Tips for Phone-Free Productivity

Why Leaders Must Put Down Their Phones—And What to Do About It We check our phones dozens of times a day, but the real cost isn’t just lost time—it’s lost leadership. Groundbreaking research from The University of Texas at Austin and others shows that just having your phone nearby—even if it’s off—reduces your brain’s available cognitive capacity and focus. 💡 Participants who had their phones in another room scored up to 11% better on cognitive tests than those who had their phones on the desk. For leaders, this “brain drain” is especially dangerous. When your attention is fragmented by your phone, you: • Miss subtle cues from your team • Struggle to make high-quality decisions • Model distracted behavior that your team will copy • Undermine trust and presence—key ingredients for influence and inspiration Constant phone use also stunts leadership development. When you’re always available, your team becomes dependent on you for every decision, stifling both their growth and yours. 💡 Research shows phone distractions can lower work efficiency by up to 20% and increase error rates after interruptions by over 20%. What Can Leaders Do Right Now? ↳ Keep Your Phone Out of Sight: Place your phone in a drawer or another room during deep work or meetings. Out of sight, out of mind. ↳ Turn Off Non-Essential Notifications: Mute all but critical alerts to reduce temptation and interruptions. ↳ Schedule Phone-Free Work Blocks: Set specific times for focused, phone-free work. Use timers or “focus mode” features. ↳ Model Digital Discipline: Show your team what real presence looks like. Be fully engaged in conversations and meetings—no phones allowed. ↳ Create “No-Phone” Zones: Establish clear boundaries for device use during meetings, brainstorming sessions, and one-on-ones. ↳ Use Technology to Fight Technology: Leverage apps that block distractions or track your phone usage to build better habits. ↳ Take Real Breaks: Encourage yourself and your team to take breaks without phones—go for a walk, journal, or connect face-to-face. Leadership in 2025 demands more than multitasking and constant connectivity. It requires deep focus, presence, and the ability to inspire others—qualities that can be eroded by unchecked phone use. The science is precise: putting down your phone is one of the simplest, most powerful ways to reclaim your leadership edge. Follow Joshua Miller for more tips on coaching, leadership, career + mindset. #leadership #executivecoaching #technology #mindset

Screen time is killing your ability to achieve your goals. I cut mine from 6+ hours to 1.5 / day. That led to more revenue, more time with loved ones, and more happiness. Here are the 7 tips I used to get my attention back: Context: Screen Time ≠ Success I used to think that being "always on" was a good thing. But I began to realize that my phone wasn't just distracting. It was making me miserable. 6 months ago, I decided to cut my screen time. It's led to more $$$ and more meaningful time. 1. Set Your Intentions Having a strong "why" is key to success. Ask yourself: How do I feel on days with heavy screen use? What do I gain from screen time? What am I giving up by spending this much time scrolling? Journaling on these is a great starting point. 2. Physical Distance This is the single, easiest way to reduce your screen time. And you only need to follow two rules: Don't look at your phone for 60 mins after waking Put your phone in another room while you're working Those 2 rules cut my screen time by 50%. 3. Remove All Time-Sucking Apps Your phone should be a tool, not an entertainment source. Delete your social media apps. But also delete Slack and email if you can. You'll find ways to replace the "fun" apps. And you can save Slack / email for when you're at your desk. 4. Turn Off Your Notifications First, turn off badges (the little red dot) for every app besides your texts and phone. Second, set up Do Not Disturb to run all day. This lets you set a favorites list that can still contact you, but forces everything else to wait. 5. Use Grayscale A black and white screen is boring to use. Boring devices make it easier for you to separate. First, head to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters. Then toggle Color Filters on and select Grayscale. 6. Leverage Resources! Having systems and expert advice is helpful in any new journey. My two favorite resources were: How To Break Up With Your Phone - Catherine Price How To Configure Your iPhone To Work For You, Not Against You - Tony Stubblebine 7. Set Your Expectations Changing habits is tough. Especially ones as ingrained as screen time is in our lives. The first few days are hard. But if you work through those? You'll find that your productivity, mental health, and happiness will all drastically improve. —— ➕ Follow Austin Belcak for more 🔵 Ready to land your dream job? Click here to learn more about how we help people land amazing jobs in ~15.5 weeks with a $44k raise: https://lnkd.in/gdysHr-r

I met with an executive in a mid-career pivot. Gathered in a garden café - it went like this: ↴ On a fresh Spring morning - birds, breeze, and quiet enough to think clearly. 🐝 The conversation moved fast into deeper ground. Career direction. Energy shifts. What’s next and how it's important now. I'm an executive coach. These are the kinds of conversations I live for - honest, revealing, and forward-moving. But something subtle stood out. Even in this energizing exchange, they kept glancing at their phone. 📱 Not out of disinterest. Just habit. I mentioned it gently, and we both laughed. It’s become second nature - reaching for our screens without even noticing. That’s why I chose that environment for our meeting. Real light. ☀️ Real sounds. 🦜 The kind of space that clears the static and sharpens the mind. We ended up trading ways to create distance from distraction. And yes, the follow-up meeting is already booked. 🤝 Here’s part of what we landed on: Simple practices - that help you stay engaged, guard your attention, and give your brain the reset it craves. ⤵ 7 Ways to Make Your Phone Less Appealing, Less Accessible, and Far Less Invasive: 1️⃣ Switch to Grayscale ▷  Color stimulates. ☑️ Grayscale removes the visual bait that keeps your thumb scrolling. 2️⃣ Move Tempting Apps Off Your Home Screen ▷  Out of sight. Out of automatic reach. ☑️ Make space for intent, not impulse. 3️⃣ Silence All Non-Human Notifications ▷  No badges, banners, or buzzes. ☑️ Unless it’s a person - not an algorithm - trying to reach you. 4️⃣ Park Your Phone in Another Room During Deep Work ▷  Proximity fuels distraction. ☑️ Even silent, your phone competes with your thoughts. 5️⃣ Use Analog Tools Within Reach ▷  Notebook. Pen. Watch. Timer. ☑️ Give your hands something better to reach for. 6️⃣ Create Phone-Free Hours (and Keep Them Sacred) ▷  Your brain thrives on idle time. ☑️ Mental clarity isn’t found between pings. 7️⃣ Set Your Lock Screen to Show a Purpose Statement ▷  A single line that reminds you - ☑️ WHY you’re choosing intention over the pull. These aren’t digital detox trends. 🛡️ They’re discipline moves for professionals who value their energy, protect their attention, and refuse to live at the mercy of the next ping. 🛡️ Your thinking deserves room. Your ideas deserve oxygen. 🛡️ Remember: the best decisions rarely come when you're mid-scroll. The brain scans don’t lie - less reactivity, more regulation, and the kind of mental state that sustains progress. 🧠 images by Matter Neuroscience 💬 Which of these moves can you try today? ♻️   Repost to help others thrive above the screens. 🔔 Follow me Ronnie Kinsey, MBA for more like this. 📥 Get more of my tools for leadership, business, and personal development here Free: ➤ https://lnkd.in/dkagD_Wp

They brag about their 12-hour workdays. You'll quietly gain 13 weeks of life this year. The focus playbook your competition hopes you'll ignore Here's how to gain 90 extra days this year (without grinding more) 👇 Real talk: UC Irvine research reveals each distraction steals 23 minutes of prime focus. On Average: 2.1 hours lost per day to interruptions. That's 13 weeks a year. Your competition knows this, and they're capitalizing on it. Want to claim your edge back? Here's a 9-part playbook to take control: 1️⃣ The "Peak Hour" Power Move 🎯 ↳ Schedule your most important work during your peak energy hours ↳ Guard these hours like gold—they're worth 3x normal productivity 2️⃣ Train Your Brain to Work Without a Phone 📱 ↳ Keep your phone in another room ↳ Even silent phones reduce focus by 10% (UT Austin study) 3️⃣ Set an "Attention Anchor" Before Deep Work ⚓ ↳ Write one sentence on why this task matters ↳ This locks in focus and prevents wandering 4️⃣ Create "Interrupt-Free Zones" 🚫 ↳ Schedule focused blocks with clear do-not-disturb signals ↳ Batch interruptions into designated "open door" times 5️⃣ "Park the Car" to Stop Overthinking 🚗 ↳ Write the next small step before stopping ↳ Prevents unfinished tasks from cluttering your mind 6️⃣ Stop Dopamine Loops in the Morning ⏰ ↳ No phone for 30 minutes after waking ↳ Early phone use wires your brain for distraction 7️⃣ The 5-5-5 Rule to Start Faster ⚡ ↳ Set a 5-minute timer and start ↳ After 5 minutes, decide: 5 more or done? 8️⃣ Use the "TAB" Rule for Focus 💻 ↳ Open tabs compete for mental energy (Carnegie Mellon) ↳ Close all tabs not needed for your current work 9️⃣ Make Your Workspace "Boring" 🎯 ↳ Messy desks pull attention away ↳ Keep only what you need—nothing else 💫 Your Edge: • Turn 13 lost weeks into an advantage • Master deep, focused work • Leave the competition wondering how 🎯 Plot twist: I'm not perfect at these either. Current focus to help me up my game: →(#4) 10-12 "vault time" (non-negotiable) →(#6) Phone-free mornings ♻️ Repost to help others gain 90 power days (no extra hours or grind needed) 👉 Follow Holly Moe for more science-backed strategies that multiply success in work and life

12 steps to protect your focus - And develop a deep work routine: (5 and 6 are so important) 1) Prioritize ↳Before you begin, pick just 1 task you want to work on (no multitasking) ↳Choose your "frog" - the important item you've been putting off 2) Protect the time ↳Find a window of at least 1 hour (2-3 is even better) and block it on your calendar ↳Experiment to find the time when you're most productive and focused 3) Find a space ↳Choose a location where you can close the door and limit distractions ↳Ask others not to interrupt you when you're in there 4) Prepare ↳Download files and gather resources you'll need to complete the work ↳Go to the bathroom, grab a water, and anticipate any other needs 5) Put your phone away ↳Switch your phone to airplane mode and put it out of reach ↳Do NOT look at it until you're finished - that friend's text can wait 6) Shut apps  ↳Close anything on your computer that has notifications, like email and Slack ↳X out of any distracting tabs like news sites or social media 7) Grab a pen and pad ↳It's impossible to stop to-dos and other thoughts from popping into your head ↳Simply write them down when you think of them and then move on 8) Use headphones ↳If you're particularly sensitive to sound, try noise-canceling headphones ↳Find what's best for you: playing nothing at all, white noise, or music without lyrics 9) Clear your mind ↳When everything is ready, pause before diving in to briefly relax ↳You can simply close your eyes and breathe, or do a 1-minute meditation 10) Use a timer ↳Set a timer so you don't have to worry about watching the clock ↳Experiment with techniques like Pomodoro to work and break in intervals 11) Improve ↳After every time you do deep work, reflect on what helped and hurt your focus ↳Make improvements each time to consistently enhance your productivity 12) Handle the basics ↳Exhaustion, hunger, and lack of exercise can be even worse for focus than your phone ↳Get adequate sleep, eat well, and move your body every day Just two hours of deep work can beat a full day of distracted work. Use this checklist to focus deeply on your most important tasks, And turbocharge your productivity. P.S. I'm always curious to hear: When do you get your best deep work done? --- ♻ Repost to help your network be more productive. And follow me George Stern for more. If you want the high-res PDF of this sheet, sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gpe6Q3V6

My best productivity booster this year is a tool that's been there for years. It's the "work offline" button in email. You already know the 2-3 things you HAVE to get done today to be successful. With the exception perhaps of PR and HR folks who need to respond to real-time emergencies, the rest of us start our days knowing our short priority to do list (and if you don't, that's a whole other afternoon-before habit worth pursuing). New inbound email is either other people's priorities or non-essential information that is keeping you from doing your best work, right now. Turn off notifications, turn off new email, leave your phone on the other side of the room, block your calendar and focus on what matters most. Your biggest obstacle at this point is likely to be mental. What am I missing? What's new I want to know about? None of that is likely as important as that short to-do list you started the day with. And as this habit helps you get more of the right work done more often, the endorphin rush of meaningful productivity will reinforce that behavior (and suppress offline anxiety) moving forward.