Study looks at how to ignore digital distractions at work

Getting distracted at work?Ever since the workplace has become increasingly digital there has been consternation from managers that are worried that it’s leading to a decline in productivity and so on.  Indeed, many of my early articles on this blog revolved around rebutting such arguments.

Nevertheless, it’s probably fair to say that the web has its fair share of distractions, and a number of apps have emerged to help us retain our focus.  A recent study set out to explore just how effective these tools are at keeping us on track.

Wasting time

The researchers developed an app of their own, called TimeAware, that logs the websites we use each day, and then calculates a productivity score off the back of this information.

“With TimeAware, we could decide whether the data would be shown in a positive way by highlighting productivity, or in a negative way by highlighting unproductive time,” the researcher says. “I was curious which version might be more helpful in encouraging people to be more productive.”

The TimeAware app was born out of frustration with existing productivity apps, especially around the level of feedback that was offered to the user.  They reasoned that if your behavior doesn’t change, then the apps are useless, hence feedback is crucial.

To begin with, two versions of TimeAware were created to alter the way data was displayed.  In one version they showed the amount of time the person was productive each day, whilst the other version showed how much time was wasted.

Glass half full

Interestingly, the way the information was framed did play a big part in subsequent behavior changes, but not in the way the researchers believed it would.  Framing things in a positive way did nothing to change behaviors, but when the app made clear how much time was being wasted, productivity increased.

“I was really surprised that there was no effect on the positive condition, because that’s the way most of the apps similar to TimeAware are designed,” they say. “The study suggests that just looking at and being aware of your current state doesn’t really help.”

Things do get a little more complex however, because the users were also asked a number of other questions around their work habits.  Whilst it appeared that those in the negatively framed group increased their productivity, they also recorded higher stress scores.  Now, this stress level may explain why the app worked in changing behaviors, but it remains to be seen what long-term impact it might have.

The researchers are exploring whether future iterations of the app can retain the productivity boosting aspect whilst lowering the stressful nature of the service.

“In the future, we might look at ways to lower that stress, like only showing feedback at certain times of the day, perhaps at lunch and then before you leave work. Or, having a user be able to set an alarm that would sound when their productivity dips below 70 percent,” they say.

It’s certainly an interesting study, and with the number of digital distractions at work only likely to rise, it seems inevitable that such discussions will be ongoing.

Check out the video below for more information on TimeAware, and do please share your own hints and tips for remaining productive at work.

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