Now multiply that by the 50 notifications you get a day. You aren't working 8 hours. You are working 8 hours of recovery time.
Close every tab that isn't essential to the task at hand. If you are writing, close your email tab. Close Slack. Close the news. If you are coding, close the documentation you aren't using. A clean digital desk is the foundation of a clean mind. Now multiply that by the 50 notifications you get a day
The solution is monotasking . It is the deliberate, defiant act of giving a single task your complete, undivided attention for a set period of time. It sounds easy. It is actually incredibly hard. It is a skill, like a muscle, that has atrophied. Close every tab that isn't essential to the task at hand
But neuroscience disagrees. Your brain is not a Chrome browser. It is a single-core processor. When you think you are multitasking, you aren't actually doing two things at once. You are rapidly switching between two things. And every time you switch, you pay a "switching cost"—a tiny cognitive tariff that drains your energy, increases your errors, and deepens your anxiety. Close the news
That discomfort is the feeling of a muscle growing. That twitch is the death rattle of your old, scattered self.
You have heard of the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes on, 5 off). Modify it. Start with 10 minutes. Yes, ten minutes. Set a timer. For those ten minutes, you are not allowed to touch your mouse to open a new window. You are not allowed to pick up your phone. You are a monk. Do this ten times a day. You will be shocked at how much you get done.
The race to the bottom of the attention economy is a race you cannot win. The only winning move is not to play.