Being productive is often presented as a way of life – get up early, study time blockpractice a healthy lifestyle, use the right tools – you name it. The promise is that if you take full control over your time and work environment, you'll be at your best.

While there's certainly some truth to this, there's one little thing we all take for granted that can derail most of your productivity gains—notifications.

These days, as an entrepreneur or manager, your attention is constantly being pulled in every direction. Urgent requests, project updates, general communication, team member questions, sales pitches, impromptu meetings… and that's just work. There is also life – social media, personal messages and phone calls, news, package deliveries.

Every interruption comes with a notification—a ping, a popup, a vibration, a phone call—all designed to grab your attention immediately. This releases dopamine, making you feel good, and a small amount of cortisol, making you feel a sense of urgency.

it's killing your productivity and that of your team, too.

Here's how and what to do about it.

A note on productivity

The holy grail of productivity it is reaching a flow state. In our day, we usually call it being in the zone or riding the wave, or being locked in. Simply put, it's that moment when you're working and you're completely focused on the task at hand, effortlessly moving forward while time seems to disappear.

When you are in a state of flow, your personal productivity is at its peak.

Most productivity techniques are just different methods that aim to help achieve this state:

• Pomodoro Timers? Give yourself a runway for uninterrupted work
• Time block? Avoid distractions for long periods of time
• Are you eating the frog? Do the big thing first so it doesn't weigh you down and distract you for the rest of the day

Productivity is primarily about maximizing focus and minimizing distractions. And there is science behind it. Studies suggest that, after a distraction, it should up to 23 minutes to fully refocus on the task you were engaged in.

The reason is twofold.

For one, people are absolutely horrible multitasking. It has been proven time and time again that we are at our peak when we immerse ourselves deeply in a single task. While it's certainly possible to juggle multiple tasks at once—we all do it all the time—your attention is a finite resource that diminishes the more it's divided.

Second, we can't go from 0 to 100 instantly when it comes to work. Getting into the flow of things requires momentum—to acclimate and reorient within the context, purpose, workflow, and progress of a given task. Once the will is lost, it must be rebuilt, and this takes time, energy and will.

Related: Be more productive with this easy hack

Notifications – the vampire of productivity

You probably already see where I'm going with this. Notifications are the number one threat to your productivity because they:

• Break your focus and derail your train of thought
• Increase stress levels by creating a constant sense of urgency
• Foster a culture of instant feedback, leading to shallow work
• Contribute to decision fatigue, depleting your willpower throughout the day

For some, the negative effects may extend beyond this. As mentioned, notifications create a dopamine-driven feedback loop that can become addictive. Each ping or vibration causes a small release of dopamine, making us feel momentarily good and important. This constant stream of small rewards can lead to a compulsive need to check our devices, even when there are no notifications.

Over time, this behavior can rewire our brains, making it harder to focus on deep, meaningful work. We are used to it continuous stimulationmaking it challenging to engage in the kind of focused, uninterrupted work that drives real productivity and innovation.

Related: Sometimes honesty is not always the best policy. Here are 9 scenarios where it might actually be better to lie.

The 5-minute fix

Turn off your notifications and, if possible, have your team do the same. You can do it now in just a few moments – grab your work gear, log in Settings > Notificationsand either turn them off or delay them.

• Too drastic?
• Muting individual applications.
• Worried about being unreachable?
• Leave an emergency contact channel open.
• Do you have any other reason?

Consider implementing a notification schedule. Set specific times during the day to check and reply to messages. This allows you to stay connected without constant interruptions. You can also use Do Not Disturb modes on most devices, which can be customized to allow calls from specific contacts or repeat calls in an emergency. Remember, it's about finding a balance that works – one that allows for focused work time while still maintaining the necessary communication.

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It's not just about you

As a leader, you explicitly and implicitly dictate how people you manage the work. If you're “always on,” your team will feel the pressure to do the same. There are also strong power dynamics at play – who would dare ignore a message from the CEO, even if it's just for a few hours? This creates a culture of disruption that can significantly hinder overall productivity.

If you notice the harmful effects of notifications, lead by example and free your team from them as well. Establish clear communication guidelines that respect focused work time and encourage your team to block off periods for deep work.

Related: 9 Habits of Stacking Routines to Increase Your Productivity

Look, I'm a CEO and a father of two – I fully understand that we live in an instant, continuous communicationand highly accelerated workflows. Not everyone can switch off for long periods of time, even if it's just an hour or two.

Just keep in mind that notifications can undermine any other productivity efforts on your part – and blocking them is the easiest place to start to improve your productivity.