Answer Addiction

Category: productivity

  • Finding Focus and Concentration in an Always-On World

    Finding Focus and Concentration in an Always-On World

    Finding time for tasks that involve focus and concentration is increasingly difficult in our smartphone-dominated world. With our over-connectedness to our digital devices, our FOMO, and the move to more emphasis on working from home, carving out distraction-free blocks of time while we focus on something important feels almost impossible.

    Create ‘blocks’ of time to focus

    And carving out those blocks is exactly what we need to do as the first step towards improving our focus and concentration. The Pomodoro Technique is one way of working which has five simple steps to help you focus on one task at a time and, because you set a strict time limit with a break, it enables you to do that efficiently and without feeling burnout and exhausted at the end.

    The Pomodoro Technique is a great place to start to improve focus and concentration

    5 Steps to the Pomodoro Technique

    1. Select your first task.
    2. Set a timer for 25 minutes.
    3. Work on the task for 25 minutes.
    4. When the timer rings, take a 5-10 minute break to stretch, walk around or get a bit of fresh air.
    5. If you have more tasks, repeat the steps but take a longer 20-30 minute break after completing four tasks.

    The technique is incredibly popular with devoted adherents swearing it’s the secret key to unlocking improved focus and concentration, boosted productivity and creativity. However, the key to making it work lies not just in creating the blocks of time themselves, but in making sure you can completely focus while working through each block.

    Distance Yourself from Notifications While Working

    If you try and implement the technique while still picking up and checking your smartphone, the dedicated focus time you have created for yourself is eroded. Separating yourself from your smartphone while you’re focusing is essential to reap the benefits.

    Studies have shown that the mere presence of our smartphone while we are trying to focus on something cognitively demanding, can reduce our IQ. In other words, just seeing our smartphone can make us more stupid. And that’s because, of course, the anticipation of the dopamine-creating notifications (from social media, messaging apps and other forms of communication) distracts us hopelessly. Even if we think we’re consciously ignoring our phone, our sub-conscious is thinking about the pay-off our brain will get when we pick it up.

    So, put your smartphone in another room (the same studies show that even if it’s hidden from our view, but in the same room, it can still impact our focus and concentration) and carve out some dedicated time to focus on what’s important. Try it for just one 25 minute block of time before you dismiss it as impossible, or impractical, and see how much you get done.

    For more about how you can improve work habits and your focus and productivity as well as tackling bad digital habits that are changing our lives – pick up a copy of our new book: My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open. Available to order here.

    View the original article at itstimetologoff.com

  • “Am I addicted to social media?” Take our NEW QUIZ

    “Am I addicted to social media?” Take our NEW QUIZ

    “Am I addicted to social media?” is one of the most-searched questions on Google. And it’s one of the questions we get asked the most at Time To Log Off too. So, we’ve been spending the last few weeks working on a new interactive quiz which might help you answer the question for yourself, and hopefully put your mind at rest.

    “Am I addicted to social media?”

    There are a few telltale signs to determine if you’re addicted to social media (no, we’re not going to tell you in this post, we really want you to take the quiz!) and we’ve designed our new quiz to check out how closely you match to the classical definition of social media addiction. Addiction to social media is what’s termed a ‘process addiction’ similar to an addiction to gambling, shopping or even exercise. It’s not quite the same as an addiction to a substance (such as alcohol or drugs), but the impact on your life can be very similar.

    In our best-selling digital detox course we explain all about the persuasive tech industry of Silicon Valley and about how so much of what we do in the digital world is designed to ‘hook’ us and spike dopamine (the feel-good chemical) in our brains. Social media addiction is one of the inevitable results. The quiz we’ve designed is intended to be a fun look at whether you’re spending too much time online, but if you’re concerned you should always see a mental health professional to discuss your habits if you think they might be getting out of control.

    The quiz has just nine questions which are deceptively simple but designed to probe into your habits – and importantly, how you feel about your habits.

    Are you addicted to social media?

    Our social media addiction quiz asks (amongst other things):

    1. How many accounts do you have?
    2. How often do other people comment (negatively) on your use?
    3. How often do you check social media?
    4. Have you tried to cut down? How hard did you find it?
    5. Does your social media habit interfere with the rest of your life?

    If you’re not worried about being addicted to social media, we have two other quizzes in the interactive quiz section of our website. Do take a look and if you haven’t already done those, why not give either of them a try?

    “Am I addicted to my smartphone?”

    Our most popular quiz on our website our “Am I Addicted to my Smartphone?” quiz is one way of working out if it’s you, or your smartphone, who is in charge of your daily habits.

    Are you addicted to your smartphone? Or have your habits just got a little bit out of control?

    Our smartphone addiction quiz will ask you:

    1. The last time you checked your phone.
    2. Where your phone is when you sleep.
    3. How often your phone is the first thing you check in the morning.

    And other questions designed to draw a picture of your habits. Give it a go.

    “Do I need a digital detox?”

    When you’ve done either (or both) of the addiction quizzes, it might be worth giving our final quiz a try to ask yourself “do I need a digital detox?“.

    Do you need a digital detox?

    Take all three of our fun interactive quizzes and check-in on your habits

    You could even give all three of our quizzes a go (they take about three minutes each quiz) or even recommend them to friends and family. And if you have any ideas for other quizzes we can develop – please get in touch!

    If you think you might be addicted to social media, your smartphone, or you think you might need to take a break from the digital world – pick up a copy of our new book: My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open. Available to order here.

    To explore the concept of digital wellbeing further and to take a digital detox with us, check out our online course How to do a Digital Detox: The Ultimate Guide to Digital Wellbeing

    View the original article at itstimetologoff.com