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How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

nytimes.com

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Re: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

#121

Post by tomcam »

filoleg wrote: post #93
novaleaf wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

somewhat similar: I used to occupy all my "down time" with podcasts or audiobooks. While mildly interesting, I found that it removes all "cognitive introspection" opportunities, so that the only time available for tat is when I'm trying to fall asleep (meaning I had trouble falling asleep!) So over the last few months I've stopped audiobooks and podcasts (I already don't watch TV). Kind of counter intuitively, I find…

>I find this "REAL down time" combined with other physical activities such as jogging and a few minutes of gardening each day provides me with greater self-control. I find it really interesting you mention gardening, because I've found that doing dishes has the same effect on me. I can just stand in front of the sink, wash the dishes, and introspect on things and let the mind wander. By the end of it, I get a dopamin…

Where were you when I had a crappy roommate?

Re: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

#122

Post by dzhiurgis »

agentultra wrote: post #60

Doing nothing is how I often stayed productive. I used to be able to stay and think about something for hours. If I encountered something difficult I would go for a walk or take a nap. Now that I've been forced, at work, to use Slack day in and out -- I feel like I can't spend 5 minutes without flipping to another window, checking this, checking that. It's counter productive and feels like torture. I get a hangover f…

You sound like CBD oil ad

Re: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

#123

Post by Broken_Hippo »

Theodores wrote: post #86
basetop wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is what paperbacks, newspapers, radio, tv, movies, etc were/are called at one time or another. I bet in 20 years, smartphone and social media companies and everyone else will be ranting about VR being a distraction.

The key thing is electricity. Spend 48 hours on your own without it (and without any preparation). The first 24 will have you eeking out the last bit of battery from gadgets. You can also turn in early for the night, listening to a battery powered radio. Then in the second 24 hours, with no electricity, see what happens. You might use the daylight hours to tidy up or fix a few broken things. You might read those book…

... NOt really.

Candles exist and are great sources of light. I can do pretty much normal stuff, albeit with less noise. I just make more artwork.

Fire exists and you can cook on it. Refrigeration, however, doesn't. Showers suck because they are cold, but for 48 hours, most will just skip it. Otherwise, heat up water on the fire for washing up.

Depending on where you live, you might not have water. I've lived a few places on a well that absolutely required electricity to have running water.

Besides, what you are talking about is ... relaxation and vacation. Folks do this all the time when they go camping. Or here, stay out in a primitive cabin in the mountains. One doesn't need to go full nomad to experience benefits from a relaxing vacation weekend.

Re: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

#124

Post by dredmorbius »

jfk13 wrote: post #14

Shouldn't we rather call it the Distraction Economy?

Weapons of mass distraction:

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=weapons+of+mas...

(The pre-1980 instances appear to be OCR error artefacts.)

The etymology of 'advertise" is "advert" -- to distract the gaze, attention, or focus.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/advertise

https://www.etymonline.com/word/advert

Re: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

#125

Post by c0vfefe »

jvagner wrote: post #102
sizzle wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quite frankly, I wouldn't want to meet those people. I'm looking for the ones that do the opposite, greet you with a smile and can hold a conversation about anything effortlessly.

If those people are having a moment, and not to be dismissed out of hand because in their moment they happen to be staring at their phone, it can be a lost opportunity. Recently, I've observed that you're more likely to meet someone, and end up in a long conversation, close to the point where either you, or they, show up. So, you could strike up a conversation with someone after sitting next to them for 30 minutes, e…

This also applies to meeting one's neighbors when moving houses.

Re: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

#126

Post by c0vfefe »

bumby wrote: post #89
novaleaf wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

somewhat similar: I used to occupy all my "down time" with podcasts or audiobooks. While mildly interesting, I found that it removes all "cognitive introspection" opportunities, so that the only time available for tat is when I'm trying to fall asleep (meaning I had trouble falling asleep!) So over the last few months I've stopped audiobooks and podcasts (I already don't watch TV). Kind of counter intuitively, I find…

This is interesting. I assume there's a balance to be had between being introduced to new ideas through something like a podcast/audiobook and having enough downtime to ruminate on those ideas for more meaningful insight.

I can attest to that - on an hour commute I often listen to 45 min worth of podcasts until hitting material that prompts self-reflection. Then the voice memo comes out.

Re: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

#128

Post by c0vfefe »

sweetheart wrote: post #119
freddie_mercury wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I’d take an hour of staring at a wall over an hour of Hacker News any day, if I was trying specifically to drum up ideas for something to hack on. I feel like this misses the point because you're still looking at it through the lens of productivity, albeit a step removed from "writing code" kind of productivity. In your example you're still doing something -- "trying specifically to drum up ideas for something to h…

Yeah I’ve had a couple conversations with friends about this in the last year. They tend to see this as a negative thing (the pressure to always be creating _something_), but I’ve never been convinced by their arguments. I think I look at one’s relationship to value production as a fairly romantic venture that sates some poorly understood desire to leave the world in a better place than you found it. They tend to say…

Well, there's definitely utility to you in creating things, even if it provides no value to anyone else. Not only can you solve your own problems this way, but it develops your skills, creativity, & general sense of well-being.

Re: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

#129

Post by c0vfefe »

threwawasy1228 wrote: post #57
FerretFred wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> we unlearn how to simply sit and be bored Yup.. personally I somehow feel it's "wrong" that I sit there and do nothing on the rare occasion I get the opportunity.

This is often how I feel. There have definitely been days when I just sat around doing nothing, but even on those days I find myself reading a book, practicing a language, writing down ideas, practicing music, and thinking about things that matter to me. I feel like not doing 'something' is a waste of time and brings me no value. Even in times when I am 'doing nothing' that I think of right now, I am generally at lea…

> I feel like people often view the world with rose-coloured glasses when they write these anti-screen messages.

With all due respect, perhaps they're viewing through the glasses of "not having neglectful and/or impoverished parents." A daily 3-hr purgatory, isolated from socialization or stimuli, will not to a kid any good.

Re: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

#130

Post by c0vfefe »

tvanantwerp wrote: post #103
sweetheart wrote: post #2

I feel like the hardest part of learning to do nothing is getting over an initial period where your body and mind is trying to remember how to fill an hour of idle time without Instagram or Twitter or Facebook. I think after long periods of relying on these services to fill pockets of time that are otherwise hard to capitalize on, we unlearn how to simply sit and be bored. Like any form of rehabilitation, it takes ti…

The first time I tried to quit social media, I was shocked at how I instinctively tried to share every mildly amusing thought. It took hard work to relearn how to let my passing thoughts just vanish without trying to spread them around.

Right - growing up when the world was becoming fascinated with social media led my brain to constantly seek reward & imagine an eager audience for my fascinating adolescent thoughts. Now I see the freedom in the fact that no one really cares.
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