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The former Google product philosopher called Tristan Harris has set Silicon Valley aflame with his campaign against distraction. Our antsy, capricious modern condition, aided and abetted by design intending to worsen it, he says, has destroyed meaningful interaction.
Harris's lament is a familiar one; we've all walked past pub tables crowded with silent groups, idly staring at screens. There's, rightly, a worry around the social ruin of distraction - but there's another place that's suffering, too: the workplace.

There are times every single day when you need to sit down and get things done. And, once you've really hit your stride, we know that interruption has serious deleterious effects on your ability to concentrate.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found the typical office worker is interrupted or switches tasks, on average, every three minutes and five seconds. And it can take 23 minutes and 15 seconds just to get back to where they left off.

You need to ensure your creativity and imagination are not suffocated and stifled by perpetual connection.

It's not just colleagues. Even our phones very presence, when we can see it in the corner of our eyes, is enough to distract us. "Even if it's just mental, your focus is not on the task at hand, whether it be trying to write an article, get this spreadsheet set up, or just socialising; your mind is elsewhere," professor Bill Thornton told Time. Tristan Harris calls this "unconscious use".

If the presence of a phone is enough to distract us, if the constant chatter of running a growing startup is enough to fetter progress, then what can be done?

The only way to fight it is with a deliberate militancy: dedicated quiet time, logging out and filtering all potential distractions. Marc Wileman, the founder of Sublime Science, explained to BusinessZone that, whenever possible, he spends part of his day working in analogue; no computer, no phone, just pen and paper.

It's an approach that's also recommended by James Watt, the founder of Brewdog. In his book-cum-manifesto Business for Punks, Watt writes: "You need to ensure your creativity and imagination are not suffocated and stifled by perpetual connection. My analogue desk has notepads, big blank sheets of paper, pens, pencils and nothing else.

"The clear distinction between the two workspaces lets my head get into the proper zone for the type of work I'm about to do."

It's a neat idea - but could this self-imposed exile work for a founder trying to grow a desperately understaffed startup? Could a phone call you missed while away from keyboard have been the crucial one?

It's this anxiety that really stops people from ever fully concentrating on the matter at hand. The mind drifts, concerned about what's being missed. The good news is that a resolute approach akin to Watt's is now easier than ever.

Your home screen should consist only of tools and aspirations.

With the rise of technology like virtual assistants, not being available doesn't have to mean being absent. A leading provider like eReceptionist, for instance, offers a virtual PA that can deftly handle queries when you're not available (either by default or design - allowing you to set your 'quiet moments'). Calls are fielded, not by a harried, muffled voice mail, but rather a professional automated service that answers the call and then transfers it to another designated user.

As far as your phone goes, Harris prescribes "rebooting it with mindfulness". "Our goal here isn't to be defensive and resist our phones but to ask the question, 'how can we make our home screen a livable place?'" wrote Harris in a recent post on Medium.

According to Harris, the endless grid of apps on your phone should be sorted into three piles: tools, bottomless bowls (that's anything where you scroll endlessly), and aspirations. Your tools are things you rely on frequently (camera, notes) and aspirations "represent things that you realistically want to spend more time on in your life" (a certain podcast, maybe).

Your home screen should consist only of tools and aspirations. The bottomless bowls should be condemned to the second page of apps. "The fewer the number of icons our eyes have to scan when we unlock our phone, the less work our mind has to do," explains Harris. The aim is to foster deliberate use; you unlock your phone to do a thing. There's no need to lock your phone in a safe.

Concentrating on your work doesn't need to be a zero-sum game. Technology itself can allow you to unmoor yourself from distraction without becoming completely marooned and unreachable.

And, then, when you're ready to check any connection you may have missed, you can do so with a deliberate zeal, fully concentrating on the task at hand.
If you want to find out more about how eReceptionist can help you do business anywhere check out www.ereceptionist.co.uk. And we've a special offer for BusinessZone readers - give us a call on 0800 689 3826 and quote 'BusinessZone' and we'll give you a 60-day free trial instead of the usual 30.

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Don't let this distract you: how entrepreneurs cut through the noise

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The former Google product philosopher called Tristan Harris has set Silicon Valley aflame with his campaign against distraction. Our antsy, capricious modern condition, aided and abetted by design intending to worsen it, he says, has destroyed meaningful interaction. Harris's lament is a familiar one; we've all walked past pub tables crowded with silent groups, idly staring at screens.