🏁 Productivity
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Mar 14, 2025
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6 min read
You thought it was a losing battle: your phone, computer, or even your iPad would get the better of you at work? Well, no need to worry! There are solutions to fight against constant distractions and interruptions. We’ll explain everything in detail (and simply).
Yes, with the multiplication of tools and services, it’s easy to be constantly distracted. 23 minutes is the average time we lose every time due to these ongoing distractions. Over a whole day, do the math: we’re becoming less and less efficient. So let’s put an end to this once and for all and find the best methods to be 100% focused. Back to a world without distractions!
Focus Vs. Distractions
You’ll find plenty of advice online telling you to work for 6 hours straight without a break, or else you’re not productive. Well, calm down: that’s almost impossible. So take comfort if, like us, you need regular breaks.
Being able to focus 100% for hours has almost become a rare skill, very hard to cultivate. With all the attention-grabbing distractions in our daily lives, it’s difficult to force yourself to focus on something.
And one of the main sources of distraction at work is none other than our phones—yes, that object that follows us everywhere all day! 55% of workers admit to using their phone at work for non-professional activities, which strongly impacts their productivity. There’s a 28% higher chance of making a mistake after receiving a phone call and 23% after responding to a message.
We don’t realize just how much a “quick” message can completely throw us off. It has a “delayed” effect, where the consequence isn’t immediate but deferred.
The Task Switching Cost
Today, being interrupted at work has become normalized. We absorb a colossal number of small interruptions which, at first glance, seem harmless but actually have a significant impact on our work quality.
According to Professor Gloria Mark, the average American is interrupted every 3 minutes. And constantly being interrupted has a price: it’s called the “Task Switching Cost.” Interestingly, performing a large number of tasks per day doesn’t automatically make you less efficient. In this study, the subjects performed quality work in the same amount of time. However, the difference was in the “after.” Indeed, the study explains that constantly being interrupted at work makes employees feel obligated to compensate: more stress, frustration, time pressure, and effort.
You may not notice it immediately, but over time this could significantly impact not only your professional life but also your personal life. Experts explain that maintaining a healthy work rhythm is crucial to prevent this from affecting your quality of life. In the end, those who took their time didn’t achieve less than those who did “more.”
How to Improve Your Workdays?
As the title of this article suggests, it’s essential to reduce the number one distraction for any worker: the phone. Here comes the panic, “But I can’t live without my phone!” or even total denial, “Yes, but my phone is for work. I can’t get rid of it.”
⚡️ Personal Vs. Professional
When we started on Jomo, many people pointed out that the phone wasn’t just a personal object but also served them at work. Some told us that if they had 7 hours of screen time per day, it was “normal.” So we looked at their last 24 hours with them, and surprise!
Many of them barely used their phone for work, or only about 1/3 of their screen time was work-related. The rest was personal! It’s easy to be deceived. Often, we don’t even realize when we picked up our phone, and worse, once it’s in hand, we forget how long we’ve had it!
So how can you know if this is your case? Do an audit of your habits!
Go to Settings, then open Screen Time.
Check the most-used apps per day.
For further insight, you can use Jomo, available for free on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. With its Journaling feature, you can associate an activity with each app. Do this for yesterday and the day before. Then, tap on “Activities” next to “Apps.” You’ll get a detailed view not just of the apps used but of the activities performed. Based on your results, you’ll know how much you’re using your phone for work vs. personal purposes!
🔒 Then, block personal apps at work! You can set a “Work” blocking rule to block your social networks while at the office. It’s an excellent way to be 100% focused on your professional tasks without being disturbed by notifications and other distractions!
🔌 But it works both ways. Protect your private moments from work invasion. For this, we recommend creating a “Right to Disconnect” rule. Once your workday is over, automatically block your professional apps. Perfect if you tend to struggle with ending your workday before 10 p.m.!
⏸️ Take Regular Breaks
Before you burn out, protect yourself from overwork. Taking a break from time to time is not laziness. Quite the opposite!
Taking a break allows you to catch your breath and sometimes even gain perspective. You may end up more productive than if you had pushed through 5 hours straight.
However, avoid taking your break on your phone. Experts say this doesn’t actually allow your brain to rest, so forget scrolling on TikTok to unwind! Instead, you could: enjoy a hot drink, take a walk, meditate, or stretch. Don’t be afraid to be different: if all your colleagues are glued to Instagram, that’s their problem; don’t feel obliged to join them.
🎯 Set Clear Tasks
To start your workday well, it’s good to have a clear idea of the objectives and tasks to accomplish. Otherwise, it’s like climbing Everest without preparation: little chance of reaching the summit!
There are several organization methods, which you can find in this comprehensive article on the subject. 👈
Avoid task-switching or doing 30 things at once. You may think you’re productive, but it’s an illusion. So don’t be afraid to organize yourself and sometimes delegate tasks that don’t require your direct involvement or postpone minor tasks that won’t impact your company’s performance.
💪 Stay Motivated Long Term
At first, you’ll feel motivated: you’ve had a good rest and you’re ready to tackle things head-on. But after a few days, you might start slipping… bad habits sneak back in!
“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” —Tim Ferriss
The hardest part, as you’ve probably guessed, is maintaining that first wave of motivation over the long term. Here are some key tips: take regular breaks, set daily limits (overworking one day isn’t a win—you’ll just be exhausted the next day), do regular self-reviews (Am I being effective? How’s my progress? Am I easily distracted?), and quickly find solutions to these challenges.
And here we are at the end of this article. We hope you’ve learned a few things along the way. If there’s one thing to remember, it’s that distractions and multitasking are two enemies you need to get rid of quickly. Otherwise, they’ll dictate your days and, over time, have a significant impact on your productivity.
