💥Atomic Essays

Short-form lightly edited, lightly structured essays, written in 30 minutes.
Published on:
February 11, 2024

Minimizing Phone Distractions

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If you want to get things done, minimizing and eliminating distractions from your phone is the first brick on the road to a focused, distraction-free life.
Managers, founders, entrepreneurs, parents, and students wear many hats as a society. Many folks believe they are extremely busy, and there never seems to be enough time in the day. However, perhaps there is, but it's being stolen right under our noses.

Attention Seekers Are Time Stealers

Our phones are consistently begging for our attention. They thrive on our interactions and reactions. We struggle with our time because we fail to realize:
- Social applications draw us in with, videos, and music
- Social media and smartphone addiction
- We as a society have developed habits to respond to the sound of phone notifications immediately

Minimizing distraction from your phone and increasing productivity is possible; here are three steps to get started:

📋Categorize and Make A-List

Our phones have proved to be one of the most attention-seeking devices in our homes. We may run quickly down all of the latest, fun, and trending applications. But are they all necessary?

Like a pro's and cons list, make three columns with the titles/category Work, Personal, Fun. Write down all the applications on your phone according to their category.

For each category, write a checkmark for the applications you need. An example of what you need:

Work
Slack - if you work in a position that requires immediate responses 
Zoom - if your work requires many client calls

Personal
WhatsApp - for the family to contact you

Fun
Facebook - is the only application your family uses to keep in touch
Define apps you need by determining its impact factor if I delete this app for more than a month
- Will it affect my work
- Will I lose the chance on an important business deal
- Will I be unreachable in the event of an emergency 

💥Nuke The Distractions

Application has an X next to it; keep it on your phone and delete every other app that doesn't have a next to it. If an app doesn't have an X, there won't be a negative impact or consequences for the application not being on your phone.

It's so easy to tell yourself that you will be disciplined and turn off notifications, or he is at blocking methods. But the truth is it's quite easy to go around notifications and blocked applications. By completely deleting the application, you are creating friction. You are less likely to keep downloading fun, distracting applications and sign in multiple times.

Time Blocking Focus Time

It's important to be balanced and break up your time. Time block your focus time by choosing times throughout the day or in one short session per day that you are cut off from socials. 

The best action you can take is to turn off your phone and leave it in another physical room if possible. If you choose to keep fun applications on your phone, the next option would be to use "do not disturb mode" or "focus time" to block notifications and prevent you from opening attention-seeking applications.

After consistently, you will see that you are beginning to break the habit of constantly picking up your phone - only checking occasionally and indulging in fun apps less frequently, you will eventually see that without distracting applications begging for your attention - there is enough time in the day!

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