if you go into "Settings," you'll see a space for "Notifications." In "Notifications," find the app that's interrupting you too much, and turn off the notifications. In this way, you can check the apps rather than the apps checking you. By taking control of these digital interruptions, you'll be able to be more focused, and you'll be able to find more time.

Contents