MODERN THINKING
How to make distractions
work for you
By Jenny Brockis
W
ith work so busy and
peppered with distractions
it’s easy to fall into the
trap of thinking the only way to
work at our best is to focus hard
while fending off those pesky
interruptions. But this denies our
brain the opportunities that abound
to use distractions to our benefit
and boost productivity. It’s time to
stop following the herd and start
using distractions to your cognitive
advantage.
36 ModernBusiness
November 2016
Give your brain a break.
Trips to the water cooler, going to
the toilet, hanging out in the staff
kitchen making your tenth cup
of coffee might seem like time
wasters but the reality is these
activities give your brain the break
it needs to re-energise and refresh
before tackling the next round
of focused work. Our prefrontal
cortex, the small energy hungry
part of our frontal lobes is designed
to apply our best focus in short
sharp bursts of 25 to 90 minutes.
Continuing to work when tired adds
to our cognitive load, increases
stress levels, slows down mental
processing speed and leads to
more mistakes. Two to three brain
breaks of 20 minutes during the day
enhances day time productivity and
promotes better sleep at night.
Be amused.
While watching funny cat videos
might seem counterintuitive to