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Many employees find themselves distracted while working, often turning to articles like this in search of solutions. Fragmented attention is a major productivity barrier for three in four workers. The world feels like it’s built to disrupt your focus. Constant notification pings are only part of the problem. Even something as small as switching browser tabs can be costly. According to Sabrina Banadyga, a productivity expert at Shift, a web browser aimed at boosting productivity, the cognitive blip that hits every time you switch a browser tab can cost a worker up to four hours per week.
This and other distractions are why Banadyga endeavors to help workers overcome their “popcorn brain” problems. The Shift browser and its productivity features are a key part of that work. It’s designed to minimize distractions, enhance focus, and give users more control of their time by integrating apps, managing notifications, and creating seamless workflows. Banadyga advocates for tools and strategies that can help reduce cognitive overload and create more streamlined workflows.
Managing focus in a disruptive world
If you have a workplace calendar or personal planner, it’s helpful to block out strict focus hours. During these periods, go distraction-free. Set your online tools to Do Not Disturb and your phone to Airplane Mode, along with whatever other handy buttons your connectivity or work tools have to silence them. Even more than letting your peers know you’re at the grindstone, you’re permitting yourself to go deep into your work.
This is such an effective method of focus that Shift’s browser comes with the ability to create custom focus hours for different workspaces.
Leveraging tools to simplify collaboration
The industry buzz might be around fully AI-generated work, but you don’t need to go to that extreme to use an AI assistant to summarize research, organize your data, or optimize your schedule. Simple AI tools can surprise you with their workflow optimization if you give them the chance. Employees can experiment with AI tools by integrating them into their routine and assessing how they improve workflow efficiency.
Spending a little time to understand what cloud-based platforms can do for collaboration or what project management software can do for your schedules and communication can save you much more time in the long run.
Creating boundaries between work and rest
Many people understand that they have different mental “modes” between work, rest, and recreation. Setting physical and mental boundaries can help prime you to switch into “work mode” more efficiently, a particular challenge for those who work from home or are always on call. A helpful strategy is to move work devices to a separate space after completing tasks or taking a break.
Rituals for transitioning between work and rest
Paired with separating work and rest, making a routine to switch modes can be even more effective. You might have instinctively developed a routine to begin work — make your coffee, check your email, line up your pens, and highlight work items in your planner — but this can be more effective when combined with an evening routine on the other side. There are many ways to signal a mental detox: journal, light a candle, or listen to music, for instance. Small rituals can mean a lot.
Tools for a distraction-free future
The future of work is distraction-free, and that can begin with simplifying your environment. Tools like Shift can do a lot to help, along with other daily choices you make to protect your time and energy. Implementing these strategies may lead to immediate productivity improvements and a more stress-free workday.
