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Ask HN: I feel like I've destroyed my attention span. How do I get it back?

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Re: Ask HN: I feel like I've destroyed my attention span. How do I get it back?

#31

Post by vletrmx »

CookieCats wrote: post #17
floatingatoll wrote: post #10

This will sound sarcastic, but it’s not. Stop visiting HN more than once a day. Repeat this for every “news”/“feed” site and app that you use. It sounds completely nuts, but it forces you to stop slicing up “read the news” (a focused activity) into “read the news distractedly” (a timesliced activity). Shut off push notifications for anything that is not money/shipping related or a direct IM with individuals. Email no…

I started doing this about a week ago, and it's nice to hear it took you a month, because it's kinda been painful this past week. I still unlock my phone and look at the homescreen only to realize "oh yeah, I removed that stuff so there's nothing to do here". I'd thought that by removing social/news feeds, I would find something else to do with my thoughts by necessity, but really nothing has replaced the "open phone…

I just started using an app called Offtime. It will lock you out of certain apps for a period of time. I'm finding it to be extremely useful so far.

Re: Ask HN: I feel like I've destroyed my attention span. How do I get it back?

#33

Post by floatingatoll »

anderspitman wrote: post #23
floatingatoll wrote: post #10

This will sound sarcastic, but it’s not. Stop visiting HN more than once a day. Repeat this for every “news”/“feed” site and app that you use. It sounds completely nuts, but it forces you to stop slicing up “read the news” (a focused activity) into “read the news distractedly” (a timesliced activity). Shut off push notifications for anything that is not money/shipping related or a direct IM with individuals. Email no…

I like this. The inability to permanently disable Facebook Messenger notifications is what finally pushed me over the edge to remove it from my phone.

I believe if you keep badges enabled, that’s just enough to fool it. And I do keep badges enabled, because they’re passive and I learned not to care all the time about them.

Re: Ask HN: I feel like I've destroyed my attention span. How do I get it back?

#34

Post by floatingatoll »

CookieCats wrote: post #17
floatingatoll wrote: post #10

This will sound sarcastic, but it’s not. Stop visiting HN more than once a day. Repeat this for every “news”/“feed” site and app that you use. It sounds completely nuts, but it forces you to stop slicing up “read the news” (a focused activity) into “read the news distractedly” (a timesliced activity). Shut off push notifications for anything that is not money/shipping related or a direct IM with individuals. Email no…

I started doing this about a week ago, and it's nice to hear it took you a month, because it's kinda been painful this past week. I still unlock my phone and look at the homescreen only to realize "oh yeah, I removed that stuff so there's nothing to do here". I'd thought that by removing social/news feeds, I would find something else to do with my thoughts by necessity, but really nothing has replaced the "open phone…

I’ve found that there are times where I’m frustrated at everything and nothing is interesting now that I’m not always seeking 30 second bites.

Unexpectedly, that’s turned out to be a key hallmark sign for “I need to take a nap”, and sure enough, I usually end up with 20-30 minutes of hard REM sleep and then I’m interested in the world again.

Re: Ask HN: I feel like I've destroyed my attention span. How do I get it back?

#35

Post by DoreenMichele »

You don't really give details, so this is pretty scatter shot:

1. Look to your health. This is a complex topic and I have zero info about your health, but the short version is a sound mind in a sound body. Health issues of various sorts tend to erode cognitive function.

2. Find a way to take control of your life, to set goals and carve out space to pursue them. The problem isn't that social media (etc) clamors for our attention. The problem is that we feel obligated to give it. Use notifications for your purposes, but don't let them make you a slave to social media or other people. There are various techniques for doing this, but I think the essential detail is exercising agency on your own behalf.

3. Take a break from your life. Go on vacation or change jobs or move to a new place. Getting out of your usual context can help you see it more clearly. This can clarify where the problem lies.

Re: Ask HN: I feel like I've destroyed my attention span. How do I get it back?

#36

Post by tzakrajs »

anderspitman wrote: post #29

I've been working on this lately as well. Not finished with the process but here's a few things I've tried: * Read part of a book before starting work. * No HN/reddit/etc until noon. * No Facebook until 6PM. * Disable almost all notifications. * Only check emails/texts once an hour at the top of the hour. * Use software that respects my desire for focus. The last one is currently the most interesting to me. When I wa…

Myself and others have been deactivating Facebook because they have proven themselves untrustworthy with our attention. I would rather be disconnected from people than be subjugated to this nexus of annoyance and useless notification.

Re: Ask HN: I feel like I've destroyed my attention span. How do I get it back?

#37

Post by j0hnml »

anderspitman wrote: post #29

I've been working on this lately as well. Not finished with the process but here's a few things I've tried: * Read part of a book before starting work. * No HN/reddit/etc until noon. * No Facebook until 6PM. * Disable almost all notifications. * Only check emails/texts once an hour at the top of the hour. * Use software that respects my desire for focus. The last one is currently the most interesting to me. When I wa…

> Only check emails/texts once an hour at the top of the hour.

As an iPhone and gmail user, I used to think that not having gmail push notifications in the stock mail app was a drag. But now I realize that it is actually a blessing in disguise. Sure, one can manually set the mail app to check for new mail via a "fetch" schedule (or not at all), but something about there being no option for true push is quite nice.

Re: Ask HN: I feel like I've destroyed my attention span. How do I get it back?

#38

Post by contingencies »

TYPE_FASTER wrote: post #21
liamcardenas wrote: post #19

Nutrition. I have struggled quite a bit with attention. The single most effective thing I can do (more effective than medication) is to improve my diet by cutting out carbs. I find if I am in a mild state of ketosis (greater than 0.3), I can concentrate way better. I am not advocating that everyone go on a ketogenic diet, but cutting out refined sugar and eating only healthy nutrient-rich carbs does wonders for my br…

It's not just me! I thought I was imagining things, but changing my diet recently has had a positive impact on my ability to focus and be productive.

You can test this easily within a single day.

Get up a little early and go eat a decent breakfast one day. An easy way is to go to a five star hotel and eat breakfast at the buffet, they always have an out-of-hotel guest deal, heaps of fruit, salad, etc. Ignore the cost, this is an experiment.

Check your energy levels and achievements in the late afternoon and see if you don't feel noticeably more awake and energized versus regular diet.

Secrets of the illuminati, #18283: breakfast is non-negotiable.

Re: Ask HN: I feel like I've destroyed my attention span. How do I get it back?

#39

Post by TheAlchemist »

You may want to read Cal Newport blog (the guy that wrote the book "So good, they can't ignore you" - he has some great insights. Also, he is starting an experiment in January - 'digital declutter' - it may be a great opportunity for you.
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