500 Words a Week - Living in a Distracted World

Two books I’ve recently finished are Hyper Focus and Deep Work. They both share insights into how easily distracted we are and how we struggle to truly focus on anything. What was a worrying topic brought up was how easily we are even distracted when talking to those close to us. We’ve an inability to hold a lasting conversation without either thinking about notifications on our phone or worse frequently checking our phone during conversations. In doing this, we are immediately displaying the fact that what is on our phone is more important that the conversation we are having, the dinner we are at, the time we are spending with those close to us. This has gotten to the stage that there is now a term called Phantom Vibration Sydnrome. This is when we believe our phone has vibrated, we believe we have received a notification only for there to be nothing when we check.

In looking at our screentime, we get frightening insights into how much time we are losing. A quick glance at the phone turns into a disappeared 20 minutes or even longer. Wasting away our one precious resource that we are constantly told we never get back.

While both of these books focused on productivity and focus for mainly improving one’s work, it’s the messages through both of the books that discuss how our lack of ability to focus is ruining our relationships. It’s also greatly influencing our life, as we just move from one distraction to the next, without any knowledge of how we are spending our time.

“What we choose to focus on and what we choose to ignore—plays in defining the quality of our life.” – Cal Newport

In focusing on our phone, in focusing on our email, and ignoring those around us, what’s that saying about the quality of our life?

The above is something I’m poor at, and something I’m trying to improve. The following are somethings I’m trying to do or have done:

Turn off all notifications on social media apps.

Set aside frequent mini breaks throughout the day. For example: It’s now 5pm, I’m not going to touch my phone till 5:45pm and put it in another room.

Worrying less about quickly responding to everyone.

In times when we try to distract ourselves, like stuck in queue or waiting on an appointment, just trying to be more comfortable with boredom. It’s amazing how automatic the response is when waiting for the phone to come out and for us to just begin scrolling.

Also trying to come to grips with you don’t need to be contactable 24/7. The world won’t burn down if someone can’t reach you for 4-6 hours.