Switch Off and Work

Posted: May 7th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Thinking Out Loud, Web/Tech | Tags: , , , | 4 Comments »

I travel to Europe a few times a year to visit my dad, who lives in Madrid. All up it’s around 40 hours traveling time from Wellington to Madrid. I dread some of the things about traveling (most notably the crap food, and jetlag), but recently I’ve actually really looked forward to the flights. Not having Internet or a cellphone connection on flights is a blessing – and it’s really emphasized to me just how much having those two things can distract you when trying to work.

A week ago I got back from one of these trips, and this time both going to Madrid and returning home I worked solidly on two of the four flights (one twelve hour flight, one two hour flight). It actually shocked me how much I got done. If I’d been working at home, it probably would’ve taken me at least twenty four hours straight to get the same amount of work done.

I just don’t think we realize how much we’re interrupted by cellphones and the Internet. Maybe I’m a bit of an extreme case with an iPhone receiving notifications for everything, and Facebook/Twitter/Email notifications on my laptop, but even so… There are still so many distractions that we just don’t think about. In our heads it goes “oh I’ll just reply to this text, it won’t take long at all”. So we reply to the text. Then get a reply back. Then get a Facebook notification and think the same thing. I’m sure you get the idea.

Since that flight, and since having this realization, I now turn off all notifications on my computer and iPhone while I’m working. And yes, productivity has shot up! It just seems crazy to me that I didn’t notice it before – thinking about how much time I’ve wasted is just depressing.

People often talk about how they dread the day when you can get Internet and a cellphone connection on all flights anywhere in the world. I used to think they were idiots, because obviously Internet everywhere is a good thing, right? My mind has been completely changed in that respect. Flights really are one of the only places we can completely escape these days. And I’d like to keep it that way as I travel more and more.

  • http://jackyan.com Jack Yan

    This is precisely why I do not carry a cellphone on a regular basis. If I know I am collecting someone from the airport, for instance, I will bring it; or if I am out of town, I will take one with me. But, on an everyday basis, I cannot fathom the concept of being tethered 24 hours a day, which seems to be the modern norm.

  • http://mmoorejones.com Michael Moore-Jones

    I never thought I’d say it – but I’m coming around to that idea. I’ve been thinking about going back to a normal (non “smart”) phone for a while now, so that I don’t have as much reason to be on it all the time. But for a few reasons, I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it. Perhaps I’ll do a post on that tomorrow :)

    And 24 hours definitely is the norm. In fact, I’m out of the ordinary because I turn my phone OFF at night. Many people I know will let themselves be woken up by a text so they can reply immediately.

  • http://jackyan.com Jack Yan

    In fact, before 2006, I refused to carry them at all, for health reasons. That healthy scepticism has turned out to be a good thing. I certainly would recommend going offline for at least part of the day: as you discovered, one is much more productive without a cellphone. All it takes are some good habits in time management, arranging meetings and social events in advance, and not panicking if someone is five minutes late.

  • http://mmoorejones.com/2011/09/11/the-internet-is-making-us-busier/ The Internet Is Making Us Busier –mmoorejones

    [...] taken to switching off absolutely everything including computer and iPhone when I want to be productive. But even when I [...]