Have you ever paused to consider the number of distractions you have around you? There’s email, SMS, phone, social media, push notifications, Netflix…and that’s just digital distractions! But what if there was a way to cut through the noise and actually enhance your productivity?
4 Products for Increased Focus and Productivity
Americans are borderline obsessed with productivity. It’s part of what’s made American businesses and industries so successful over the years. People are expected to perform and every last metric is carefully measured and optimized until the final drop of efficiency is squeezed out.
Yet studies – and personal experiences – show that we aren’t nearly as good at being productive as we’d like. (And this problem has gotten worse in a digital age where distractions are ubiquitous.)
According to one survey of American employees, just 7 percent of workers feel like they’re most productive during their standard office hours. In other words, 93 percent of workers feel like they could improve their output. And what do they blame this lack of output on? For most, it has something to do with distractions and a lack of focus.
Independent research would seem to corroborate this. In fact, one landmark study shows that the average attention span of humans dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to just 8 seconds in 2015. (For perspective, a goldfish has an attention span of 9 seconds.)
But all is not lost. Neuroplasticity means the brain is constantly changing and receptive to positive adaptations. And with so many different technologies promising to improve focus and, subsequently, increase productivity, this is an issue we each need to explore in further detail.
Here are a few specific products you may be interested in:
- RescueTime
There’s a phenomenon known as Parkinson’s Law. It states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. In other words, if you have three hours to complete a project, you’ll finish it in three hours. But if you have six hours for the same project, it’ll take you six hours.
RescueTime is a powerful time tracking and distraction blocking software that ensures you get more done without working more hours. It does so by eliminating distracting websites and digital interferences so that you can actually focus on the task at hand.
- Forest
Forest is a really cool app that’s designed to help people focus on the things that truly matter. It works like this:
When you want to stay focused, you plant a virtual tree. This tree grows while you focus on your work. If you leave the app in the middle of the tree’s growth period, the tree dies. Over time, you can visually track your forest to see how productive you’ve been. (It might sound silly, but it works! The platform boasts thousands of users – many of whom swear by it.)
- Xen by Neuvana
The vagus nerve is one of 12 cranial nerves found in the body. It runs all the way from the stem of the brain down to the colon. It’s constantly monitoring the state of different systems and organs and feeding information to the central nervous system. And through vagus nerve stimulation, it’s actually possible to improve focus (among other things).
Xen by Neuvana is a proprietary headphone product that’s connected to powerful app that provides gentle, safe, and continuous vagus nerve stimulation that syncs with the user’s music of choice. The result is better focus and concentration when working, studying, reading, or even exercising.
- Datexx Time Cube
Are you familiar with the Pomodoro Technique? It’s a pretty simple yet helpful method of staying productive. It consists of setting a timer for 25 minutes and working uninterrupted. Once the timer goes off, you take a short five-minute break and then return to work with another 25-minute session. Rinse and repeat.
Millions of people use the Pomodoro Technique – yet there’s a serious flaw with it. Most rely on phone timers or apps, which actually encourage distractions. This is why Datexx produced a physical timer cube – known as the TimeCube. There are no buttons, dials, or screens. You just turn it over and it starts the timer.
Set Yourself Up for Success
Life is all about experimenting. You observe a problem in your life and you attempt to solve it by finding the proper solution. Not every product in this article will improve your focus, but there’s a good chance that some will. Identify these solutions and you’ll enjoy greater productivity and success – personally, professionally, and relationally.
