Useful Science is a site that attempts to summarize research and scientific findings in a simple way. They even have a nice newsletter.
Category: Attention
Put Your Phone Away
“I would often catch myself pulling out my phone to merely check the time (and then check the time again since I never actually remembered it the first time). This frequent ‘time check’ reenforced the habit of constantly pulling out my phone and undoubtedly led to unnecessary browsing if a waiting notification piqued my interest. Buy a watch. Wear it.”
https://medium.com/p/15308056cfae
Speaking of distractions, put your damn phone away.
Matt Griffin on Working with Email
“And when you’ve finished that batch of email responses and are ready to return to your work? Close that email client, friend! Don’t open it back up until you’re ready to dedicate your attention to it again. Otherwise, it’s just a distraction. I find it useful to set times for checking my email throughout the day, for instance 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 4 p.m.”
http://alistapart.com/column/my-life-with-email
Some good tips here. Email is one of those deceptively simple things that everyone misuses.
The best measure of an employee is how well she mentors others
“Most companies measure performance based on individual accomplishments. But that system doesn’t reward people for a lot of essential behind-the-scenes work. And it can reward people that either take credit for others’ work, or are better at showing off than working. The traditional approach sometimes advances the wrong people, and can end up hurting companies, Grant argues.”
http://qz.com/197420/the-best-measure-of-an-employee-is-how-well-she-mentors-others/
First Parent to Pick up the Phone is the Worst
“In research for her book, Steiner-Adair interviewed 1,000 children between the ages of 4 and 18, asking them about their parents’ use of mobile devices. The language that came up over and over and over again, she says, was “sad, mad, angry and lonely.” … There was one girl who said, “I feel like I’m just boring. I’m boring my dad because he will take any text, any call, anytime — even on the ski lift!”“
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/21/304196338/for-the-childrens-sake-put-down-that-smartphone
I’ve been bad about this, but with Kari and the second on the way I’m getting much better about putting the phone away around family.
NPR has been running many stories about parents, distraction, and technology this week. Here’s another good one.