Recently I have found myself struggling to focus, and my phone is my worst enemy as a quick distraction. As an example when reading an article and taking notes, I found myself randomly reaching for my phone, giving it a quick check and then getting back to the article. At the start I didn't see this as a problem until I realised it was taking me way longer to read an article than it should. When I looked back at my screen time I realised I was doing this throughout the day too, random moments where I look at my phone, checking things like LinkedIn, or Google news feed. You may be thinking "there is nothing wrong with that", but the problem is it's similar to context switching, which evidence shows has a huge impact on productivity.
Time wasting calculation
Let's look at it using some quick maths:
Variables
- T: Total time allocated for focused work (in hours)
- D: Duration of each distraction (in hours)
- R: Recovery time needed to regain full focus after each distraction (in hours)
- n: Number of distractions
Equation
Tlost = n(D+R)
Example
- T=8 hours (a typical workday)
- 𝐷=0.1 hours (6 minutes per distraction)
- 𝑅=0.2 hours (12 minutes to regain full focus)
- 𝑛=5 distractions
Now, we plug these values into the equation to calculate the total time lost: 𝑇lost=5(0.1+0.2) 𝑇lost=5×0.3 Tlost=1.5 hours
Summary of calculation
So in a typical work day if you get distracted 5 times (each lasting 6 minutes of just messing around on your phone) and on average it takes 12 minutes to get back in the flow, you end up losing around 1.5 hours.
Now I don't generally like using time to show the impact of work (because in my opinion it's the outcome of what you do that matters, not how long you spend on it) but for this, I think it's a great metric to show how a few distractions can greatly impact the amount of focus time you give yourself.
Be intentional with phone use
I'm not saying just ignore your phone completely, that would be madness, but the important thing is to be intentional about it. Reach for your phone because you want to, not because it becomes a reflexive action.
How to improve focus
There are multiple ways to improve on breaking this habit. You could go full willpower, put your phone in another room, turn it off, put it in a timer-locked box...however, for me I used "focus mode" and specifically one for the task I wanted to focus on.
I have an Android phone and use the built in focus mode, the way I have this setup is purely dependent on the "project" I am focused on (for example work, personal, ThinkAsync). The main features are that it allows me to be fully focused and almost remind myself if I find myself picking up my phone without realising it.
Example of how I set this up
When I was writing notes on an article I turned on my ThinkAsync focus mode, it turns off all my notifications, stops me accessing all my applications and changes my theme and wallpaper to bright pink. The timer for it is 25 minutes (following the Pomodoro technique).
Once I am done with my task, or I think 25 minutes is up I'm then "free" to take a break, check my phone, do something else.
When I first started doing this I found myself still reaching for my phone, but the theme change instantly reminded me what I was supposed to be doing. After a few days of I found that not only was I not reaching for my phone as often, but on reflection I was getting a lot more of those "deep work" activities done faster.
Now I still use the ceremony of turning on the focus mode, but I find that I have formed the habit that I no longer really need it, and I often go way over 25 minutes as I am completely enveloped in my work.
Other devices' focus mode
I am aware other devices have similar features so if you don't have a Samsung Android device then don't feel lost, you should still be able to achieve the same outcome. The main thing is that it does the following:
- Turns off all notifications
- Stops access to all applications (except emergency ones)
- Timer for how long focus mode is on
- A manual or automated way to switch focus mode on
- Changes the theme on your phone (not mandatory but helpful)
I haven't tested but for iPhone they have this focus mode which looks like it gives you everything you need.
Summary
By using the focus feature on my phone I have been able to get out of the "phone checking" habit, and replace it with one that means I am more productive and getting more of what I want done.
I am not saying your phone is evil and must be ignored, but don't use it as a distraction. As I mentioned earlier the usage should be intentional not a reflexive action.
Take away
Try turning on focus mode on your phone and see if it makes a difference for those times where you really need to just focus on an activity.