It's important to realize that distractions during our work sessions have far more harmful effects than one might think.

According to a study, work done amid distractions is completed more quickly without any loss of quality, but at the cost of greater frustration, more stress, more pressure, and a greater mental load. The authors emphasize that maintaining this pace leads straight to cognitive exhaustion and burnout.

According to another study, the mere presence of a smartphone on the desk significantly reduces working memory and the ability to think clearly. It is only when the distraction is made completely inaccessible that unconscious effort stops, freeing up concentration.The same principle applies to entertainment apps and websites. When you're facing the screen, it's not a fair fight. You're not up against a simple algorithm, you're up against an army of the planet's brightest minds, paid to hack into yours. Just to distract you from your goals, ambitions, and so on.

Conversely, radically eliminating these distractions is the absolute key to entering a state of flow, a concept popularized by Cal Newport in his book DeepWork. It’s a state of such deep concentration that the perception of time seems to disappear, and where our brain pushes the boundaries of its cognitive limits, finally allowing us to reach our full potential.