So we’re at work and we’ve got our computer, phone or tablet. And it’s loaded with ‘productivity tools’ that we’re promised will help us get more done.
But instead, we can find ourselves being bleeped and notified of all kinds of things. These take us off our to-do list and into something less important. The bleeps and screen alerts start setting our priorities for us.
So should we be Luddites and switch off all the tech? I don’t think so. Used effectively, it really can help us with our productivity. There are some simple things we can do that help us get back in control and regain focus. Half an hour or so invested in doing these things will pay back amply in terms of the time and focus regained.
I was interested to read that push notifications are actually quite a recent thing. They were introduced by Apple in 2009 for phones, later rolled out to laptop and desktop computers. We’re told that they are there for our benefit. However they have become an important tool for marketers wanting to keep their app, product, service or message in the front of our minds. Focus is a key skill for the purpose-driven leader. So I reckon it should be the leader’s decision what’s in the front of their mind – don’t you?
Most platforms and apps come with a default setting that gives us loads more notifications than are helpful to our focus. You can take back control with a bit of fiddling with settings.
- First, take a look at the ‘notifications’ section of your computer or phone’s settings. Ruthlessly switch off any that aren’t vital to you.
- Likewise, your email client may default to notify you every time a new email comes in, often noisily. This can seriously disrupt concentration. So energies are driven by what’s new in, not what’s most important. Have a rummage in the settings and switch these notifications off. Manage your email, don’t let it manage you.
- Of course, you won’t want to get isolated. You don’t want to miss important team messages, ignore emails from key stakeholders or overlook the fact that your organisation is trending on social media. Instead, get yourself into a routine of checking emails and notifications periodically. Depending on your role, this might be hourly, daily or once you have completed a task.
- You can also exploit the facility to automatically move certain emails to folders. Depending on what email client you’re using, this might be called ‘rules’ or ‘filters’. If a lot of your daily inbox is made up of circulars or newsletters that aren’t time-critical, set up a folder for each of these. Have new issues automatically filed. Then you can choose when to go and have a read.
I’ve done all these things and it’s really helped me to keep focused. Give it a go.
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