Don’t Ignore The Power Of Your Smartphone – It’s The Key To Boosting Productivity

It’s possible to misuse any tool and when it comes to your smartphone, you could get lost in distraction, just using its extensive capabilities to waste time, be entertained, and keep yourself away from doing all the important work you really need to be getting on with.

There’s another side to the smartphone, too: the side that will boost your productivity. Because make no mistake, you’re carrying around a tool that can bring out the best in you – if you know how.

Structuring Your Day

It’s easy to get lost underneath all the tasks you need to take care of on any given day. If you’ve just walking around blindly, hoping to fit everything in, then sooner or later you’re going to end the day without completing some important tasks. Enter the smartphone. On the app stores, you’ll find plenty of apps that’ll allow you to create to-do lists that are integrated with a calendar so that you can compartmentalise your day. It’s much easier to get everything done when you can see where and when you need be throughout the day.

Five Minute Spells

In the olden days, you could really only get things done when you were in the office. Then the computer came in, and you could get a head start on the day by doing work at home. Now, with the smartphone, you’re able to send those emails and share those documents wherever you are. If you have a long train commute, or you’re waiting in line for a coffee, or you have to leave the office for a doctor’s appointment, you can carry on with your day just like you’re in the office.

Learning New Skills And Ideas

The internet is about more than cat videos and memes. It’s a world of knowledge; indeed, it gives you access to every piece of knowledge ever recorded. As a business focused, ambitious individual, it’s crucial that you never stop learning; it’ll take you down paths that you never even knew existed. With your phone, you can listen to Ted Talks, brush up on your business industry knowledge, connect with others, and expand your mind with all those intelligent podcasts that you can easily download onto your phone.

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Taking Breaks

There’s many a smartphone function that will boost productivity, and they’re not always the most obvious. Take gaming. You could initially think that this will be counterproductive, but the research says otherwise. Playing games has been shown to improve memory, increase efficiency, and generally to be better for productivity than a trip away! Download the Final Fantasy 15 game on your smartphone, and you’ll be improving your work efficiency while also having a good time. If you needed an excuse to spend some time on your lunch break lost in another world, then there it is.

Getting Into The Zone

Have you ever sat down at your desk, ready to start work, and then found that you’re struggling to get into the flow of the working day? You’re just not in the right headspace yet. Fortunately, there is a readily available antidote: music. If you have the Spotify – or another music streamer – on your phone, then just plug in your headphones and select music that improves concentration. There’s two that work especially well – classical music, and video game soundtracks. The latter is especially useful. It’s beautiful music, and is specifically designed not to be too distracting.

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Switching Out The Time Wasters

Of course, there’s no denying that smartphones have a lot of potential to waste a lot of time without even noticing. The trick is to switch out the apps that won’t improve your productivity with ones that will. Uninstall things like Facebook and Instagram; they’re not going to push you forward in any way, and replace them with apps that will. It’s about getting rid of the time wasters altogether, not just relying on yourself not to open them during the day.

Turning It Off

Though much can be done with a smartphone, remember that you should also take a look at turning it off altogether from time to time. A big aspect of productivity is having clear thoughts, and you’ll only be able to achieve this calm, relaxed state if you spend some time away from technology. For one hour (at least) each night, lock your phone away in a drawer and drift away into your thoughts; it’s where creativity lives.

Use your smartphone correctly, and you’ll quickly notice that it’s much easier to get your tasks done on time.