Hey there,
Welcome to the Tuesday Toots!
Does focus improve productivity?
In my online journey to create a business, I’ve been reading a lot online (and offline) and if there’s something common all the people, I mean bloggers and influencers, I follow have to say it’s that doing a few hours of focused work is better than spending hours scrolling and watching stuff online. Worth giving it a thought.
It does make sense. Every time I’ve to take a break I feel the urge to quickly check my social media accounts. I know that it would lead to spending longer than the allotted time for the break. It’s such an addictive habit, one that must be broken. So, I decided to take a few preventive steps and the results were eye-opening. Have a look and see if it works for you too.
“You don’t have to be the victim of your environment. You can also be the architect of it. “
– James Clear – Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way To Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones
- Keep the phone in work mode. This helps to filter out unnecessary notifications.
- Reset the notifications. If you’re using social media for leisure, you don’t need it during work. Put it on mute. The constant pinging breaks your concentration.
- Keep the phone a little away from easy reach. Like maybe in the top drawer of your desk. Or if you have got a table to yourself, then keep it at a distance that you need to stretch to reach for it. Or just put it face down so you can’t see the notifications.
- Allot time blocks for each task (this is for the creators and people working on flexihours). This has worked like a charm for me. It has helped me to focus on just one job at a time during the allotted time block.
- Plan and outline your work for the day. This has been my habit from day one. And being old-school, I still use my organiser. But of late I’ve started using google calendar also. This really helps put things in perspective and makes allotting time blocks easier.
I tried out these methods for a week and saw a marked improvement in both my time management and productivity. It has freed up more time to pursue other activities like going to the gym or creating more reading time. I’ve added time blocks for these also in my daily schedule. Of course, I have allotted two clear time blocks for social media for leisure purposes – a time when I catch up with friends.
Things need to be clearly defined if we must make the best of the time available. And with our phones becoming so integral to our lives, it’s all the more important to know to use it and not become a slave to it. Try it out. If there’s some tried and tested method you know of, don’t forget to share. Would love to learn about it.
Interesting articles I read
Even if one is a cynic, it’s very difficult to miss the signs. Global warming is a dark reality of our times. Just look at how the daily weather is changing, even at the local level. It’s been raining crazy in the regions up north in India while there’s a cyclone brewing in the Arabian Sea. Cyclone Biparjoy has already upset the monsoon schedule. Who ever heard of such things earlier?
And if climate change is not enough, then we’ve plastic, both a boon and a bane of our existence. A recent study has found microplastics in the fresh snow in Antarctica! Wow!! all those images of vast expanses of pristine, untouched snow are more likely to be piles of polluted snow dumps.
Books by my bedside
Finished reading Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis. Enjoyed reading about the protagonist’s passion for reading and books that almost appears unbelievable. Add to it the tragic romance of Hemi and Belle reconfirms that there’s always more than one truth. The same incident seen from two different perspectives can have such diverse interpretations. A nice book to read at leisure (between the non-fiction especially).
Read Show Your Work by Austin Kleon. A simple, quick read which outlines the need for the creators to promote their work, the difference between pompous proclamations and genuine promotions. Well-timed for me personally. Midway through Atomic Habits by James Clear. A relatable book which has outlined and spoken about things which are obvious but still ignored.
Latest Blogs (in case you missed)
Unbelievable SALE going on at the Crazy Wise Owl shop!
Visit the store to avail limited time discounts on the products. Pick the easy to use, colourful, engaging and educational worksheet bundles for your little one.
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