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My free time definitely gets zapped by internet/smartphone/social media/ubiquitous computing, which is a hell of a drug and addiction to beat. I've been strugg
by sizzle 8y ago
My free time definitely gets zapped by internet/smartphone/social media/ubiquitous computing, which is a hell of a drug and addiction to beat.
I've been struggling with it since my fascination of computers turned into a career, a catch-22 of sorts, where your livelihood forces you to sit in front of a computer screen, constantly teaching and reinforcing your neural reward pathways in a way that using technology is pleasurable, should you want to actually enjoy doing your job.
Mindfulness and meditation is the only way I can break the association but it gets mentally fatiguing having to constantly break the cycle, then reinforcing it at work, then breaking it again at home every few days.
Anyone experience this phenomenon/have a good solution that works for them, short of abandoning tech and becoming a monk?
- 8bitsrule 8y agoHere's an idea: If you run across something that intrigues you, wade into it ASAP to see if it could be 'big enough' to keep you engaged. Could be an idea, a place, a thing, an event or era, a technique ... that branches out ... or in, towards a trunk or 'stronger current'. Each of those branches can be surveyed briefly. If the sum of your intrigues (and your notes) keeps growing as you explore, it will eventually be a stronger pull than the 'quick fixes' of modern life that aren't truly meaningful -to you-. I'm always happy to find such a thing, not worrying whether something concrete will follow or not. Exploring can be its own reward.
- sizzle 8y agoThis is excellent advice and I seem to do it on a subconscious level in the form of hyperfocus, where an activity will consume me for hours if it strikes the right balance of serendipity and intrigue. Maybe when I am ready to start a family, raising children will fill this void organically?