NEWS

If you were told not to think of a pink elephant, you will more than likely picture an image of a pink elephant. This is called the Ironic Process theory, the psychological process whereby deliberate attempts to suppress certain thoughts makes them more likely to surface.

Thoughts are easily disrupted because an adult’s average attention span is approximately 20 seconds. Attention spans can vary by age and for a variety of reasons. It is amazing we get any work done at all.

Being that we are in a highly digital age, news can be a constant distraction. Therefore, slow news days prove to be more productive work days.

What were the biggest productivity disruptions of 2018?

Hive, a project management platform, released a study on the “Most Disruptive Events Of 2018 For Productivity” and found these moments kept us glued to our phones and laptops and extremely unproductive.

6. June 15, 2 PM:  The World Cup, Spain vs. Portugal game

The World Cup only happens every 4 years and, when it does, everyone drops what they are doing and remembers they are lifelong soccer fans…or at least they pretend to be.

Productivity drop: 15%

5. April 10:  The Mark Zuckerberg Facebook hearings

Mark Zuckerberg, testified about Facebook’s involvement in a recent election. Though he was perfectly media coached, it was apparent that Zuckerberg was stressed.

Productivity drop: 19%

4. September 25, 4:30 PM:  Bill Cosby sentencing

Entertainer, Bill Cosby had been in a long legal battle over felony sexual assault charges. The sentencing came after a 2017 mistrial and accusations that dated as far back as 1965. Many were interested in how many years of imprisonment the entertainer would receive.

Productivity drop: 32%

3. April 25:  Kanye West Tweetstorm

Singer, Kanye West has been known to have lengthy Tweeter tirades.  His April 25th Tweets created quite a bit of attention with his pro-Trump content.

Productivity drop: 55%

2. November 30, 3 PM:  Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” video

All you need is a few pop culture references and people will just phase out for the day. So many people stopped what they were doing to watch “Thank U, Next” video that YouTube’s comment section literally broke for a minute. Grande’s video was the fastest video ever to reach 100 million views on YouTube. By 5 PM, productivity was back to normal.

Productivity drop: 57%

1. September 27, 3:15-6:45 PM:  Brett Kavanaugh hearings

With 13 million people tuning in, it is no wonder productivity dropped 31% at 10 AM when Dr. Ford began testifying. Productivity dropped by 70% once Kavanaugh took the stand later in the day.

Productivity drop: 70%

From everyone at Sustained Quality Group, may you have a productive and successful 2019. Happy New Year.