Chances are you are reading this article mid-email check or while browsing the web.

The good news for you is that unlike other mental junk food (did you see Renee Zellweger’s face?!), reading all of this article could actually make the rest of your day more productive.

• Do you work in an office? Your job could be killing you
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The Harvard Business Review recently described how we are constantly distracted by our phones and computers as “the marshmallow test for adults”.

They were referencing a Stanford University test in the 1960s where children were placed in a room with a marshmallow and told if they waited 15 minutes before eating it, they would get a second treat.

Turns out the children who waited for the second treat had higher college entry scores and better brain function later in life.

Rather than waiting for the productivity marshmallow, research shows the average person now checks their phone a whopping 150 times a day.

So what impact do our devices have on us when we need to focus on work?

Put down your phone and keep reading

Business coach and mindfulness trainer Suzie Brown says people today are used to constant stimulation and contact with each other.

“It’s quite hard to resist it often because we’re getting this deluge of distraction; the phone is beeping, there’s messaging coming in,” Ms Brown says.

Hey! Are you distracted right now? Get back to reading!

“The other reason it’s very enticing is that it’s often about connecting with other people.”

University of New England professor of behavioural science Michael Bittman says our obsession with our devices comes from “perpetual contact” with those around us.

“I think it’s social connectedness. Some of it is real, some of it is virtual,” Mr Bittman says.

Don’t look away; ignore emails for another minute

Phones and emails impact how well we function at work because our brains cannot do more than one task effectively at any given time, Mr Bittman says.

“The human brain copes very well with a single activity.”

“Once you start adding a second task, which involves dividing your attention between the first task and the second task, there’s usually some degradation of those tasks.”

That’s bad news since research today shows we spend an average of just over a minute on tasks before being interrupted.

Ms Brown says there’s a misconception that multitasking between things like checking your phone and doing paperwork makes you more effective.

“If you’re trying to write an email to somebody while also being on the phone to somebody else, you wouldn’t be writing that email effectively and you also wouldn’t be listening to that person on the phone.”

Congratulations! You made it. Now here’s how to keep that focus

Get clear on important tasks

Having clear priorities for the day will help you avoid distractions like Facebook notifications or text messages from friends, says Ms Brown.

“Before you do anything, before you turn on your computer, think about that bit of work that has a deadline today or that’s urgent and focus on that,” she says.

“Write down your three most important tasks at the start of the day before you do anything.”

Get clear on tasks so you don’t get distracted by emails. Photo: Shutterstock

Stop checking and checking again

Ms Brown says the urge to check our phones or distract ourselves from work is usually an attempt to block out our feelings.

“If you’re feeling not-so-good, notice what you’re trying to do to cover up or make that feeling go away,” she says.

“Become aware of the urge to do something else like look at your phone or check your emails.

“Sit with that urge and that in itself can help reduce that urge so that it doesn’t take control of you.”

Switch off your phone

Switching off your phone or putting it away in a drawer can be the best way to help you focus at work, Ms Brown says.

“I guess the main obvious way to get work done is to focus on one thing at a time,” she says.

“In terms of work, the best way you can do this is firstly switch off your phone or computer or switch it to silent when you want to do something.”