Is Smartphone a Necessity, a Boon or a Curse for Entrepreneurs? Despite their usefulness, smartphones are considered the biggest distraction in office

Smartphones have become a part and parcel of our lives. Surely, they have made our lives a lot easy and we have all the information at our fingertips. But to every advantage there is a corresponding disadvantage. Smartphones, too, come with their share of disadvantages.

They are the biggest distractions at workplaces. Employees are often caught secretly engrossed in their phone screens even in the middle of important meetings. The constant whatsapp and Facebook updates hamper your concentration on work as your interest is partially tied to your phone. The quality of work suffers.

Here is Entrepreneur India's take on what an entrepreneur's life is without a smartphone and also whether they are a necessity, a boon or a curse.

Don't Make Your Smartphone a Priority

Just one simple notification on phone is enough to distract us for the entire day. Rajesh Agarwal, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Maventic cautioned that smartphones should not become a priority in our lives.

"In this hyper-connected world, a mobile phone is a lifeline. It helps one react to any situation in little time and get useful information instantly. However, it need not become the priority. I disable most of the notifications whenever there is continuous attention required for any task," he said.

Get Your Work Done

Nobody likes working with distractions but for many smartphones are an absolute necessary for work. Similarly, for, Shashank Murali, CEO, Tapchief, his phone is the nerve center of most of his work — from internal communication to keeping up with client interfacing. He also gets information about new opportunities.

"I take roughly 10-15 calls on an average in a day and hence being away from my phone is a rarity. Having said that, when I want to intensely focus on work for a certain period of time, which include drafting important emails, proposals amongst other things, I try to stay away from phone. Those times it indeed acts as a distraction. I also try to disengage myself from phone when I am spending time with my teams in meetings," he explained.

Always Stay Connected

Smartphones can help you stay connected, no matter where you go. Anurag Avula, CEO of Shopmatic Group, said nobody can think of life without a smartphone today. It is greatly advantageous from the fact that it keeps you connected.

"No matter where I am in the world, I am connected with my team, my work, without having to worry about not being in the same city/ office in person. There are other advantages that a smartphone provides to entrepreneurs. But a balance is needed so that it doesn't take over one's other priorities. It's a tool and one must know the limitations of these tools and never let it control you," he stressed.

Change Your Mindset

Anirudh Pandita, Co-founder, Pocket Aces loves his phone and feels it is highly empowering to have a device that can help him learn, work, communicate, and get entertained.

"Without it, we're back to the 70s and 80s. If given an option, I'll always prefer to keep my phone on me. While having no distractions is a good way of working, I believe that it is our mindset that needs to change and even with a phone around, it is possible to work in a thoughtful manner. If all you are seeing in a phone is a distraction then you are missing the bigger picture! The smartphone is a big macro reason behind the success of our company," he said.