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We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

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Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#41

Post by jpster »

imbnwa wrote: post #36
rubicon33 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am going to make a counter point, albeit one that I don't like: Advising kids to lean away from modern life and push back on the progress of distracting technologies will actually be a more anti-social move than not. What I mean is that to exist and live in the modern world increasingly requires adept skills at managing bespoke technological platforms. To be a social being in the 21st century is largely about navig…

I wager the sexual success of most young men does not hinge on their social media read/write frequency.

You haven’t been paying attention. Look into “thirst traps”.

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#42

Post by elijaht »

ppf wrote: post #8

I've spent the last year or so trying to control my smartphone usage, by removing apps and trying to set rules for myself like "your phone stays in the kitchen for most of the day". I recently took the plunge and got rid of it entirely, and it was truly surprising to realise how much of my time and attention it had still taken, despite my best efforts. If you think you're ready for that step, I highly recommend it. J…

I haven't gone as far as that, but have deleted anything on my phone that provides "infinite content". Twitter, the reddit app (still use logged out in browser so I get the ~20 top posts for a couple specific subreddits), things like that.

I notice the same phenomena- I haven't restricted any behavior on my computer, but notice I am spending a lot less time on it

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#44

Post by Tarsul »

brightball wrote: post #22
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #7

It is interesting how manufactured distraction-free sessions like yoga, meditation, paid retreats, have emerged to fill the demand for idle time. We’re forgetting how to unplug unless it’s a product or service that we can buy. The distraction issue is the number one issue holding back most of the young people in the mentorship group I’m part of. They’re so glued to their phones to check minute-by-minute updates about…

This is honestly one of the reasons I stopped investing in my twenties. I cashed out everything and put it all towards paying down debt because I was absolutely obsessed with the stock market...but after doing the math the guaranteed returns on debt payment were a better focus than the up and down nature of the stock market. I invest now but I have to be conscious of obsession mitigation techniques otherwise I will c…

I had/have the same problem. I now invest in companies that are big in sustainability. Saying to myself that even if the earnings fall flat, at least I can look in the mirror and live with it.

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#45

Post by hauget »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #7

It is interesting how manufactured distraction-free sessions like yoga, meditation, paid retreats, have emerged to fill the demand for idle time. We’re forgetting how to unplug unless it’s a product or service that we can buy. The distraction issue is the number one issue holding back most of the young people in the mentorship group I’m part of. They’re so glued to their phones to check minute-by-minute updates about…

This, and undiagnosed and untreated ADHD. By the way, for anyone struggling with ADD, check out a book called" by Johhn Ratey the way. It's GREAT. He also wrote Spark, which I think everyone should read.

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#46

Post by lrossi »

Sorry to say this, but HN is a problem as well.

I’m looking for that 1% of the posts that interest me, and when I find them it’s fantastic, since it’s info I would not be able to find anywhere else. But going through the other 99% is a waste of time.

These two combined have a harmful effect on me. I don’t know if there’s a name for it, but it’s the same as the one causing addiction in gambling/bets/games. Gathering energy/motivation to do something productive instead takes effort.

Just a few days ago I was thinking of adding a dns block for it. But that 1% of the links is sweet...

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#47

Post by MikeTheGreat »

I love how, just 2 spots up from this post, is another post entitled "Debian Packages That Need Lovin' (debian.net)".

I do hope the Debian packages get the help they need (and this is a great place to ask for such help) but it's hilarious for my mind to ping-pong between "Hey, maybe that's a new hobby (that I probably don't have time for)" and "Huh. There are a lot of distractions out there" :)

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#48

Post by rexpop »

hauget wrote: post #45
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #7

It is interesting how manufactured distraction-free sessions like yoga, meditation, paid retreats, have emerged to fill the demand for idle time. We’re forgetting how to unplug unless it’s a product or service that we can buy. The distraction issue is the number one issue holding back most of the young people in the mentorship group I’m part of. They’re so glued to their phones to check minute-by-minute updates about…

This, and undiagnosed and untreated ADHD. By the way, for anyone struggling with ADD, check out a book called" by Johhn Ratey the way. It's GREAT. He also wrote Spark, which I think everyone should read.

> a book called" by Johhn Ratey

I think you may have accidentally omitted some words.

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#49

Post by ta988 »

hikarudo wrote: post #26
warent wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Bitcoin is especially distracting right now, as they’re all nervously watching the real-time changes of their $1000 portfolios to see if they need to be sad about losing money because it’s crashing or sad about not investing more money because it’s going up. Great way to articulate this! This very experience is relatable although in my case with normal stocks, and something very interesting happened. I sold some st…

Your story reminds me of the Indian allegory of the man who mistakes a rope for a snake.

Mind sharing that one?

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#50

Post by acwan93 »

One way to combat this (if you’re physically capable): long distance running without headphones.

It forces you to focus on one thing alone: finish your route. I’ve found that my mind wanders, but the pain exerted by running for an hour or so inevitably brings you back.

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