Yes. Whether you have self control or not, a bouncing widget on your screen, accompanied by sound effects (or not), is distracting.
I do several things to help me maintain focus at work:
- No email notifications. Not even a visible count of unread messages. I check email at natural stopping points in my workflow.
- No social media notifications at all.
- No chat programs.
Those simple things really work to help minimize distractions that could break my focus. The only one I haven't managed to kick is the habit of people to just walk up to my desk and interrupt me (the biggest downside of an open office plan).
I do several things to help me maintain focus at work:
- No email notifications. Not even a visible count of unread messages. I check email at natural stopping points in my workflow.
- No social media notifications at all.
- No chat programs.
Those simple things really work to help minimize distractions that could break my focus. The only one I haven't managed to kick is the habit of people to just walk up to my desk and interrupt me (the biggest downside of an open office plan).