4 ms·
Powerful stuff. I've noticed that my "long form" mental focus has gradually declined, I believe beginning from about the time I began using a smartphone a coupl
by reneherse 13y ago
Powerful stuff. I've noticed that my "long form" mental focus has gradually declined, I believe beginning from about the time I began using a smartphone a couple of years ago. It's now so bad that if I can't improve it through developing good habits, I'll be ditching the smart phone for a dumb one, and finding other ways to curtail short-form reading and internet browsing :)
A relevant plug: My brother and I are developing a web app to help with this problem of distractedness. It's a to-do list manager that encourages mindfulness by helping you monitor procrastination and training your ability to steadily focus. Launching sometime this fall: http://fleur.io http://fleur.io
- Florin_Andrei 13y agoI've found two things can keep this at bay: reading old-school dead-tree books, and meditation. I am an avid reader who is quite fussy about what he's reading. Everyone around me knows I read a lot, so of course what better present for my birthday than an e-reader, right? Wrong. I can't use that stuff. It puts me in the Distracted Mode, whereas when I do serious reading, I need to be in the Focused Mode. E-stuff automatically flips on the Distracted switch. You know - the stumbleupon links, the reddit cats, the endless outpouring of youtube video mud. Old school books do the opposite. Also, meditation is pretty much the polar opposite of twitter-driven thinking. Things like The Long Now Foundation, and the book called Anathem by Neal Stephenson, are direct reactions and backlashes to the twitterification of the modern mind.