You sit down for your one focused hour after work. The phone is face down next to the laptop, silent, and you are not going to touch it. So why does the hour feel so scattered?
One widely cited experiment suggests the phone does not need to buzz to cost you something. It is a small change to test, not a miracle, and it fits the tiny blocks of time a side business lives on.
What the research found
Researchers at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, led by Adrian Ward, ran experiments with nearly 800 smartphone users, according to the university’s news release. Participants did tasks while their phones were in different places: on the desk, in a pocket or bag, or in another room. All phones were silent.
People whose phones were in another room did significantly better than those with the phone on the desk, and slightly better than those with it in a pocket or bag. Whether the phone was on or off, face up or face down made no difference. Ward described it as a “brain drain”: the idea is that part of your mental effort goes to not reaching for the phone, even when nothing is ringing.
Keep the limits in mind. This is a single research program, the release reports results “suggest” an effect, and a lab task is not the same as writing a sales page. Treat it as a good reason to run your own experiment rather than a guarantee.
A two-week experiment
- Pick one work session a day, even 30 minutes, as the “phone-away” session.
- Before it starts, put the phone in another room, not just in your bag. If you need it for a call from family, tell them your hours or use a do-not-disturb setting that lets key contacts through.
- Write down one thing to finish in that session so you are not tempted to look something up on the phone.
- Afterward, note in a line how far you got and how it felt. Compare against sessions with the phone nearby.
This pairs well with a plan that removes decisions, like the ones in If-Then Plans: A Research-Backed Way to Follow Through After Your Day Job, and with a clean stopping routine from Write a Shutdown Note. If task switching is your bigger problem, read Stop Task Switching: How to Protect Your One Focused Hour.
If you find the separation unusually hard, or constant phone checking feels out of your control, it may be worth talking with a doctor or counselor. That goes beyond a productivity tip.
Do this today
Schedule your next work session, write one specific task on a sticky note, and when it starts put your phone in a different room for 25 minutes. Set a timer so you are not worrying about the time. Afterward, jot down what you finished.
More on Totally Relentless
- Stop Task Switching: How to Protect Your One Focused Hour
- If-Then Plans: A Research-Backed Way to Follow Through After Your Day Job
- Write a Shutdown Note: Stop Work Cleanly and Start Faster Next Time
