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Being productive is often presented as a lifestyle — wake up early, learn to time block, practice a healthy lifestyle, use the right tools — you name it. The promise is that if you take full control over your time and work environment, you will perform at your best.
While there's certainly some truth to that, there's one little thing that we all take for granted that can undermine the majority of your productivity gains — notifications.
These days, as an entrepreneur or manager, your attention is constantly being pulled every which way. Urgent requests, project updates, general communication, team member questions, sales pitches, impromptu meetings… and that's just work. There's also life — social media, personal messages and calls, news, package deliveries.
Each interruption comes with a notification — a ping, a pop-up, a vibration, a call — all designed to grab your attention immediately. This releases dopamine, making you feel good, and a dollop of cortisol, making you feel a sense of urgency.
It's killing your productivity and that of your team, too.
Here's how and what to do about it.
A note on productivity
The holy grail of productivity is reaching a state of flow. In our day-to-day, we typically call it being in the zone or riding a wave, or being locked in. In simple terms, it's that moment when you're working and you're fully focused on the task, effortlessly making headway as time seems to disappear.
When you're in a state of flow, your personal productivity is at its peak.
Most productivity techniques are just different methods intended to assist with reaching this state:
- Pomodoro timers? Give yourself a runway for uninterrupted work
- Time blocking? Get rid of distractions for an extended amount of time
- Eating the frog? Do the big thing first so it doesn't weigh on your mind and distract you the rest of the day
Productivity is principally about maximizing focus and minimizing distractions. And there's science behind it. Studies suggest that, after a distraction, it takes up to 23 minutes to refocus on the task you were engaged in fully.
The reason is twofold.
For one, humans are absolutely terrible at multitasking. It's been proven time and time again that we're at our peak when deep-diving into a single task. While it's certainly possible to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously — we all do it all the time — your attention is a finite resource that drops the more it's divided.
Second, we cannot go from 0 to 100 instantly when it comes to work. Getting into the flow of things requires momentum — to acclimatize and reorient yourself within the context, purpose, workflow and progress of a particular task. Once momentum is lost, it must be rebuilt, and that takes time, energy, and willpower.
Related: Become More Productive With This Easy Hack
Notifications – the productivity vampire
You probably already see where I'm going with this. Notifications are the number one biggest threat to your productivity because they:
- Fracture your focus and derail your train of thought
- Increase stress levels by creating a constant sense of urgency
- Foster a culture of immediate response, leading to shallow work
- Contribute to decision fatigue, depleting your willpower throughout the day
For some, the negative effects can extend beyond that. As mentioned, notifications create a dopamine-driven feedback loop that can be addictive. Each ping or vibration triggers a small dopamine release, making us feel momentarily good and important. This constant stream of small rewards can lead to a compulsive need to check our devices, even when there are no notifications.
Over time, this behavior can rewire our brains, making concentrating on deep, meaningful work harder. We become accustomed to constant stimulation, making it challenging to engage in the type of focused, uninterrupted work that drives real productivity and innovation.
The 5-minute fix
Turn off your notifications and, if possible, let your team do the same. You can do it right now in just a few moments – take your work devices, go into Settings > Notifications, and either turn them off or delay them.
- Too drastic?
- Mute individual apps.
- Are you worried about being unreachable?
- Leave open an emergency contact channel.
- Got some other reason?
Consider implementing a notification schedule. Set specific times during the day to check and respond to messages. This allows you to stay connected without constant interruptions. You can also use "Do Not Disturb" modes on most devices, which can be customized to allow calls from specific contacts or repeated calls in case of emergencies. Remember, it's about finding a balance that works – one that allows for focused work time while still maintaining necessary communication.
Related: I'm a Small Business Owner. How Should I Vote?
It's not just about you
As a leader, you explicitly and implicitly dictate how the people you manage work. If you're "always on," your team will feel the pressure to do the same. There are also strong power dynamics at play — who would dare ignore a message from the CEO, even if it's just for a couple of hours? This creates a culture of interruption that can significantly hinder overall productivity.
If you notice the deleterious effects of notifications, lead by example and release your team from them, too. Establish clear communication guidelines that respect focused work time and encourage your team to block out periods for deep work.
Related: 9 Habit Stacking Routines to Boost Your Productivity
Listen, I'm a CEO and father of two – I fully understand that we live in an age of immediacy, of constant communication, and of incredibly accelerated workflows. Not everyone can switch off for prolonged periods of time, even if it's just an hour or two.
Just keep in mind that notifications can undermine any other productivity efforts on your part – and blocking them is the easiest place to start to improve your output capacity.
