Productivity is at the forefront of 2022.

And so are the ups and downs of social media.

The big question-can social media and a productive workday coincide? Some say the social media craze is the primary culprit in the loss of productivity. Social media is invading every fabric of family, business, and personal life.

Is social media a massive distraction to the everyday employee? Most say yes. Does social media steal your focus?  Answer honestly, please.

Others say the culprit of being unproductive is our focus. It is true that focus is necessary to produce quality work. Focus requires effort and discipline.

Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. (Proverbs 4:25, NKJV)

In-depth work requires the elimination of external distractions, and research shows that increased interruptions only worsen our work performance.

Yet, the issue is no longer a loss of focus, but a loss of quality work. Distraction is a daily norm. We have developed the habit of distraction, and we get distracted when it doesn’t show up. Distraction is an unconscious habit for many, and most distractions are the result of owning a smartphone. Do you know it is not the phones’ fault?

Our distractions come from the internet via our smartphones.

• More people own a smartphone than a toothbrush.
• Facebook is the largest country on the earth
• Grandparents are the fastest-growing users on Twitter.

Most Top-Level Leaders and CEOs are aware of the good and bad of social media. The smartest leaders mitigate their use of social media.

 

Jordan Rayner says, “you will never maximize your best work allowing the urgent to overtake the necessary. Concentration, focus & depth our secrets to being wildly productive.”

 

Do you remember the last time you made the mistake of responding to a notification on your phone? The mistake begins by touching your phone for the 27th time in the last 43 minutes, and that touch leads you to Instagram. You look up and realize you have been scrolling Instagram for 20 minutes and to make matters worse your concentration is gone.

You set the phone down and try and regroup. Now, you have five articles and 13 images ingrained in your mind. You try again to focus—finally, the re-focus surfaces. The original distraction began over 40 minutes ago.

In a study by the State of the Local Workplace, Gallup reported that “in the workplace, 85% of employees say losing productivity due to the distraction of social media. 

How many employers love paying employees for 40 minutes of no productivity? Not many. But this scenario is not unusual, and the fact is, it’s standard. The main distractions are text messages, unimportant emails, and social media notifications. These three do not sound like distractions, but they are real enemies of production. Why?

Its simple distractions limit your best work. Your most important work requires a distraction-free zone, and it’s impossible to perform your best work by allowing constant interruptions.

Remember, a text message is a person interrupting your life and workflow.

All text messages are not created equal, and some text messages are vital, but most are not.

You are also not required to respond to text messages within a specific time frame. So, dump the expectations from people who send an unimportant or straightforward text. Research shows that increased interruptions only worsen your performance.

The issue is no longer a mere loss of focus but the loss of quality work. It is proven, quality work requires the elimination of external distractions. I will be writing in this area and on this topic for the next few weeks.

First, use the do not disturb feature on your cell phone.

One of my most significant discoveries was setting my phone to not disturb while driving and from 7:30 pm to 8:00 am every day.

Second, when you need to focus, turn off notifications on your phone and set up website blockers to limit interruptions from the internet.

Research shows that smartphone users average 76 internet sessions per day. Astounding.

Third, Jordan Rayner says, “work in blocks of time.”

Research shows that working in small chunks of time, with rest periods in between, will help your focus.” Jordan works in 90-minute time blocks.

Fourth, do not overlook the necessity for rest.

Rest and breaks during work hours include walking, calling a friend, eating away from your desk, doing a crossword puzzle, or connecting to a coworker.

Rest also includes your sleep strategy. Jordan Rayner sleeps eight hours nightly and takes at least three breaks every day, and he also practices a sabbath rest every Sunday.

Even God rested.

And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (Genesis 2:2-3, NKJV)

In 2007, at the age of 50, I added the discipline of sleeping at least 8 hours per night. It is a game-changer for the quality of my work and productivity.

Most leaders do not buy into the need for breaks and rest. I get it, and the grinders will keep grinding.  With a few production tweaks, you can shift from nominal to phenomenal work.

Let’s pay attention to the distractions. And look at your productivity level and the quality of your work? We can do better.

The big question since 2020 is when will it get back to normal? A post-pandemic normal of fewer distractions would be a great place to start.

And we can drop the angsts of low productivity.

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I would love to hear from you and about your struggles with social media.

Leave a comment, please.