7 WAYS TECHNOLOGY IS KILLING YOUR EFFICIENCY

Posted on Wednesday, 17th June - 2020, in LATEST NEWS and INSIGHTS, by Dr Garry Richards OAM FAIM

Is technology working for you or against you?

We live in the age of computers; whether it’s for work or leisure, screens constantly attract (and distract) our attention. But is our addiction to technological advancement making us more productive? Probably not. In fact, many studies have proven that technology is killing your efficiency as well as your ability to focus.

It’s time to start drawing the line between being productive and multitasking ourselves into vicious cycles of wasted time. In the right environment, team building provides a powerful tool to combat and overcome these bad habits. But before we help you tackle underwhelming production, let’s examine why, and how, technology is killing your efficiency.

HOW TECHNOLOGY IS KILLING YOUR EFFICIENCY

The Guardian recently published an eye-opening article called “Why the Modern World is Bad for Your Brain.” Here are the top seven takeaways:

1. THE COGNITIVE COST OF MULTITASKING

A neuroscientist at MIT has found that rapidly switching between tasks has a long-term cognitive cost. Although we don’t initially see it, it can build up over time, causing memory loss and inability to concentrate. Doing too much at once leads us to ignore our essential tasks. It also creates the illusion that we’re accomplishing more than we are.

2. OVERSTIMULATION

Multitasking produces an abundance of the stress hormone, cortisol, and the “fight-or-flight” hormone, adrenaline. These extra hormones lead to overstimulation which can cloud your judgment and make it harder to concentrate.

3. SELF-SABOTAGING YOUR ABILITY TO CONCENTRATE

You can become addicted to multitasking in a harmful, self-sabotaging way. That’s because multi-tasking stimulates the release of dopamine. Your brain feels rewarded for losing focus, making it harder to concentrate the more you multitask.

4. INABILITY TO FOCUS

Mobile phones have created rising expectations for constant availability. Email pings and instant messages consistently divide our attention and damage our ability to concentrate on singular tasks. This trend has also contributed to increased levels of stress.

5. COGNITIVE LOSS

Glenn Wilson, Professor of Psychology at London’s Gresham College, conducted a study that came to this conclusion:

 “… cognitive losses from multitasking are even greater than the cognitive losses from pot‑smoking.”

6. LEARNING MALFUNCTIONS

Stanford’s Neuroscientist, Russ Poldrack, has discovered that if you try to absorb new information while multitasking, it goes to the wrong part of your brain. Thus, learning is more difficult, and new ideas are harder to retrieve.

7. RISING STRESS HORMONES AND AGGRESSION

Switching tasks due to an overwhelming amount of notifications can create more anxiety and raise cortisol stress hormones in the brain. This buildup of stress often leads to aggressive behavior as well as impulsive decisions. If you stay on task, your brain uses less energy than when it’s multitasking. Staying focused also reduces the brain’s need for glucose and eliminates unhealthy sugar cravings.

HOW TO REGAIN YOUR TEAM’S EFFICIENCY

Research has shown that team building activities are a panacea for boosting cognitive abilities as well as efficiency.

Team building activities that involve exercise is an excellent way to improve your staff’s problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. According to Psychology Today:

“Sweat is like WD-40 for your mind. It lubricates the rusty hinges of your brain and makes your thinking more fluid. Exercise allows your conscious mind to access fresh ideas that are buried in the subconscious.”

Key benefits of team building activities include:

• Team building enhances patience, problem-solving, and creativity
• Teams develop their critical-thinking skills through open discussions
• The brain is trained to analyze problems in new ways
• It creates an environment where others can take risks and depend on the support of their peers
• These activities help develop an active consideration of different viewpoints

 

SUMMING UP

At Unique Team Building, we can help you and your team overcome the pitfalls of technology and reclaim your efficiency. We offer a wide range of specialized team building packages that include outdoor educational experiences as well as indoor challenges. We also offer customized programs that are designed to give you long-lasting results. Contact us to unlock your team’s potential.