F  L  A  U  N  T

 Matt Proman calls social media a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing in its being a free yet invaluable marketing tool and a curse due to its contribution towards lost productivity. When Matt realized how much screen time he and his team were logging per day on unnecessary social media distractions, he decided they needed to do something about it. As per Matt, there are four primary focus areas when it comes to being productive: clarity, capacity, curiosity, and community. With research and effort, Matt has learned today how to adapt these areas to productivity, separating himself from social media distractions. Social media pulls people in and changes their relationship with the physical space around them. We get sucked into the digital landscape. Losing focus and escaping from reality is literally a swipe away. Matt Proman understands people need to keep their phones close at hand; all he asks is that they turn off all non-critical notifications during working hours. Matt combats social media distraction by planning his day out hour by hour, and he encourages his employees to do the same. Additionally, to keep from becoming overwhelmed, Matt plans out just one task per hour. As such, the worst that can happen is he gets ahead of schedule. Curiosity fuels our attention, and so our relationships with information must be balanced. People are intrigued by things that catch their attention; as a result, tasks that seem mundane do not pique interest. Matt has realized that he must teach people to be curious about tasks that do not resonate with them. He does this in the guide of updating and upgrading skills and holding frequent training workshops for employees. Finally, Matt tries to create a sense of community in the workplace. This generates a sense of belonging to combat the online communities that people are eager members of. As silly as it might sound, Matt calls business hours “work mode,” meaning he does everything possible to eliminate outside elements not related to the job. This includes precautions such as switching his phone to the “Do Not Disturb” mode. It’s a simple tactic but with tangible results. By understanding how social media can disrupt focus, Matt Proman has been able to overcome screen time for increased productivity. All he did was redirect curiosity to the right places and create a more engaging workplace, and this is a strategy he recommends to all CEOs and entrepreneurs.