The economic principle I examined was institutions and specifically how can institutions make us more productive in a time when there are many distractions. There are many situations where this economic principle can be applied to the real world. For example first I studied the impact of technological distractions on our productivity. I learned that technological distractions are one of the most immense forms of distractions that diminish our productivity. I learned that app developers intentionally create apps that diminish our productivity and that this is known as brain hacking in the software development world. If institutions force us to put our cellular devices away we will be more productive. Second I studied the impact of environment on our productivity. I learned that productivity is largely dependent on physical environments. If the environment is too comfortable you may feel sleepy and consequently complete tasks at a slower rate. If the environment is not comfortable you will likely tense up and not have a calm mind. The ideal physical work environment is comfortable but not too comfortable. Studies found that when people were able to choose their own work environment productivity increased by 30%. Therefore institutions should let us pick our own work environment to maximize productivity.Third I studied the importance of focus on our productivity. According to associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University Cal Newport, the act of looking at the phone itself is what puts people off task, not the duration that people look at their phones. I learned that is it important to work smarter not longer and that everyone should try to create deep work.I learned that deep work can be created by being isolated. Isolation is important for deep work therefore institutions should allow people to alone so that they can be more productive. Finally I studied multitasking and productivity. I was surprised to find out that multitasking actually does not exist and our brains are just switching from task to task very rapidly. According to a study conducted by Stanford University individuals who multitask were less likely to to recall information and pay attention. From this we can conclude that multitasking has a large negative impact on individuals therefore institutions should stop encouraging it.
