Why we use our phone too much
Today we use our phone for almost everything: watching videos, shopping online, booking a restaurant, reading email, dating. To the point where we feel lost when it's not within reach.
Some estimates even say we check our phone more than 300 times a day - almost once every five minutes.
In the focus chapter, we saw why you should turn off all notifications to avoid getting interrupted for no reason.
But here we're going further.
The rule is simple: when you're working, you should never use your smartphone.
The real advantages of a phone
Let's be honest: the phone does have a few advantages over a computer.
It fits in your pocket, so it's always with you: in transit, at a restaurant, with friends, even in the car.
It fits in your hand, which makes it comfortable for reading or watching videos, especially on the couch or in bed.
And of course, it can make calls.
But the moment you need to produce, the smartphone becomes a terrible tool.
Why the smartphone is a bad work tool
First issue: the keyboard. Even with predictive text, most people type almost twice as slowly on a phone as on a computer.
If you write one hour per day on your phone, switching to a computer can save you around 30 minutes a day.
Second issue: the screen. It's far too small to switch between tabs, comment a document, or structure a slightly complex answer efficiently.
Third issue: interruptions. Your phone constantly shows notifications from apps and messages, which destroys focus.
As we saw in the focus chapter, each interruption costs far more than a few seconds.
The couch-and-commute trap
A lot of people reply to email from the couch or in bed simply because the phone is already there. There's almost zero startup friction.
But in most cases, it would be much faster to grab your computer and process your messages in one go, as explained in
treat your emails like your socks: how to handle 300 emails a day.
Same idea on commutes. Replying to email on the subway or bus is rarely a good move.
You're better off waiting until you're at a computer, with a real keyboard and a larger screen.
On the other hand, the phone is perfect to consume content: reading newsletters, listening to a podcast, or catching up on an article you saved.
A simple rule to truly disconnect from work
Refusing to work on your phone has another major benefit.
If you go away for the weekend or on vacation without a computer, you don't work.
It's a clear boundary between work and the rest of your life, and a great way to protect your mental energy - in line with
the power of breaks: why stopping actually makes you more effective.
Go further
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