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Interesting article. Ironically, while reading it I started to think about how I didn't have this problem when I was younger. I could hyperfocus on a book or vi

Interesting article. Ironically, while reading it I started to think about how I didn't have this problem when I was younger. I could hyperfocus on a book or video game for 12 hours straight, while today I can barely read a chapter without thinking about what I have to do the next day. Makes me wonder if it's a fact of age, bad memory, the depression I went through at the time or just fewer responsibilities.

ravi-delia 6y ago
Did you frequently use a smartphone or the internet when you were younger? I know I started focusing less once the modern internet took root.
nicbou 6y ago
I struggle with this. For me, computer is the issue. There's always something to do on the computer, and the reward always comes faster than for any other task. There's no such thing as doing a single thing with it, then moving on. There's always an email, a notification, a feed. My computer-free days feel a lot like the old days.
- bosie 6y ago
  do you have fixed days that are computer free? does computer free mean any computer is not used for the whole day (laptop, tablet, phone)?
  - nicbou 6y ago
    Not a fixed day, but it's usually after I feel like I've wasted the whole day on the computer. I'll spend that evening finding a place to ride my bicycle or a museum I'd like to see, and generally make it easier to go right out the door.
- eloisius 6y ago
  Same with me. I’ve had my computer prominently in my living space for my whole adult life. Try doing a prolonged activity that makes computing impossible. I went bike touring for a month a few years ago and felt like I had reconnected with a missing sense of thoughtfulness in the absence of constant interneting. The feeling lasted for a while afterwards. I just wasn’t as enticed by the box of lights with words on it. It’s about time for me to do it again.
  - nicbou 6y ago
    Yep, riding a bicycle works great. That's one of my favourite part of bicycle/motorcycle travel too.
- catchmeifyoucan 6y ago
  Hey - I’ve been working on software called Amna. And it can totally help with this. You’ll write a task and get to focus on one item You’re welcome to try it: https://getamna.com https://getamna.com
kranner 6y ago
David Allen, the inventor of the popular Getting Things Done (GTD) task/time management system, stressed the importance of a "trusted system" in keeping one able to relax and focus on one thing at a time, even as a grown-up with lots of responsibilities. If you keep your task management system absolutely up to date, i.e., it stores everything you plan to do eventually, then you really can trust it and relax in the knowledge that you don't need to track TODOs in your head. It becomes an extension of your brain, leaving your primary brain free to relax and focus on whatever you're currently doing, even if -- especially if -- you're not doing anything in the present moment. But this doesn't happen if the system is leaky, i.e. you slip up and start tracking some TODOs in your head.
- Kaze404 6y ago
  Maybe I should read that book, but my experience with tracking TODOs just made me even less productive because after a certain point I could feel my fight-or-flight response kicking in when I looked at my TODO list. But I guess that's a different problem :p
  - MperorM 6y ago
    That was my experience with every todo system I have ever implemented. I finally found a todo system which worked for me, namely writing up every todo in a list. On Sundays I distribute the tasks to different days of my next week day. If I don't get the task done for a weekday, it's completely fine. I just move it back into the long list, so it gets distributed next sunday. If I notice a task has been cycled like that a few times, then I delete it, it wasn't important enough for me to overcome the guilt associated with the task. I'm not sure if the system I came up with was what actually fixed my todo anxiety, but in case it was I figured I would share it.
  - miccah 6y ago
    I agree, I always feel like tracking every single TODO takes more time and effort than actually doing some of them. It was a bit too rigid for me - that sort of system is designed for a computer, except I was the computer doing the task. What works for me now is writing my most important TODOs on a whiteboard and not erasing it until I complete it. The limited space forces me to prioritize. It's also obvious which items have been there the longest, either indicating lower priority or mental blockages. It helps that the ink is harder to erase the longer it sits there too :)
bserge 6y ago
Yeah it's gotten worse over the years for me, too.

ravi-delia 6y ago

Did you frequently use a smartphone or the internet when you were younger? I know I started focusing less once the modern internet took root.

nicbou 6y ago

I struggle with this. For me, computer is the issue. There's always something to do on the computer, and the reward always comes faster than for any other task. There's no such thing as doing a single thing with it, then moving on. There's always an email, a notification, a feed. My computer-free days feel a lot like the old days.

bosie 6y ago
do you have fixed days that are computer free? does computer free mean any computer is not used for the whole day (laptop, tablet, phone)?
- nicbou 6y ago
  Not a fixed day, but it's usually after I feel like I've wasted the whole day on the computer. I'll spend that evening finding a place to ride my bicycle or a museum I'd like to see, and generally make it easier to go right out the door.
eloisius 6y ago
Same with me. I’ve had my computer prominently in my living space for my whole adult life. Try doing a prolonged activity that makes computing impossible. I went bike touring for a month a few years ago and felt like I had reconnected with a missing sense of thoughtfulness in the absence of constant interneting. The feeling lasted for a while afterwards. I just wasn’t as enticed by the box of lights with words on it. It’s about time for me to do it again.
- nicbou 6y ago
  Yep, riding a bicycle works great. That's one of my favourite part of bicycle/motorcycle travel too.
catchmeifyoucan 6y ago
Hey - I’ve been working on software called Amna. And it can totally help with this. You’ll write a task and get to focus on one item You’re welcome to try it: https://getamna.com https://getamna.com

kranner 6y ago

David Allen, the inventor of the popular Getting Things Done (GTD) task/time management system, stressed the importance of a "trusted system" in keeping one able to relax and focus on one thing at a time, even as a grown-up with lots of responsibilities. If you keep your task management system absolutely up to date, i.e., it stores everything you plan to do eventually, then you really can trust it and relax in the knowledge that you don't need to track TODOs in your head. It becomes an extension of your brain, leaving your primary brain free to relax and focus on whatever you're currently doing, even if -- especially if -- you're not doing anything in the present moment. But this doesn't happen if the system is leaky, i.e. you slip up and start tracking some TODOs in your head.

Kaze404 6y ago
Maybe I should read that book, but my experience with tracking TODOs just made me even less productive because after a certain point I could feel my fight-or-flight response kicking in when I looked at my TODO list. But I guess that's a different problem :p
- MperorM 6y ago
  That was my experience with every todo system I have ever implemented. I finally found a todo system which worked for me, namely writing up every todo in a list. On Sundays I distribute the tasks to different days of my next week day. If I don't get the task done for a weekday, it's completely fine. I just move it back into the long list, so it gets distributed next sunday. If I notice a task has been cycled like that a few times, then I delete it, it wasn't important enough for me to overcome the guilt associated with the task. I'm not sure if the system I came up with was what actually fixed my todo anxiety, but in case it was I figured I would share it.
- miccah 6y ago
  I agree, I always feel like tracking every single TODO takes more time and effort than actually doing some of them. It was a bit too rigid for me - that sort of system is designed for a computer, except I was the computer doing the task. What works for me now is writing my most important TODOs on a whiteboard and not erasing it until I complete it. The limited space forces me to prioritize. It's also obvious which items have been there the longest, either indicating lower priority or mental blockages. It helps that the ink is harder to erase the longer it sits there too :)

bserge 6y ago

Yeah it's gotten worse over the years for me, too.