Speaker - January/February 2012

limits on others’ interruptions. C: CONCENTRATE for short rather than long periods; constantly monitor the accuracy and completeness of your work.

U: USE AIDS AND RESOURCES such as alarms and noise-canceling headphones. Hire a productivity coach.

S: SCHEDULE TIME to think, analyze and create. Employ strategies I call the Electronic Lockdown, the No-Fly Zone, and the Stop, Look and Listen Technique.

Here are the five key actions in detail:

FIND. Assess which aspects of your digital world interrupt you and impede your productivity. How much time/money does it actually cost you when you procrastinate or get lost on the Internet? How much stress does this trigger? How much more profitable would you be if you spent more time on creative and analytical thinking? Perhaps you’d gain the mental energy to develop that new book or webinar?

OVERCOME. You can increase your
creativity in three ways. First, estab-
lish a distraction-free work setting
and protect your workspace from
extraneous sights and sounds. For
example, move your desk from a
window to face a wall. Second,
establish rules and routines to
follow. No email or Internet before
you do necessary tasks; limit check-
ing emails and/or social media to
three times a day. Third, impose
limits on interruptions from others.
Tell friends and family you don’t
want them to “touch base” during
business hours. Give them times
you’re available and lavishly praise
those who respect the limits you set.
CONCENTRATE. A smart, competent,
motivated person can accomplish
a great deal in a short time—with
deep concentration on the task at
hand. This is especially true when
you already know what you need to
do and know how to do it. If you’ve
lined up boring, tedious tasks to
accomplish, you might be tempted
to turn to digital distractions that
are more fun. So set aside a short
(rather than long) period to tackle
the mundane. Say, “I’ll just spend 20
minutes on this today and stop. That’s
as much as I can stand.” Then evalu-
ate the accuracy of completeness of
your work. Surprisingly, most people
get more done in that 20 minutes than
they thought they could.

USE AIDS AND RESOURCES. You can use an alarm to signal the start and end of your computer time. (Even on the weekends, allow yourself only a specific period to deal with email. And stick with it!) If you’re particularly sensitive to noise, consider using earplugs or “white noise” from a fan to help screen out distractions. If you struggle to reduce distractions, hire a coach or other expert to help you change your habits.

SCHEDULE TIME TO THINK,
ANALYZE AND CREATE. Select
strategies to screen out digital distrac-
tions so you can muster the energy
to do important “thinking.” For
example, the Electronic Lockdown
entails declaring a lockdown of your
digital devices: computer, cell phone,
beeper, television, iPod and more.
Even if you impose an electronic
lockdown for only 20 minutes at a
time, you’ll likely get more accom-
plished—and enjoy a greater sense
of satisfaction—than without it. Or
establish a No Fly Zone—a location
or setting where others can’t inter-
rupt your work. Alternatively, you
could post on your closed door a
sign like this: “Please do not disturb.
Genius at work.” Then post a paper
on the door for people to write down
their questions for you.

A Paradoxical Love/Hate Situation

What a paradoxical situation! On one hand, speakers need the technology to conduct business as well as personal affairs. On the other hand, if speakers fail to be disciplined, the technology they depend on subverts our efforts to perform with speed and accuracy. When overused or abused, it disrupts your thinking, wastes time, leads to inaccura-cies—and ultimately fosters stress.

Yes, it takes conscious effort and proven strategies to deal with the Technology Demon. But developing them is well worth your while. When you reduce distractions, you have the mental energy to pay attention to the bottom line.

So rather than letting this demon control your activities, stare it down. You decide which creative, marketing, or business activities to spend your time on. You’ll enjoy fewer distractions and greater productivity—and profitability—in the long run.

Geraldine Markel, PhD, is an educational psychologist and productivity specialist who has erved in the School of Education, University of Michigan. Her recent books are Defeating the 8 Demons of Distraction: Proven Strategies to Increase Productivity and Decrease Stress and Actions against Distractions: Conquer Your Scattered, Disorganized and Forgetful Mind and Reclaim Your Work/Life. Contact Markel at geri@managingyourmind.com or visit http://demonsofdistraction.com/blog.