It happened again yesterday. I was at an intersection light and had (maybe) 30 seconds to kill. I reached over and grabbed my iPhone so that I could check my Twitter account. Later in my commute I refreshed my Gmail inbox. For better or worse, gadgets like the iPhone and Blackberry have made mini-interruptions in the day all the more common.
Some are now advocating Blackberry-free zones during the day. The rationale: to keep adults focused, you have to eliminate distractions. Sadly, most people don't have the discipline (or courtesy?) to only check email at certain times of the day.
So what's the big deal? Constant interruptions decrease one's ability to do focused work in larger chunks of time. Even the ER physician needs to close a door and bang out 15 minutes of attentive work.
I wonder too about the "carry over" once work is done. How many of us are still checking our Blackberry when we are home with the kids or going for a walk in the park. There needs to be a set of boundaries when technology gets put aside for higher value behaviors like human interaction, recreation or prayer.
A soulful worker relies on just a few things and purity of focus is one of them. What can you do today to add deeper focus to your tasks and your schedule?
Some are now advocating Blackberry-free zones during the day. The rationale: to keep adults focused, you have to eliminate distractions. Sadly, most people don't have the discipline (or courtesy?) to only check email at certain times of the day.
So what's the big deal? Constant interruptions decrease one's ability to do focused work in larger chunks of time. Even the ER physician needs to close a door and bang out 15 minutes of attentive work.
I wonder too about the "carry over" once work is done. How many of us are still checking our Blackberry when we are home with the kids or going for a walk in the park. There needs to be a set of boundaries when technology gets put aside for higher value behaviors like human interaction, recreation or prayer.
A soulful worker relies on just a few things and purity of focus is one of them. What can you do today to add deeper focus to your tasks and your schedule?