Our mobile phones have revolutionized our lives in many ways. It is a blessing to be able to communicate with people with just a click of a button. However, if it’s not managed wisely, it could turn into a monster and become the #1 distraction in our life.
In the below video, let me tell you the ways in which I manage my mobile phone in order to be more productive.
(Click Here to watch on YouTube)
If you are finding it difficult to reach me on my mobile phone, please don’t get me wrong! I am not trying to avoid anyone, I am just trying to be more productive. A few months back I made the conscious decision of managing my phone in a better way. I’d like to share some of the tips with you which will help you too in saving a lot of productive time:
- During my working hours, I do not keep the phone with me. I work in one room and the phone is kept in another room (most of the time in silent mode). So, I do not get distracted by the calls.
- In between the work slots, I check my phone to see if there are any missed calls. If I’ve got calls from my husband or parents, I call them back. To all other callers I just send a message asking them to message or email me. This saves a lot of time for the caller as well as me, as people tend to talk too much over the phone, but keep it to the point on emails.
- I am able to do this because I do not get calls from clients due to the online nature of my business. However, if your job requires you to answer calls, at least practice discretion by not answering every call you get. Clearly demarcate your work time and your personal time.
- Another distraction on our phone is the notifications we get from Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, etc. I suggest you to turn off all these notifications and check them at designated times only. When these notifications are on, we get tempted to reply to everyone of them. As a result we are unable to focus on the job at hand and take an hour to finish even a short 15 minute task.
- I’ve also started checking my emails only twice a day. If we reply to mails as and when we get them, we end up spending our time in fulfilling other people’s agenda rather than working on our agenda for the day.
If we manage our phone in a better way, I am sure we can save 2-3 hours each day which can be used for doing more meaningful things like pursuing a hobby, starting a new project or meeting a friend over coffee. Do share your thoughts on what other ways we can manage our phone to our advantage.