Tame your tools by asking one critical question every time

A tiny red badge can warp your whole afternoon. You open a “quick” message and suddenly you’re in a thread about a meeting you’re not even attending. The simplest filter is also the most powerful: ask if the trigger serves you. If it doesn’t, don’t let it set your agenda.

A consultant told me he kept getting pulled into chat debates. His keyboard clacked while a draft proposal sat half‑done. We did a quick audit. He removed sounds from everything but calls, hid badge counts, and sent a polite note to his team with his new chat windows. He also printed a small sign: “Heads‑down, back at 1:00.” The first day felt odd. By the third, people adapted. He finished his proposal by lunch and took a real break, feeling the sun on his face as he stepped outside.

Feeds are another trap. They’re designed to keep you scrolling. Bypass them. A student replaced her social bookmarks with direct links to her groups’ message pages. She installed an extension that hides the feed until her to‑dos are checked off. When she visits, she knows why she’s there.

This isn’t anti‑tech. It’s pro‑intention. Tools are great when they serve a plan. The Fogg model reminds us that when triggers are ever‑present and ability is high, behavior follows. Make distraction slightly harder and traction slightly easier, and the balance shifts in your favor.

Do a fast channel audit today—kill sounds for everything but calls, and remove non‑essential badges. Replace feed bookmarks with direct links to the part you actually need, and install a feed‑hiding extension if helpful. Add two inbox or chat windows to your calendar and post a small cue when you’re heads‑down. Each time a ping appears, ask if this serves your plan; if not, defer it to your next window. Test this for one day and notice the calm.