9 Reasons You Need to Unplug

Increased Productivity

It may seem counterintuitive that disconnecting from the Internet can help boost your productivity, but responding to e-mails and messages, updating your status, or browsing through your newsfeed during your 9-to-5 can be a huge hindrance to completing your to-do list. According to John Medina, author of Brain Rules, once a person is interrupted by something that's not work related on the computer, it can take up to 50 percent longer to finish an assignment. Further research suggests that each time a person is sidetracked, the brain takes up to 45 minutes to refocus. That means every time you stop to watch a YouTube video or respond to an e-mail chain about this weekend's plans, you'll have to give up personal hours after hours to compensate. Give yourself a 30-minute time slot around your lunch to catch up on your those cute pet videos and Facebook photos so that you can remain efficient while on the clock.