Why you should be productive with your phone
Despite the fact that technology has enabled connectivity and the development of mobile phones, some people believe that these innovations have only served to shorten peoples’ attention spans and increase their tendency to get distracted.
Your thoughts may immediately turn to popular social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, and others when you hear the word distraction. In any case, using a phone and the stuff on it may be a major distraction, especially whether you’re attempting to complete work at the office or at home.
Have you ever started working on a school project or intended to look up information and realized the time had passed while you were merely browsing the internet or binge-watching YouTube videos? Yes, for many people, this is the case.
Africa has more mobile subscribers than either the United States or Europe, with 650 million, according to a World Bank and African Development Bank survey. The international banks also noted that in certain African nations, more individuals have access to a mobile phone than to power, potable water, or a bank account.
Now that it has been discovered that most individuals have cellphones, it is clear that a growing number of people are succumbing to distraction. It’s crucial to remember that despite the fact that these gadgets might distract you, they can also keep you busy and help you achieve success every day. You could wonder, how? Let me illustrate.
Optimize your notification and home screens
It is advised to begin with the first page you contact before scrolling to other areas of your phone if you want to ensure everyday productivity.
“It helps to think of your home screen as a toolbox. If you were preparing to perform a home repair job, you’d want to be able to find the tools you use the most with a minimal amount of thought and effort. If your toolbox is a disorganised mess, you will waste valuable time digging around every time you opened it.
“Your home screen is no different. And unlike iOS, Android doesn’t limit you to a static grid of square icons. You can lay things out in any way that works best for you, employing a mix of app shortcuts, widgets, and — critically — blank space, “Computer World says in a post.
Another crucial aspect to think about is making sure that alerts are properly managed. Have you ever made the decision to limit your screen time, only to be distracted by an online chat by a beeping sound from Twitter or WhatsApp? Before you know it, you have spent two hours browsing and binge-watching.
“Most notifications don’t serve you – they serve the app developer. When you use those apps, they make more profit for developers (for example, it allows ads to be shown that you view or click on). Notifications like “Your friend XY just added a new post…” have no benefit to you, so the best idea is to reduce them,” Reddit notes.
Use memories
Making lists and setting reminders are advised due to the continual interruptions. To implement time blocking, you can ring alarms next to each job.
Try setting reminders on your phone to help you remember activities, suggests Indeed. Think about setting reminders using your voice-activated personal assistant or your calendar app.
“You also can set location-based reminders that send an alert to do a certain task when you’re in a specific location. For example, you can tell your phone to send a reminder to email your client back when you get to your office after setting the address of your office as ‘office.’”
The CEO of Life Hacks, Leon Ho says, “Have a list of tasks you want to complete each day. Then, allocate time to achieve each task.
“If you are an ardent follower of to-dos, create one and cross off each task you complete. Don’t forget to allocate break times. That way, you can be sure of a realistic schedule.”
Computer World noted that most Android devices have impressive memory.
“Google maintains a spectacular cross-platform reminder system that’s integrated directly into your phone, and it can be an invaluable productivity tool — that is if, you remember to use it.
“Anytime you need to remember something, no matter how trivial, tell your phone — by either typing or speaking into any search box or Google Assistant prompt. Whichever path you take, simply use the format: “Remind me to [whatever]” — followed by the time or place at which you want to be reminded.”
the ‘Do not disturb’ setting
Use the ‘Do Not Disturb’ setting, advises Gadget Hacks if phone calls and text messages are a bigger hassle. You may set up DND to block all incoming calls, calls from unknown numbers, and calls from contacts who aren’t in your favorites. The same choices apply to SMS messages as well. Other notifications will be delivered automatically, discreetly, and without vibration or sound.
You can also set up DND to hide the status bar icon, notification badge, and other components of the phone so that you won’t even know an alert has occurred, which is crucial if you use your phone for business.
Control screen time
Heliocentrix advised in a post, “Set time limits to certain apps. Some apps on your phone can become a drain on time, whether it is your favourite game, social media, or work emails. We have long known about the effects of using smart devices on people’s backs and necks and the effect it can cause on people’s sleep.
“For the last few years, many smartphones have had the option to set limits on the worst offending apps. You can often set this per category or per app and if you want you can still override it.”
In conclusion, maintaining concentration and guaranteeing productivity might be challenging, but if you persevere, setting priorities and daily or weekly goals can help. Distractions can be minimized. It’s also crucial to check your app settings and modify them so that you only get necessary alerts.
Create limits for phone usage by designating specific times for work, study, or other critical tasks. To reduce distractions during these times, think about turning on settings like “Do Not Disturb” or “Airplane” mode.
