I clock in 6 hours of focused work every day.
And when I say “focused,” I mean it. It’s zero distractions. 6 hours per day. 5 days per week.
This is the most productive I’ve ever been and it’s the result of one habit: turning my phone off until 17:30.
Going offline for hours at a time is a tremendous way to boost productivity. It’s not only about the work sessions. There’s a whole other part of the day best spent offline: the spaces between periods of focus.
Let’s first consider why we should turn our phones off and actually concentrate when working:
We’re smarter. There’s a limit to how much information we can process simultaneously, which is a useful proxy for how intelligent we are. Smart people can usually process more information than average, and the same thing happens when we focus. All of our attention is dedicated to the task at hand, improving our ability to wrestle with complex ideas. In a study conducted at King’s College London, researchers found that people suffered an IQ loss of 10 points when distracted. This reduced their intelligence level to that of an 8-year-old child.
We get more done. “Asking the brain to shift attention from one activity to another,” says neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, “causes the prefrontal cortex and striatum to burn up oxygenated glucose, the same fuel they need to stay on task.” In other words, switching attention between tasks is more tiring than focusing on one thing continuously. The end result: we get less done if we multitask.
We improve our memory. When distracted, we’re unable to “draw connections with the information already stored in our long-term memory,” writes Nicholas Carr. The more we concentrate, the more we can link what we learn to what we already know. This helps us understand and remember ideas more effectively.
There are also macro factors making focus important. “The ability to perform deep work,” writes Cal Newport, “is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive.” He calls this the Deep Work Hypothesis.
It’s supply and demand. On the supply side, the typical person is a distracted mess. This means disciplining our minds to operate more deeply can make us even more valuable in the labor market.
On the demand side, the need for focus is growing. The world is increasingly competitive, resulting in an intolerance for mediocrity. “To succeed,” says Newport, “you have to produce the absolute best stuff you’re capable of producing–a task that requires depth.” It’s also never been as important to learn quickly, another activity benefitting from depth.
So there are many benefits to going offline during work. But if you want to take things to the next level, consider spending your downtime offline as well.
The mind is spoiled. Left unchecked, it will howl for high-stimulus activities, and we are usually more than willing to oblige. We don’t know what it’s like to be bored, so when we do sit down and try to focus, it’s a Herculean endeavor. Turning our phones off during leisure can help us build much-needed mental discipline.
On top of that, going offline helps us make the most out of breaks. Don’t underestimate their importance–breaks are when our mind wanders, consolidates memories and comes up with creative insights. The more we spend letting our minds run free, the better (assuming that’s not all we do). When browsing the internet, we have fewer cognitive resources dedicated to this. It’s just not a proper break. Worse than that, we’re actively feeding our brains low-value cat videos that compete for processing space with high-value ideas. In an age of information overload, there’s a severe opportunity cost for everything we choose to focus on. Our brain can only digest so much.
But there’s something more important than all of this. More important than helping us do more and learn more.
When I'm in bed at night, I never wish I had spent more time on my phone.
Have you?
Notes:
KCL study: “Visual Intelligence” by Amy E. Herman
Daniel Levitin on burning glucose when multitasking: “The Organized Mind” by Daniel Levitin
Nicholas Carr on the effects of distraction on learning: “The Shallows” by Nicholas Carr
Cal Newport on the importance of focused work: “Deep Work” Cal Newport
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