Today, nearly every professional has a personal smartphone by their side. They rarely leave a room without it, let alone turn it off while they are at work.
While the ability to stay closely connected with family members and friends is a great benefit, a smartphone can also bring with it a host of distractions. Notifications ping constantly, the screen lights up for every incoming call (including telemarketers and scams), and the notification light blinks like an unflinching sentinel begging for your attention.
If you pick up your device, it may be worse. You could quickly find yourself tumbling into a social media vortex or hopping through every app to make sure you aren’t missing a single thing. But the idea of missing something important may be too stressful. Plus, ignoring a message could cause someone else to worry.
Luckily, there is something to do that can help you limit distractions without completely disconnecting. Here’s how.
Tips For Managing Your Cell Phone - Not the Other Way Around!
Customize Do Not Disturb
While you can use the Do Not Disturb function to silence nearly every call, incoming message, or notification, that’s not the only approach. You can also customize the feature to mute everything except for genuinely critical areas. Plus, you can set it to work on a timer.
By creating custom exceptions, you can choose what alerts do and do not happen. For example, you can allow calls from family members or friends who are listed in your contacts to come through while silencing those originating from unsaved numbers. You can turn off your personal social media account and shopping app notifications, but leave your calendar alerts running.
You can also have Do Not Disturb turn on and off automatically. You can set it to begin when your workday starts and end once your shift is over. That way, you don’t have to make the changes manually.
Use an Autoresponder
If you really want to eliminate all distractions, an autoresponder can help. With these, you create a message that automatically goes out to people who message you. It lets the person know you’re busy, so they won’t worry if you don’t reply immediately. Plus, it prevents a notification from going off, so you won’t be interrupted.
An autoresponder usually comes with an override option, too. The person, after being notified that you’re busy, can reply with a keyword (often “urgent”) during emergencies. If they do, that message and notification will go through to your phone immediately.
Depending on your phone, you might need to download an autoreply app to get the feature. However, most iPhone users have a built-in option, suggesting you have iOS 11 or newer.
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Ultimately, with the techniques above, you can make sure your phone isn’t distracting you at work, increasing the odds that you can remain focused during the day. If you’d like to learn more, the talented staff at TRC Staffing Services can help. Contact us today and see how our productivity expertise can benefit you. 