Do Cellphones Help or Hurt Your Productivity?

by Amber Kahwaji

Technology always seems to help the level of productivity during our work day. We can sync our cellphones to our computers at work and manage calendars, appointments, and practically anything else our heart desires.

And now with apps like Evernote and Slack, which can sync up members on a work team, it’s possible to accomplish so much more without having to worry about waiting to get in touch with someone once they get back to the office.

But how much is technology helping our productivity rather than hurting it?

The average office employee spends 56 minutes a day checking their phone and using it for non work-related purposes, according to Forbes. That means most employees are taking five hours a week out of their work day to use their phones.

But outside of work most people spend roughly three hours on their phones, according to Text Request. Add it all up and almost four hours a day are lost to phone use.

That’s a lot of time spent on the phone for fun or amusement rather than getting work done.

Others would argue, however, that phones have helped improve their productivity by being able to set reminders, alerts and keep an organized planner of important appointments.

And for many people using their phones, keeping them occupied on a break is their preferred method of winding down. However, this method also opens up a can of worms.

The brain needs time to rest, and it isn’t built to multitask the way we expect it to with multiple devices grabbing our attention all at once.

That’s why it’s recommended that people who spend a lot of time in front of a computer, or on their phones, follow the 20-20-20 rule.