Being more effective

using technology

Technology promised us productivity and delivered on the promise, but didn’t tell

us the cost was our sanity.

We check our phones more than 150 times per day. Knowledge workers spend a third of their day in email. Teenagers (aged 14-17) send 4,000 texts/month, or every six

minutes online.

Why?

Distracted

FOMO, FOBO, Procrastination

Why?

1. Technology is a tool. 2. Distraction is not new.3. Mindfulness!? = a present-state awareness that helps you to be

non-reactive4. Tech industry perspective5. Not another fucking app

a. These are the tools I use and you’ll find some useful.

Disclaimer

So many choices!

● Decision fatigue

● Accept sub-optimal outcomes

● Productivity is intuitive.

● Work has changed but people haven’t.

● Diminishing returns > 40 hrs/week

Productivity

At work...Attention Economy

At work...Notifications

How can we design notifications as if it were a human (Your mom) doing it?

How can we design apps so it makes us spend time well?

PS: Turn off all your notifications except when *people* (not apps or businesses) are trying to reach you

Notifications

At work...Interruptions

23 minutes to refocus our attention.

At work...Interruptions

We train ourselves to self interrupt. Every 3.5 minutes.

Continuous Partial Attention

In a 24/7, always-on world, continuous partial attention used as our dominant attention mode contributes to a feeling of overwhelm, over-

stimulation and to a sense of being unfulfilled. We are so accessible, we’re inaccessible.

Connected, yet alone?

Connected, yet disconnected?

Multitasking + Context switching

● Multitasking works for tasks that are cognitively less intensive

● Be aware of switching costs

Email

● Email apnea● Design interfaces to respect user’s intentions● Inbox Zero | Emails are notifications

Email - Inbox, Newton + Wishlist

How much time on email today?

5m

Phone tips Phone1. Have less than two home pages2. Have shortcuts for your camera

on the locked screen3. Consider using FB/Instagram on

the browser4. QualityTime5. Homescreen

○ Utility○ Aspiration○ Organize the colorful ones in

folder6. Notifications

Lets dive in! Phone

Meditation, huh?

1. Calm.com / DoNothingForTwoMinutes.com

2. Insight Timer

3. Headspace

Sleep

Four out of five smartphone users check their phones within the first 15 minutes of waking

up. 80% of those say it’s the first thing

they do in the morning.

Posture

Local Warming: Inconvenient Truth

When you wake up...Social

When you wake up...Out and about

Thank you!