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Is technology making you less efficient?

Paul Martin • Apr 08, 2018

"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three." ~ Alice Kahn

Although we may be quicker at completing redundant tasks, more time is wasted managing all our different apps and technologies-and more of us live in a near constant state of distraction.

An epidemic of distracted workers

Maintaining focus on the job is increasingly difficult in the era of social media, chat apps, games, and the ability to search anything at any time-whether related to the task at hand or not.

The same study showed that when an interruption is related to the primary task, it isn't a problem for the worker to maintain focus when the interruption ends. But when people have to "shift their cognitive resources" to a new task, it takes longer to remember where they were, refocus, and regain momentum.

Online multitasking

Another source of distraction that costs workers time and energy is task switching on their computers. A University of California, Irvine study found that people who work at their computers switch between applications about 400 times per day.

Tools and tips for increasing efficiency

If you must use a computer at work, to help minimise the temptation to check Facebook or random search, give ShotClock , a monotasking app a try-or Freedom , an app that blocks all digital distractions so you can focus on just what's in front of you.

Another tip is to batch email rather than reading and responding to messages continually. Sending email twice a day-once in the morning and again in the afternoon-will train people not to expect to hear from you instantly, creating more reasonable (and sane) expectations. For our own personal and collective wellbeing, no one can or should be available to work around the clock.

Perhaps most important of all, be sure to unplug and rest your mind each day. And be good to yourself by taking a health break each year. A week or two of time off, away from work email and other stress-inducing distractions, will do more to increase your productivity than any app.

How the new Government and coalition agreements might affect owners of residential rental properties

By Paul Martin • 04 Dec, 2023
There were some key takeouts of interest to many of our clients from the recently signed coalition agreements between National, ACT and New Zealand First and the formation of the new Government. In particular there are a number of policies which will likely benefit landlord clients who own residential rentals. I have summarised some of these below. 1. Return of Interest deductibility for residential rental properties Interest deductibility for residential rental property owners will return. It will be phased back in over three tax years: • 2023/24 tax year: 60% of interest cost will be deductible. • 2024/25 tax year: 80% of interest cost will be deductible. • 2025/26 tax year: 100% of interest cost will be deductible. 2. Reduction in bright-line period National signalled in their pre-election campaign that the bright-line period for residential rental property sales would reduce from 10-years to 2-years. While the exact implementation of this policy is not yet known, it is good news on the horizon for residential property investors. 3. Reinstatement of 90-day no-cause termination notices The new government will reinstate 90-day no-cause tenancy termination notices. This will avoid many unnecessary disputes in the Tenancy Tribunal and gives landlords more confidence in letting to possibly “marginal tenants". Many landlords have avoided what they considered to be risky tenants because eviction for anti-social behaviour was so difficult. With this reinstatement, landlords might be more inclined to give a marginal tenant a chance because they know that if the tenant misbehaves, they won’t be stuck with them. If you would like more information on how these changes might affect your personal circumstances, please feel free to contact us to discuss further.

How does provisional tax work, especially in an economic downturn?

By Paul Martin • 18 Jul, 2023
If you had to pay tax of more than $5,000 in your last income tax return, you may have to pay provisional tax for the following year. Provisional tax is like making progress payments on next year's income tax.

How to handle inflation as a sole trader

By Paul Martin • 18 Jul, 2023
Sole traders have had an especially difficult few years as inflation surges. We have got three tips to help lighten the load for your sole trader business. 
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