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People get distracted by irrelevant websites and unproductive tasks occasionally. According to McKinsey, high-skilled workers in the U.S. spend a surprising 28% of their working hours reading and replying to e-mail messages. But if we learned to manage our distraction by communication technology in a more efficient manner, we could give the economy a $900 million to $1.3 trillion boost per year.

How did we end up in this situation? The 21st century is characterized by connectivity. Over the past couple of decades, it has become increasingly difficult to disconnect from sources of information. And this addiction becomes especially apparent when we lose our phones or our Internet connection drops out. For example, have you ever mislaid your phone for a few hours and become crazy at the thought of missing out on social media updates?

Originally, smartphones and other portable devices were designed to maximize convenience. Unfortunately, now they have turned into a distraction that often interrupts our daily lives. Every time your attention is diverted away from your task, you lose time. It takes effort to get back on track, and repeated interruptions can demotivate you. The more complicated your project is, the longer it takes to regain your focus, because your brain has to put in considerable effort when switching between complex objectives.

So what can you do? First, when focusing on an important project, you can put your phone and other devices away. If you don’t receive any messages, you won’t be distracted. There’s also a useful technique that will quickly get you back on track: The 20-Second Rule. It’s believed by some psychologists that if something—such as checking your social media—takes you 20 seconds longer to do, you’re less likely to do it. So you need to make it slightly more difficult to give in to temptation. For example, uninstall(卸载) a messaging app so that it takes you 20 seconds longer to install it again and log in. This approach means you do not have to rely on willpower. Instead, you will have set up a reliable system that facilitates good habits.