Eliminate unnecessary digital distractions.

Asking the brain to shift attention from one activity to another causes the prefrontal cortex and striatum to burn up oxygenated glucose. This oxygenated glucose is the fuel needed to stay on task, according to neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin. Our smartphones are the most frequent villains of distraction for pulling us off task. The social pressure to be constantly online, attached to social media, or available for every call or text, is literally draining our brains’ potential. Eliminating all of the pesky alerts and notifications from our phones is a small step with enormous implications for our brains’ operation and energy.

1. Go to the notification settings of your Smartphone and turn off ALL unnecessary and distracting pings and dings.

2. Be honest. Are there even more apps, social media, or other features you could disable to keep you focused and on task, or more present, in your day?