Ever find yourself reaching for your phone only to lose hours scrolling through social media or checking notifications? You’re not alone! Our phones have become powerful tools for connection and convenience, but they also have the sneaky ability to drain our focus and derail our productivity.
The way we interact with our devices can either fuel our success or sabotage our goals. Several publications explain how this affects our ability to get work done.
Smartphones are often seen as a tool for productivity, as they demand attention and remind us of our priorities. However, Psychology Today mentions that research by Éilish Duke suggests that smartphones can actually decrease productivity at work and home.
The publication explains that smartphone addiction and daily interruptions can disrupt the flow of concentration, which is essential for achieving optimal productivity. Studies show that even brief interruptions can lead to increased errors when performing cognitive tasks, the above source adds.
“Smartphones, beeping and buzzing with their alerts and notifications that incoming messages have arrived, interrupt flow, and can decrease productivity. Smartphones also prompt users to check them frequently, further impacting the ability to engage in consistently productive work.”
Smartphone overuse is causing social disconnection and a decline in social skills with people becoming smartphone zombies on public streets, constantly checking notifications and messaging, states Mobiversal. “It’s getting harder to see people talking to each other in public places, they’re always too busy with their mobile devices, checking notifications, sending messages or just sharing a new video. Our social skills seem to diminish constantly due to the overuse of smartphones turning us into ‘smartphone zombies’.”
The publication further claims that technology has improved over the last decade, making mobile devices smaller, more powerful, and more useful but with people overusing the device, it affects road safety and social interactions, as people become more focused on their devices than on the real world.
Think With Google has contrasting views about the impact of cellphones on a person’s productivity, especially at work stating that mobile technology is transforming people’s lives in various ways, empowering them in their micro-moments. It is said to provide quick results, inspiration, and personalised experiences.
Also see: Habits that destroy your brain
