This document provides tips and strategies for beating digital distraction and information overload. It discusses how digital distractions negatively impact productivity. It then provides several filters and solutions to help manage distractions, including filtering emails, finding important emails, deleting emails from phones, relaxing, meditation, using apps like IFTTT and Readability, leaving your desk, and having walking meetings. The document emphasizes finding a quiet focused space and curating your online interests to limit distractions. It suggests trying strategies like leaving your phone at home to stay focused.

1. HOW
TO
BEAT
DISTRACTION

2. WARNING!!! This workshop requires
WILLPOWER!

3. “It’s not information overload. It’s filter
failure.”
― Clay Shirky
Image CC BY 2.0 © Joi http://bit.ly/1mCFN14

4. Objectives of the workshop
• The problem of digital distraction/information
overload
• Your own digital distractions - Room 101
• Solutions*
• Technologies to help with digital distraction
*Not every solution will work for everyone
Not all solutions may be right for you, requires willpower.

7. We each leave behind us a vast ‘data trail’ every time we
travel, use our phone or credit card, search or buy online,
use social media or visit a supermarket. That data adds up,
making up part of the 2.5 billion gigabytes of data –
equivalent to 67.5 billion Encyclopedia Britannicas -
created across the world every day.

9. Anyone here spend time
doing nothing but this?

10. The best Web page in the world?

12. The fear of NOT being connected

13. Beware the hyperlink
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Disruption and Recovery of Computing Tasks: Field Study, Analysis, and Directions
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/horvitz/chi_2007_iqbal_horvitz.pdf

14. What are your digital distractions?
Image CC BY Davis Staedtler http://bit.ly/1KD81yk

15. Mine are
1.Email
2.Myself
3.Others

16. Image CC BY David Goehring
http://bit.ly/1KHqPMS
Multitask?

17. Cognitive control in media multitaskers. E Ophir, C Nass, AD Wagner.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106 (37), 15583-15587

18. What some of the big fish do
• Google – No more than 10 people at a
meeting
• Reily Media – Have standing up meetings
• Founder of Tumblr David Karp doesn’t read
email first hour of every morning
• IBM – No email periods

19. Filter #1
Filter emails before they arrive

20. Filter #2
Find the emails you really want

21. Filter #3
Delete emails on your phone forever!

22. Filter #4

23. http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-20609-7_68 [Last Accessed 28/10/2015]

24. Filter #5
Relax! You’ll Be More Productive
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/opinion/sunday/relax-youll-be-more-productive.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1&

25. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/opinion/sunday/relax-youll-be-more-productive.html?_r=0 [Last Accessed 26/10/2015]

26. Colleagues in ScHARR
“ I find meditation helps to focus on what matters: what is really happening now, what is my purpose
and how can I respond in a more kindly way to whatever is happening.”*
“Meditation literally gives me 'head-space' and a release from thinking about the stress of our
increasingly busy lives, and the constant intrusion of technology that is eroding the boundaries
between work life and home life. Meditation using mindfulness techniques provides the tranquility
and nourishment my mind needs to keep it healthy in the same way my body needs exercise and
a healthy diet.”
“I find meditation help not only calm my mind but also increase its ability to concentrate on an
object. Performing mindfulness helps me touch the present moment; be less distracted or
disturbed by thoughts about the past or the future; be able to focus more on the task I am doing;
and be able to listen to others and help them to be with the present moment as well.”
“I find that after the 20 min session on a Wed lunchtime, my thoughts are more organised and I am
more productive.*”
“I find it hugely 'levelling'. I am less critical of myself and others which gives me tons more space to
enjoy what I am doing by simply being immersed in it.”
“I can wake up with lots of brief thoughts presenting themselves and find that meditation quietens
this down and I can enjoy doing one thing at a time plus decide more easily what order to tackle
things.”
I find that during the day, I am able to close my eyes for 1 min or so and rebalance or refocus
myself and get rid of unhelpful thoughts. I find it very helpful if I have a lot on or need to deal with
challenges. It gives me the energy and focus required.
* Both Professors

27. Do you practise
meditation/mindfulness?
What are your experiences?
If not, why not?

29. Useful meditation/mindfulness
resources
• Headspace - Website. IOS, Android, Kindle
App. iTunes. Book. Podcast free/subscription
• Take a Break (Guided meditations for stress
relief) - IOS, Android App
• Calm - Website. IOS, Android App. Book
• Buddhify - IOS, Android App

30. If you use them right
Filter #6

31. Filter #7 IFTTT

32. Filter #8 Readability

33. Filter #9 leave your desk behind
Image © Turnitin http://turnitin.com/en_us/features/ipad

34. Filter #10 Find a quiet focused place

35. Filter #11 Curate your interests

36. Filter #12 Unroll

37. Filter #13 Have a Walking meeting

38. Image CC BY 2.0 © cheetah100 http://bit.ly/1h5JZ4w

39. “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning
and nothing worse will happen to you
the rest of the day.”
Mark Twain

41. Image CC BY 2.0 © Jussi Linkola http://bit.ly/1LZzFYt

42. 30:30 App
http://3030.binaryhammer.com/

43. http://www.staffs.ac.uk/ask/ [Last Accessed 28/1/0/2015]

44. Stay FocusdAvailable on Chrome Web Store
Image CC BY 2.0 © Artondra Hall http://bit.ly/20cAhna

45. Other useful productivity tools
https://en.todoist.com/ Windows, Mac, IOS,
Android, Web
https://www.wunderlist.com/ Windows, Mac,
IOS, Android, Web
https://www.rememberthemilk.com/
Windows, Mac, IOS, Android, Blackberry

46. Things for you to try
Leave your phone at home
Go for a walking meeting
Go work in the library
Try meditating (even for just a minute)

47. • The effect of music listening on work performance
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/business/LESIUKarticle2005.pdf
• The Effect of Student Music Choice on Writing Productivity.
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED448472
Music to work to – ScoopIt! Page
http://www.scoop.it/t/background-music