My pal Erik Fisher of the Beyond the To-do List podcast (see my recent interview with him here), has a great new book out called Hit the Mark that’s all about one of my most favorite topics: Productivity.

{Yes, I’m the biggest productivity hack you’ll ever meet. And no, that doesn’t mean I’m that amazing at it. But it does mean I read endlessly about the topic;)

Erik’s new book has an interesting take on theme, and definitely worth a good long look. I’ll let him tell you all about it…

The Easiest Way to Improve Your Focus Today

by Erik

To get better control of your time and improve focus, you need to wear a wrist watch.

Wear a wrist watch? What kind of advice is that? Hear me out. A wrist watch is not really about time itself. It’s about focus. When you have an easily accessible way to check the time without pulling out your smartphone, you set up a very important boundary.

You put up a barrier between yourself and the temptation to get lost down the rabbit hole of infinite knowledge available to you in the palm of your hand.

A wrist watch is much more than outdated technology kept around for the sole purpose of fashion. Rather, this amazing device allows you to be present. When you use your smartphone as your watch, it becomes a gateway to be everywhere but where you are at the moment.

As beneficial as it is to hop on Facebook or Twitter while in line at the BMV, this limits your ability to give your attention to someone or something. You can’t hold the door open for that elderly gentleman or even say hello to your neighbor when busy staring at the device your hand.

Does this mean you can never interact with data or people on the other end of a device? Obviously not. What it does mean though is to make the most of your time, you must also use focus. Multitasking in one area of your life carries over to other areas. If you struggle with social media usage on your phone, you will likely face the same issues on your computer.

Don’t believe me? Just try a wrist watch for one day and see how often you reach for that phone. And notice how much more you get done.

Try repeating this phrase: “Wherever you are, be there”.

Erik Fisher is a Community Manager for Social Media Examiner, Host of the Productivity podcast ‘Beyond the To-Do List’ and author whose next book ‘Hit The Mark! – Improve Your Focus, Boost Your Energy, Make the Most of Your Time’ just released!