Phones and apps reduce your ability to focus even when they don’t distract you • Hacker News Board

Re: Phones and apps reduce your ability to focus even when they don’t distract you

#181

Post by at-fates-hands » Fri, Mar 26, 2021, 5:31 AM UTC

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #53

vegetablepotpie wrote: post #8

> Cal Newport said it best in his book Deep Work: the ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive. The people who cultivate that skill, stay up late at night while everyone is asleep so they don’t get distracted. T…

I did exactly this early in my career: Stayed up late, got work done outside of business hours, suffered the consequences. Later I started being more assertive about my time. Meeting request in the middle of my core work hours? Decline as busy, suggest to move it to a lunch meeting or offer to call the person after working hours (Everyone chooses lunch meeting instead of after hours). People tapping me on the shoulde…

One of the first companies I worked at (a startup) had a strict protocol on how to ask someone for help.

The chain was basically:

a) ping them over IM. Do not grenade them with your problem. Ask first if they have time to help you:

No? Try fixing your problem on your own for another 20-30 minutes.

Yes? Be short and to the point. If its a coding issue, list all of the solutions you've tried first and what the issue is.

Allow the person you are asking to set the parameters of the help:

a) how fast can this be done? Can I do this over IM?

b) does this need a webex or meeting to figure out?

c) how much time will the meeting require to solve problem? Estimate and go from there.

d) do any of the previous infringe on your current work? Have a person set up a meeting for later in the day and then leave them alone.

It was literally taboo to go to someone's desk and ask them for help. It was hammered into people that work comes first and any distraction costs time and money. Even when you go over and tap someone on the shoulder? They have to mentally disengage with their work to speak to you. That's precious time they are losing. Same thing after they've completed even a 5 min conversation, they have to get back to whatever they were doing which also takes time. There was some study that said just a handful of these interruptions can cause a company millions. When you're at a startup, every dollar wasted costs the bottom line.

Re: Phones and apps reduce your ability to focus even when they don’t distract you

#182

Post by meow112012 » Fri, Mar 26, 2021, 5:44 AM UTC

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #53

vegetablepotpie wrote: post #8

> Cal Newport said it best in his book Deep Work: the ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive. The people who cultivate that skill, stay up late at night while everyone is asleep so they don’t get distracted. T…

I did exactly this early in my career: Stayed up late, got work done outside of business hours, suffered the consequences. Later I started being more assertive about my time. Meeting request in the middle of my core work hours? Decline as busy, suggest to move it to a lunch meeting or offer to call the person after working hours (Everyone chooses lunch meeting instead of after hours). People tapping me on the shoulde…

Me either. Getting some critical job done is impossible during normal working time when I get a lot of direct questions over slack and have to spend my time on meeting and communication.

The hard thing is that it's not easy to explain critical job' result to the team. Most people simply think that's [my] job.

The very annoying thing to me is that people tend to ask via PM. Why don't they just ask question on common group where there are a lot of people in the team can help? Oh... that's then Slack @here and @channel are problems. They are using that too much, and people don't care anymore lolz

Re: Phones and apps reduce your ability to focus even when they don’t distract you

#183

Post by Chris2048 » Fri, Mar 26, 2021, 5:58 AM UTC

bckr wrote: post #29

temp0826 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> "you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work." I really like this for a different reason. It’s one of the reasons I can appreciate flat-earthers (or other discordian-ish reality tunnels) from a slightly more philosophical standpoint: it really doesn’t matter

I upvoted you but, also, it kind of does matter. How you orient yourself toward science and empirical experience says a lot about whether you're going to fall for some BS misinformation campaign, fail to vaccinate yourself and your children, etc...

> How you orient yourself toward science and empirical experience

few pro-vaxxers have a detailed understanding of biology or science, nor empirical evidence wrt vaccination, or the education to interpret it.

The difference is not one of understanding, but trust, and the capacity to believe in "conspiracy". The problem is, sometimes conspiracies do exist (prism) and science is becoming increasingly politicised.

That said, flat-earthers are categorically different, b/c it has nothing to do with science: a round earth can be demonstrated fairly easily in laymen terms, and the scale of the conspiracy to confound a round-earth map is also disproportionate.

Re: Phones and apps reduce your ability to focus even when they don’t distract you

#184

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Mar 26, 2021, 6:05 AM UTC

vegetablepotpie wrote: post #8

> Cal Newport said it best in his book Deep Work: the ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive. The people who cultivate that skill, stay up late at night while everyone is asleep so they don’t get distracted. T…

[deleted]

Re: Phones and apps reduce your ability to focus even when they don’t distract you

#185

Post by hnick » Fri, Mar 26, 2021, 6:14 AM UTC

WhyNotHugo wrote: post #39

I'm constantly amazed at how the mainstream population uses phones. Most people tend to have phone with alarming-notifications, so they get informed that they have a message, or email or whatever. The phone interrupts them and directs their attention. They train themselves to be controlled by their phones. I'd go crazy trying to live like that. I have no audible notifications, and vibration only for actual calls. Eve…

I was with Android for a while but inherited my wife's iPhone. Since I found it so annoyingly loud I asked that she put it on mute like my phone and she didn't mind. Apparently it was on mute so long, the physical mute switch won't turn back on! It flips back instantly if I try.

Anyway that was a mixed blessing because I found the iPhone's vibration to be barely noticeable compared to my old phone so I missed a few calls that I wanted to take. I had to use accessibility features to unmute the device then slowly turn off each notification as it annoyed me. I'm fairly happy where I have it now.

Re: Phones and apps reduce your ability to focus even when they don’t distract you

#186

Post by freebuju » Fri, Mar 26, 2021, 6:35 AM UTC

at-fates-hands wrote: post #179

vegetablepotpie wrote: post #8

> Cal Newport said it best in his book Deep Work: the ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive. The people who cultivate that skill, stay up late at night while everyone is asleep so they don’t get distracted. T…

>> As a consequence, deep thought workers are seen by their immediate and responsive counterparts as obtuse, eccentric, or worse: lazy and unable to manage their time. Literally just had this on my year end review. I won't go into the useless stack ranking the company I work for uses, but none of my project work was ever late (it was actually either right on time or early) but because I'm a night owl and do a majorit…

Part of being an employee means towing the company line. Even when you don't feel like it. It's a sham you are collectively expected to endure. Is it any wonder that the most successful employees are the ones who succeed in reading and adjusting themselves to this requirement?

That said. I feel and connect with your rant at a personal level. For reasons I won't share on this post.

I know you didn't ask for any advice and yours is just a rant. Based on your review and what you say i.e you had to spend a day just to refute it. It would be wise to increase interviews with other prospective employers and other professional opportunities.

Your efforts are much better spent where they are valued a bit more than this.

Re: Phones and apps reduce your ability to focus even when they don’t distract you

#187

Post by occz » Fri, Mar 26, 2021, 6:37 AM UTC

annoyingnoob wrote: post #156

occz wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to experience that, but it's gone away since I moved to never having vibrations on my phone. Highly recommended!

I took my phone out of my pocket for hours this morning, the feeling kept going. Not sure what I'm expecting.

Give it a week or so, it will pass.

Re: Phones and apps reduce your ability to focus even when they don’t distract you

#188

Post by realradicalwash » Fri, Mar 26, 2021, 6:49 AM UTC

this constant urge to check your phone, I don't think it's much different from an OCD. OCDs constantly interrupt the normal flow of one's thought processes with obsessive, intrusive interjections ("you are dirty", "did I do x/y?", "maybe you are gay", etc).

that's what apps have instilled into our minds: a constant urge that interrupts our thought processes, so that we check fb, WA, gmail, etc.

I switched all notifications off and I still have this, less than previously, but still. I am thinking of going back to a brick phone because of that.

Re: Phones and apps reduce your ability to focus even when they don’t distract you

#189

Post by occz » Fri, Mar 26, 2021, 6:56 AM UTC

judge2020 wrote: post #174

occz wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find them particularly strange from a design perspective. If anyone here does design on car interfaces, please let me know why this is the direction you're taking, because I'm stumped. Car interfaces seem like something you would want to optimize for being able to be easily controlled without taking neither eyes nor focus off the road. This, to me, means physical interface elements with good built-in feedback (clic…

Touchscreens in cars were seen as luxury so once they became super cheap they threw them in every car with few no-screen options whatsoever. This was cemented in 2018 with a mandate for backup cameras[0] and, when you already have a screen, it makes little sense to only put a screen for the camera unless that's the market segment you're targeting (which, in itself, is small since most people are fine with touchscreen…

Interesting - that backup camera mandate does explain it a bit. I wonder if the EU has something similar.

It still doesn't excuse the lack of care with regards to design, but I now have a bit more understanding on the matter. Thanks!

Re: Phones and apps reduce your ability to focus even when they don’t distract you

#190

Post by freebuju » Fri, Mar 26, 2021, 6:57 AM UTC

ldbooth wrote: post #17

I tried a flip phone for a week but got tired of explaining to people why I didn't receive the picture they texted me, and I was carrying my no-SIM smartphone around for the audiobooks anyway. It does feel like taking the proverbial digital leash off, and rather than text replying I was calling everyone back for convenience. I sure have strayed socially. I shall find this middle ground and report back.

The best part of using a flip phone is that you slowly realize that none of the notifications we are constantly distracted by are that urgent. It's a good way of cutting down the social media fat. Most of the digital interactions we have in our day-to-day are really because you were online at the time, which could be interpreted as you are available for some têtê-à-têtê.