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14/11/2015

ApsychologistshareshisnumberonetipforstayingfocusedatworkTheEconomicTimes

Apsychologistshareshisnumberonetipforstayingfocusedat
work
BusinessInsider | 12Nov,2015,06.25PMIST

Doyouhavetroublestayingfocused?
Iftasksthatshouldtake30minutestakeyouanhourtocomplete,orifyouconstantlyfindyourselflookingatyour
phoneorcheckingyourFacebookthroughouttheday,theanswerisprobablyyes.
Larry Rosen, Ph.D., research psychologist, and author of "iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession With
TechnologyandOvercomingitsHoldonUs,saysthatwerarely"focusandattend"anytaskformorethan3to5
minutesbeforegettingdistractedprimarilybyemails,texts,andsocialmedia.
"Thebottomlineisweareallconstantlyselfdistractingwhetheryou'reinschool,atyourjob,orjustathome,"Rosensays.
Tocombatthesebadhabits,Rosensayswehavetoretrainourbrainstorespondbasedonasetscheduleratherthanspontaneouscues,i.e.analert
ornotification.
Rosen suggests starting small. For instance, you can set your alarm or a timer for one minute during which you can check any communication
network.Oncethose60secondsareup,setitfor15minutesthemaximumattentionspanthesedaysduringwhichyoumustworkwithoutchecking
youremail,texts,oranysocialmediaplatforms.Thenrepeat.
Thekeytothismethodisturningyourphonefacedownandonsilent,aswellasclosingoutofallyourdistractingwindowsonyourdesktop,ratherthan
justminimizingthem."Ifyouseeorhearthenotifications,it'sgoingtostimulateyoutomoveandswitchyourfocusandyourattentionthereregardless
ofwhetheryouwanttoornot,"Rosensays.
Onceyouarecomfortablewith15minutesofdistractionfreeworktime,whichRosenhasseentakeanywherefromafewdaystoacoupleofweeks,
bumpitupto20,25,andthen30minutes."Onceyou'reat30minutes,thatworks,"Rosensays.
RosensaysweneedtostoprespondinginstantlytoeverycuelikePavlov'sdogs.
To hold yourself accountable and avoid straining any personal or professional relationships, you will want to make a public announcement to alert
everybodywhoisusedtoyourespondingrightaway,thatyoumaynotbeabletogetbacktothemforuptoahalfhour,Rosensays.
Hesuggeststhefollowingmessage:"IrealizeI'vegottenintothesebadhabitsofactingabitlikePavlov'sdogsandresponduponcue,andI'mnow
goingtorespondonaschedule.I'mworkingmyselfupto30minutessoitmaytakemeuptohalfanhourtogetbacktoyou.PleaseknowthatI'mnot
ignoringyou,butI'mtryingtofocusandattendsoIcandojusticetomywork."
Rosensayshe'sseencompaniesimplementthismethodonagroupwidesettingduringfirmwidemeetingswhereeveryonecheckstheirphoneonce
every15minutestopreventthedistractinganxietythatresearchshowspeoplefeelwhentheycan'tchecktheircommunicationnetworks.
Thisinternaldrivetocheckyournetworksbecauseyou'reanxiousthatyou'remissingoutonsomethingimportantisjustasdistractingasvisualor
auditorycues,Rosensaysandthetricktocarvingout15to30minutes,whereyou'reabletoconcentratedeeplyononetask,istonotleteitherof
themcontrolyourrespondingmethodology.
"Ifitsdrivingyou,thenyouneedtobecomethedriveragain,"Rosenconcludes.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/apsychologistshareshisnumberonetipforstayingfocusedatwork/articleshow/49757631.cms?

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14/11/2015

ApsychologistshareshisnumberonetipforstayingfocusedatworkTheEconomicTimes

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