Focus is the new black

I find these days that I'm always trying to do at least 2 things at once. We were encouraged to multitask in the 2000s, and it seemed like the solution to the ever increasing to-do list.

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When I drive to work, I'm making phone calls. When I'm on a teleconference I'm answering e-mails and text messages. When I'm talking to people I'm checking my e-mails. When I'm on a long call I go for a walk to try to get my 10,000 steps each day.

But in recent times I've found that focusing on one task and completing it has increased my productivity noticeably. Simple things like not opening my e-mail inbox until I've completed some key tasks in the morning has improved my productivity. Once I dedicate proper attention to a task I finish it more quickly, and feel more satisfied with my work. I also seem to have more energy at the end of the day, I feel less drained and better able to interact with my family after work. Focus seems to improve my energy levels.

On a societal level I'm concerned that smart phones are destroying our attention span and ability to properly focus. This article claims that

The prime culprit in hijacking attention spans is the smartphone. Americans, on average, touch their phones an astounding 2,617 times a day, according to market researcher Dscout. Checking phones has become so prevalent that more than 40 percent of consumers said they look at the devices within five minutes of waking up, according to a 2016 survey by Deloitte. Fifty percent said they check them in the middle of the night.

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Other articles suggest that addictive behaviours are demonstrated with smart phone use, and people can go through periods of withdrawal when not using them for a period of time. Certainly notifications are distracting, and I've noticed groups of people will reach for their phones mid-conversation, or cross roads without looking up from the phone screen to see if it's safe to do so.

Smart phones are here to stay, but maybe we can get smarter with the way we use them. I've found keeping the phone away from me at night helps my focus, and allowing a certain amount of time helps - say 15 minutes to check all the notifications and social media, and then take a rest from it.

I know that the ability to focus will become even more important, and a skill that we will need to teach our children. The ability to switch off, complete some tasks and ignore the distractions will become more and more valuable.