Digital Distractions - how to get back in control. New technologies promise to make us more productive, but also make us feel overloaded, overworked and overcommitted. Here’s how to moderate the distractions to take greater control of our lives.

1. How to get back in control
New technologies promise to make us more productive, but also
make us feel overloaded, overworked and overcommitted. Here’s
how to moderate the distractions to take greater control of our lives.
DIGITAL
DISTRACTIONS

2. Technology is developing
at an exponential rate.
FASTER THAN WE REALISE
CHANGE IS COMING

3. 40% of
the world’s
population has
internet access.
Back in 1995,
it was only 1%.
Source: www.internetlivestats.com

4. Mobile phones
are a million times
cheaper, a million
times smaller and
a thousand times
more powerful
than a $60 million
supercomputer
from the 1960s.

5. In 20 years,
there will be
blood cell-
sized devices
interfacing with
our bodies in
real time.

6. We now have access
to everything we want
at a keystroke
COST
BUT IT
AT A
COMES

7. You know the
problem . . .
. . . swarms of
distractions and
interruptions
from alerts,
texts and emails.

8. We do the
tasks but we
don’t get the
work done.

9. of workers
are frequently
distracted.
of these workers
can effectively get
on with work.
55% 33%
Source: Employerbility Workplace Productivity Report

10. of workers feel
overwhelmed
or frustrated.
80%
Source: Employerbility Workplace Productivity Report

11. We’re interrupted
every 3 minutes
and it can take us up
to 25 minutes to get
back on track.
Source: Gloria Marks, University of California

12. PERFORMANCE
IT‘S
ON OUR
TAKING
A TOLL

13. Lost productivity costs...
... per person per year.
Source: harmon.ie Distraction Survey
$10,375

14. We are forever
juggling multiple
tasks and trying
to make complex
decisions.

15. The ongoing
mental traffic
jam means some
days feel like
our thoughts are
gridlocked and it’s
always rush hour.

16. Our brains aren’t developing
at the same exponential
rate as technology, so we
struggle to keep pace.

17. Our brain is 2% of our
body weight but uses up
to 20% of our metabolic
resources each day.

18. Technology
overloads the
brain. It provides
mental stimulus
like nothing else.

19. Our brain gets hit with 11 million
bits of information per second from
the environment – but it can only
process 40 bits per second.
Source: Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious (Belknap Press, 2004)

20. Our brain gets hit with 11 million
bits of information per second from
the environment – but it can only
process 40 bits per second.
Source: Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious (Belknap Press, 2004)
It’s like trying to
find that needle
in a haystack
every second.

21. To help us cope,
we outsource
our thinking to
our computers
and smartphones.

22. We no longer
remember trivial
information because
everything we
need is on Google.

23. ADDICTEDARE YOU
TO YOUR SMARTPHONE?

24. Our mobile is now our life companion
– we spend 119 minutes on our
phones each day vs 97 minutes with
a significant other.
Source: Mobile Life report, O2 & Samsung

25. Source: Gallup Panel survey, April 17 – May 18, 2015
81%of us keep devices
with us all the time.

26. 72% check
smartphones
every hour,
and young
adults look every
few minutes.
Source: Gallup Panel survey, April 17 – May 18, 2015

27. No one truly
experiences
anything
anymore...

28. ... because we
are all too busy
recording it on
our phones.

29. This picture went viral -
the elderly lady stands out
for simply taking in the
moment, with no camera
or smartphone in hand.
Source: Boston Globe via Getty Images

30. We need to reset our brains to give
ourselves a mental break, time to
think and process information and
be in the moment.

31. We need to reset our brains to give
ourselves a mental break, time to
think and process information and
be in the moment.
It’s just like computers
that lock up every so often
when we try to run too
many applications at the
same time…

32. STOPmulti-tasking.
STARTmono-tasking.

33. Multi-tasking
is a myth.

34. Each time we
switch tasks,
we use up our
body’s resources.
We can’t process
more than one
thing at a time.

35. IQ drops by
10%
Productivity levels
drop by up to
40%
Source: University of London & researchers Meyer, Evans and Rubinstein

36. IQ drops by
10%
Productivity levels
drop by up to
40%
Source: University of London & researchers Meyer, Evans and Rubinstein
That’s more than
twice the impact of
smoking marijuana.

37. CONTROL?
WHAT
GET BACK IN
CAN YOU
DO TO

38. 3 things
productive
people do
at work.

39. Pause more often
to speed up
and learn to
breathe correctly.
When working
on a task, set
yourself a fixed
amount of time
to complete it.
Breathe
Resist the urge
to work on other
things at the
same time.

40. Go for a walk,
get fresh air
and eat outside
during your
lunch break.
Take up yoga,
exercise or
meditation.
Reset
Leave
technology
behind.

41. Check your
emails at set
times during
the day.
Turn off
all alerts.
Turn off
Unplug if you
need to get
things done.

42. 3 things
smart people
do at home.

43. Turn off devices
when out with friends
and family, and
at night.
Filter out the blue
light with BluBlocker
sunglasses or
software such as f.lux
that adjusts the hue
of your screen.
Turn off
Stop using devices
1 hour before sleep.
OFFON

44. Do things that bring you pleasure . . .
. . . listen to music, have a hot bath, laugh aloud, look at art,
have a rich social life, learn a language, play an instrument,
make love, practise yoga, draw, paint or even colour in.
Reset

45. The best thing you can do to improve
your performance in all areas of your
life is to sleep.
Sleep

46. How to get back in control
For further articles, opinions and industry insights,
see sparkdigital.co.nz/insights
DIGITAL
DISTRACTIONS