Why Focus is Your Competitive Advantage at Work (plus ways to actually do it)
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Statistics about multi-tasking
- Trying to focus on more than one thing at a time reduces your productivity by as much as 40%. That’s the cognitive equivalent of pulling an all-nighter.
- The average desk job employee loses 2.1 hours a day to distractions and interruptions. That adds up to over a full day of work every week.
- On average, employees who do the majority of their work on computers are distracted every 10.5 minutes.
- Being distracted by incoming calls or emails can lower employees’ IQ by as much 10 points.
- 44% of those work distractions are self-inflicted and another 23% come from emails.
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When you single-task...
- you tend to work on the right things. Effective single-tasking requires planning. Starting your day without a plan is just asking for distraction and inefficiency.
- you accomplish more in less time with less stress: Intentionally focusing on one task at a time has been proven the most efficient way to move through your to-do list.
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4 essential components of effective single-tasking
- Cutting out distractions.
- Make a single-tasking plan you’ll actually stick to.
- Dealing with unavoidable distractions.
- Getting back on track when you’ve fallen off the single-tasking band wagon.
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Cutting out distractions
- Use apps that block online distractions.
- Turn off notifications and see the difference in your productivity.
- Use two computers: one for the things that are distracting and one for the focused work.
- Only keep one tab open at time.
- Use separate desktop spaces.
- Work offline whenever possible.
- Schedule your email time.
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Making a single-tasking plan
- Keep a to-do list with focused, actionable items.
- Visualize your to-do’s one at a time, by writing them on sticky notes.
- Schedule your daily to-do’s.
- Create unrealistically short deadlines: it forces you to stay focused.
- Keep a timer on your tasks.
- Theme your days.
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Dealing with interruptions
- Procrastinate on purpose: you can limit distractions' impact on your productivity by simply adding them to your to-do list to come back to later.
- Keep a “read later” list for the helpful articles you come across.
- Keep a “bright ideas” repository: keep a running list of thoughts you want to come back to later (using an app or paper).
- Set aside exploratory time. Unfocused, agenda-free thinking time is essential for creativity and professional development.
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Getting back on track
- Take regular breaks throughout the day. Our brains simply did not evolve to focus on one thing for extended periods of time - the longer we work without the breaks, the more prone to distraction we become.
- Forgive yourself when your day doesn’t go as planned. Ruminating on the past one of the least productive things you can do.
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