In The Procrastination Equation, Dr. Piers Steel tells us:
“Here is a trick that will give you an extra month of efficiency each year. It’s easy to implement, immediately effective, and doesn’t cost a cent. First, go to your e-mail program. Second, disable all the audio alerts and mailbox pop-ups… That’s it, there is no third step. Banishing e-mail notifications will make you about 10 percent more efficient and over a year that translates into one more month of productivity. The best work happens when you engage deeply on a single task. Every time you stop your flow, you have to once again decide to work and then it takes time to become fully re-engaged. Unfortunately, we are conditioned to answer e-mail instantly, responding to the tell-tale ‘ding’ like Pavlov’s dogs. Unless you have a pressing reason, check your e-mail at your convenience, during natural breaks in your productivity.”
Wow! If you turn off all your notifications, you can be 10% more productive.
My motivation was high, but my ability to turn off notifications was low. I had to do some Googling and watch a few tutorials on YouTube on how to do this.
Remember deep work is increasingly more rare and more valuable than ever. Watch out for those notifications that are disrupting your flow and focus.
