A corporate executive of many years, I have worked in organizations large and small and in multiple countries. I believe the future of work will be defined less by technology and more by people centricity; with culture differentiating the best from the rest. I write about this evolving transformation of the workplace from the perspective of leaders building new businesses and professionals who want to maximize their career journey.
You're not multitasking. You're distracted.
Distractions are everywhere. Here's how to escape them.Welcome to another edition of The Company Man. Today it's all about managing distractions to get more out of your day. "The challenge for so many of us is that we are so deep into daily distractions and 'being busy, busy' that we miss out on those moments and opportunities that - if jumped on - would get our careers and personal lives to a whole new level of wow."
Robin Sharma
Life circa 2023 is a life spent being alert but never present. Alert to the buzzing and pinging of devices constantly breaking your train of thought and disrupting conversations. While the technology is truly amazing, if you find yourself reaching for your smartphone every time you have a spare minute perhaps it’s time to admit you have a problem. While I have previously written about the economic impact of distraction (last estimated near $900 billion to the US economy annually) on account of reduced productivity, this article is about the human cost. The cost borne by relationships, reduced privacy, increased stress from information overload and ‘fear of missing out’, and the pure exhaustion from being ‘always on’. ‘If you’re not paying for it then you are the product’. That’s the clichéd principle behind commoditizing user time. More time spent scrolling amounts to more content consumption and higher ad revenues for the platform. This is now an issue so well established that in recent updates both iOS and Android have incorporated tools that enable users to fight excess screen time and foster better relationships with their phones. While the jury’s still out on whether these are gimmicks or out of genuine concern, I have the following suggestions for you to take back your time: 1. Turn off all non-human notifications Breaking news alerts, ‘xyz is interested in an event near you’, ‘abc liked your picture’ are all pointless distractions that serve no purpose other than to lure you back in. Unless there’s an actual human being trying to reach you, you don’t need your phone buzzing. This essentially means that other than calls and direct messages your phone remains quiet. And mute those WhatsApp group chats while you're at it. 2. Hide away the time hogs Certain apps are designed for endless scrolling. The news feed never ends and before you know it you’ve wasted an hour looking at useless memes and vacation pics of some random ex-colleague. Some people take the extreme step of uninstalling apps such as Facebook and perhaps you can try that too. What I am suggesting however is simply hiding away your social media time hogs inside folders and away from the home screen. This way you create a barrier so they are not in plain sight, no longer one tap away and you’re less likely to be subconsciously drawn to them each time you pick up your phone. 3. Fight the urge to do it right away People contact you when it’s convenient for them. You can ignore it if it’s inconvenient for you, provided you get back to them when you can. It might not seem like much replying to a text message when you’re in the middle of a conversation but it is extremely rude. Prioritize those that are physically present - if someone calls you in the middle of dinner it is perfectly okay to let it go to voice mail. If you have a great tip on reducing distractions or increasing focus, I'd love to hear it. You can reply to this email to reach me directly. Thank you for reading and have a great week ahead! Yours curiously |
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Anupam Pandey
A corporate executive of many years, I have worked in organizations large and small and in multiple countries. I believe the future of work will be defined less by technology and more by people centricity; with culture differentiating the best from the rest. I write about this evolving transformation of the workplace from the perspective of leaders building new businesses and professionals who want to maximize their career journey.
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