When was the last time you did nothing for 30 minutes? Probably pre-2010, right?
This is killing us. Technology is only going to get more addictive as time moves on. Less addictive technologies, by definition, will be adopted to a lesser extent than the more addictive ones. And the more hits of dopamine an app can supply you (looking at you, TikTok), the shorter your attention span will become.
Good work requires long, uninterrupted periods of focus. We’ll never get important work done if we’re constantly interrupted. The work you can do while distracted is either already commodifiable or will be soon. The upside of this is that being able to focus in a distracted world is a superpower.
The author Neil Gaiman said, “To be creative, you first have to be very bored.” [1] I think about this a lot because it simultaneously excites and terrifies me. On the one hand, being creative is really simple. On the other hand, it’s really hard.
This isn’t a contradiction. Simple doesn’t mean easy.
I’ve started using the software Freedom to block websites and apps for a set amount of time. It’s really annoying, which means it’s doing its job.
Getting your attention back will hurt. A lot. But it will make you happier, less anxious, and more productive. Plus, you won’t be that dick who checks his phone when his super cool friend is trying to show him something (fuck you, Trevor). Where was I?
Anyway, take it slow. Anything is easy if you break it into small enough parts, so make the amount of time you block a website or put your phone in another room 1 minute at the start. Build up only when that amount of time feels easy. In the long run, you’ll make a ton of progress without ever having to exert yourself too much.
Lastly, to demonstrate my skin in the game on this issue: I wrote this and my article on changing your mind in one sitting. [2] Not bad, right?
[1] That’s a paraphrase, and he might be quoting someone else.
[2] Yeah yeah, I know I published them nearly 3 months apart. Thanks to my friends who asked me about the blog enough times that I finally got off my ass and uploaded this.
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