- Are you impulsively checking your phone every three minutes while trying to get deep work done?
- Do you start researching or writing a memo and then just automatically check the ‘gram?
- Have you tried to put your phone in a different room or on airplane mode so that you could march through a couple of paragraphs, and that worked . . . but only for about 6 minutes because you were afraid your boss would call?
What we found that works: assign a containment space for your phone, and then put your phone in its spot when you aren’t using it. It doesn’t need to be in another room. It’s still close by your side in case someone calls.
Your containment space just needs to have these specifications:
- It must be far enough away from your workspace so that it’s not in arms’ reach, but it’s still close enough where you can answer it on the second ring. You are no longer a first ring answerer; you have progressed to the second ring. Â
- It must contain your phone and look good enough wherever you put it so that you don’t try to move it later. In fact, it looks so good there that you actually love seeing it in its space.
For example, we have ours in a clear acrylic mail holder. It’s not fancy, nor expensive. It also looks good and keeps our iPhones within second ring reach.
When you wake up from your Instagram-fueled haze and realize you have been stuck in the infinite scroll for the past 90 seconds, just go put your phone back in its place. Don’t beat yourself up; habits are hard.
Ready to give it a try? Get up right now and clear a little space.
Your future finished memo just thanked you for the accelerated success. :high_five:
