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Two very interesting perspectives from Larry Rosen, a psychologist and Alexandra Samuel, a technologist, Managing Yourself Conquering Digital Distraction HBR June 2015 provide the following insights/advice for us.

• Digital overload maybe the defining problem of today’s workplace as we are bombarded with so many messages and alerts that even when we want to focus it’s nearly impossible
• The Information Overload Research Group reports in that knowledge workers in the US waste 25% of their time dealing with their huge and growing data streams costing the economy $997 billion annually
• The evidence shows that multitasking isn’t always successful because doing two things well at the same time is possible only when at least one task is automatic
• Research has found that many people regardless of age check their smartphones ever 15 minutes or less
• Rosen suggests three strategies which involves turning a way from technology to regain focus
  • First check all your modes of e-communication then shut them down and set an alarm for 15 minutes and when it rings allow yourself one minute to check and then repeat the process until you are comfortable being off-grid.
  • Second take a recharging break every 90 minutes especially if you are multitasking with technology, which makes the brain overly active. Even a 10 minute walk in nature or listening to music, looking at art, exercise, or mediation will have calming affect so you can focus
  • Finally keep technology out of your bedroom as the blue-light emitting devices are detrimental to sleep so abstain for one hour before bedtime. The aim is to block the release of neurotransmitters that energize your brain and instead promote the production of melatonin which allows you to rest
• Samuel indicates we tend to forget that digital tools are actually suppose to make our lives easier not impose demands and “turning totally off” is simply not a tenable solution
  • A recent survey by Tata Communications showed that people in the US, Europe, and Asia spend an average of more than 5 hours a day on the internet and 64% worry when they don't have access
  • First abandon the myth of “keeping up” or the belief that you will be able to process all your e-mails, read everything important in the media and send thoughtful posts to your networks without fail.
  • Your goal should be to sort and limit the information you receive and streamline the work of reading, responding to and sharing what matters.
  • Use the filters and rules that come with your e-mail system to ensure that only the most essential messages reach you right away by directing others into folders automatically to be reviewed later. Designate an hour every few days to review your folders.  You can always use the search function to find things so they aren’t really gone just out of sight
  • Rather than checking for information have it come to you by using newsreader apps such as Feedly, Fipboard, or Reader because you can subscribe to your favorite news sources, blogs and topic discussions to collect the most pertinent items all in one place.  Then set aside a specific time to review.  To maximize your time be very specific about the kinds of articles you want to see by experimenting with different combinations of search words and hastags using AND to limit.  You can also set up RSS (really simple syndication) feeds that brings items to you.
  • With the Google ability to instantly find information examine how much you really need to read ahead of time.
  • To build your professional online presence use the one-click option for Twitter, Face Book, LinkedIn to automate your postings. Consider using tools like Hootsuite, Buffer or Social Inbox all of which let you reach multiple networks from one place and schedule posts in advance.

Please share what works for you.