This is a question nearly every business leader or company person asks themselves and struggles with on an ongoing basis. Life, now more than ever offers us numerous ways to fill nearly every moment of our time. With handheld technology, this is especially true. It's easy to trick our minds into thinking that we are filling our days with productive moments and pleasurable activities - when really we are just doom-scrolling and wasting our time.
For many of us, it's just as easy to use our stress indicators to point to priority tasks to do next. We can also look to the productivity world to help us out. There are "next action" techniques that work well, as taught by the David Allen Company and as written in the book Getting Things Done. There are simpler techniques that involve only a simple text file named "Trigger List" which may contain pre-written tasks, areas to review, questions to self, or "trigger phrases" to kick-off a productive habit.
However, at Minus Technologies, we propose a different idea: "nothing". The idea of staring at nothing has proven to be a powerful aid in helping workers transition to their next task.
For many, we've lost the ability to sit still and just think - which is really important for knowledge workers and digital thinkers. The act of focusing on nothing is like bringing meditation practice into work, as explained in our article on single-tasking (https://www.minus.app/articles/single-tasking-how-to-intro). A similar notion would be the Pomodoro Technique, which encourages, rather demands, that we take mental breaks after every 25 minutes of focused work, as explained in our article on software tools for ADHD professionals (https://www.minus.app/articles/assistive-tools-for-adhd-professionals-how-minus-app-can-help).
A big problem, or impedance, to practicing this micro-break technique is the computer and desktop experience itself, which is a massive distraction. It continuously calls our attention with bite-size trickery that sucks us in for endless hours wasted. Our deep brains know this, which is why some of us have developed anxiety towards the computer.
A proven way to combat against this demiseful way of working is to use the Activation features with Minus.app. By simply switching to the Minus.app icon, your workspace will be instantly cleared of any clutter or distractions. This minimalistic empty screen experience helps the mind reset and decompress from its prior task. You can activate Minus.app whenever it's unclear what to do next - thus rewiring the instinct to open a browser or time-wasting application. The clean and tidy space that Minus.app provides helps relax the mind, eyes, emotions, and other brain activity associated with calm creativity - a precursor to flow.
If you truly drift off, Minus.app has a backup plan. Running in the background is a distraction coach that will nudge you when you visit websites that are known to distract you, as explained in our article on software tools for ADHD professionals. If you find yourself busting through all of these safeguards, Minus.app can employ even deeper anti-distraction technology, such as Luxafor Distractions, as explained in our upcoming article on desktop environments (https://www.minus.app/blog/the-future-of-focus-and-distraction-free-workspaces).
The professional version of Minus.app, named Minus Pro, has all of these features unlocked, making it an essential tool for knowledge workers and digital thinkers who want to stay focused and productive.
