by Daron Pressley

August 21, 2014

Unplug From Your Digital Device and Plug Into Your Career Potential

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Right now, you probably have three fingers behind your phone, your pinkie tucked under for support and you’re scrolling with your thumb. Technology expands our world, frees us up, connects us, and creates all kinds of unintended distractions which lead to loss in productivity. As the work world changes with advancements in technology, time still remains the most important commodity that we can never get back. People and their devices have become so virtually inseparable.

We are constantly using them and find it very difficult to disconnect for even a short period of time. A Mobile Mindset study conducted by Lookout reveals that 58% of U.S. smartphone users check their phones at least every hour. A bit more disturbing is that if they were to lose their device in a catastrophic situation, 78% admit that they would feel panicked, and 14% left feeling desperate.

We know that time is money, and we are all trying to advance our careers while deepening our pockets. Play time is over, and it’s time to shut down the mobile apps that are keeping us from reaching our highest earning potential. According to a study (which focused on app usage among wealthy consumers who earn an annual income of $150,000 or more), The Luxury Institute found that wealthier smartphone users are less likely to play games or tweet and will opt for news, travel or finance apps. How are you using your smartphone, and is it contributing to your success or emptying your pockets?

Check out these three tips to unplug from your digital device and plug into your income potential.

Set Boundaries With Your Device

Why do we stay so connected? Because it makes us feel better, and provides a sense of productivity that we are doing something. The attention and feeling that we get can be very satisfying so it is important to set limits for yourself. This is not automatic and you have to discipline yourself in order to disconnect. This is especially important during the day when business and productivity are a key focus. Set a specific amount of time (let’s start with 30 minutes) to refrain from looking at your phone.

Power Down. Shut off Your Phone at Night.

Unless you are someone who must keep your phone on at night by profession, cut it off or set up your “Do Not Disturb” feature. We can become so easily trained to check our phone every time we here an alert or a notification. Remember Pavlov’s dog and classical conditioning? We become conditioned to check our phone at the sound of a chime because we are associating this with communication, attention, and interaction which makes us feel good or important.

Turn Off Your Notifications

OK, I understand that turning off your phone, powering down, or setting device limitations can be a tough task. Try turning off your notifications. Every time we see a notification pop up on our devices we usually check them, and when we check them we usually find our way to something else. Next thing you know it is 20 minutes later and you are on a website that has nothing to do with your business, career, or bottom line.