The balance between staying connected and being able to work free of distractions is often a difficult one to manage. Lifehack.org advocates taking a day a month as a “communications blackout day” – saying it will return some peace and perspective to your life, give you back some time for other work and free up one of your most precious commodities – your mental processing power:
If you’re one of those people that answer e-mails and phone calls as
soon as you get them (no matter what you’re doing) the first big boost
you’ll probably notice is increased room to think. Tim Ferriss in the
4-Hour Workweek points to a study that showed participants mental
ability was slowed more from a Blackberry than marijuana use.
Suggestions for your monthly blackout include unplugging your modem, TV and mobile phone. Empty your inbox the afternoon before, so the longest your new messages will have to wait is 24 hours.
When I’m tight on deadline I’ve found that closing my browser and email and turning off my mobile phone does wonders for my concentration. How do you get into a distraction-free zone? Share in comments please.
Save Your Sanity – Have a Communications Blackout Day [Lifehack.org]