How I regained concentration and focus • Hacker News Board

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#301

Post by fleddr » Mon, Aug 01, 2022, 10:39 PM UTC

I think the follow-up needs some more elaborating.

"I won a lot of time back so that I can go back to writing 15 novels" is a little off putting for many.

Start simple with usage of your reclaimed time. Put your phone in another room and watch a 2 hour movie, uninterrupted. That's a thing a lot of people today can't even do, so already an accomplishment.

Even pure boredom, doing absolutely nothing, is healing. The point is that you have uninterrupted time, it doesn't matter if you spent it "productively".

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#302

Post by epolanski » Mon, Aug 01, 2022, 10:43 PM UTC

Removing social medias reclaimed lots of my life, the absolute peak of my happiness was when I stopped following any news at all.

There's some sort of stigma agaiinst people who don't follow the news but I ask, what positives doesfollowing the news brings to your lifes?

I realized none and there is a huge proven link between following news and anxiety/depression.

Sadly I felt back to watching news with the war in Ukraine.

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#303

Post by tootie » Mon, Aug 01, 2022, 10:49 PM UTC

landemva wrote: post #286

tootie wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure what you're getting at aside from asserting Russian propaganda. Ukraine has every right join NATO and if Russia thinks that's a provocation then they should take a look in the mirror. NATO isn't a mutual defense association, not an anti-Russia club. The only reason they think so is because they keep invading countries.

February 20 Zelensky in Munich started to talk back the 1994 no-nukes agreement. https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001201000618/Ukraine-Threa... https://treaties.un.org/Pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=0800000... Donbas vote on self-autonomy has curiously not been allowed. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49903996 "Proposed in 2016 by Germany's then-foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the plan details free an…

Maybe Nazi Germany had a right to the Sudetenland? You can't just make these assertions as though we're talking hypothetically. Maybe in 2019 you could pass this bs but now that Russia went and invaded and is indiscriminately killing and kidnapping civilians it's beyond question that Russia is an unequivocal bad guy and Ukraine missed a chance to better protect themselves because Europe was too timid.

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#304

Post by tootie » Mon, Aug 01, 2022, 10:51 PM UTC

koonsolo wrote: post #251

tootie wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Man, I don't get it. News is bad for you so become deliberately ignorant? Don't get distracted by the world so you can work more? It's like saying traffic lights distract you from driving.

I much rather want to talk to the person who reads books written by experts, than to talk to the person who watches the news every day. I'm sorry but there just isn't any comparison. Have you ever read news about something you are an expert at? It's just laughable inaccurate. News is entertainment, not information. If you want information, read a book written by an expert at the field.

News is as much about breadth as depth. There's relevant news on topics I'm never going to read a book about. And a lot of news is very much written by experts and a lot books written by biased cranks.

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#305

Post by acdha » Mon, Aug 01, 2022, 10:54 PM UTC

lampshades wrote: post #137

acdha wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This reads as somewhat mean spirited, which I hope you didn’t intend. I thought his advice was supportive – they very clearly acknowledged not being a parent but then pointed out that there isn’t a clear cut productivity gap. That kind of reassurance seems useful since people can easily tell themselves they’re irrecoverably behind and worry far more than is helpful.

Maybe it is. You’re responding to a mentally broken man.

That sounds rough. I hope you can find a path to recovery.

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#306

Post by stevage » Mon, Aug 01, 2022, 10:57 PM UTC

daniel_iversen wrote: post #293

kortex wrote: post #174

"Trivial inconveniences" are a big hurdle when trying to build a habit, but are a great tool for breaking bad ones. Anything you can do to break the dopamine loop helps, however small it may be. I've had success with: - setting long passwords to social media that aren't autofilled (saved in bitwarden) and logging out after each session - nerfing addicting parts of webapps (plugins which block the facebook news feed b…

A few other suggestions too: - if you need an app, turn off notifications at least (and move it occasionally to another folder) - turn on iOS Screen Time so you have that second to re-think if you want to use the app in the first place (pattern interruption) - turn your phone colors to greyscale - I know it sounds odd but I had it like that for a couple of years or so and it made me reduce phone time, more productive…

This one never did anything for me. But then, I was never into scrolling things with pictures, much more into reading text.

Do you know why it worked for you?

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#307

Post by stevage » Mon, Aug 01, 2022, 10:58 PM UTC

kibwen wrote: post #263

vbezhenar wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My method is using private browsing to open addicting websites. This way their address will not be saved in history and I'll have to type it which sometimes stop me from doing that in mid-way. Also helps with automatically logging out.

I've done this with YouTube and it's been extraordinarily effective for me. Without the history associated with my account, the recommendation engine just shows me the default junk, preventing me from falling down rabbit holes when I just want to watch some video. For keeping in touch with channels that I still want to follow, I've subscribed to them via RSS. If you need an extra push to enforce that you only use pri…

There are also extensions that block all recommendations. Makes YouTube a much calmer experience. Go watch one video. Now...you are done.

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#308

Post by stevage » Mon, Aug 01, 2022, 11:00 PM UTC

Melatonic wrote: post #287

kortex wrote: post #174

"Trivial inconveniences" are a big hurdle when trying to build a habit, but are a great tool for breaking bad ones. Anything you can do to break the dopamine loop helps, however small it may be. I've had success with: - setting long passwords to social media that aren't autofilled (saved in bitwarden) and logging out after each session - nerfing addicting parts of webapps (plugins which block the facebook news feed b…

Getting rid of the apps I think is the most effective - and as a bonus - much less opportunity for intrusion and manipulation. Although if we are specifically talking about social media such as Facebook then I mainly advocate at this point just to dump it. You can still use the separate messenger app and function even with a fully deactivated account. Instagram I found (for myself) relatively easy to spend a small am…

I stopped using FB in the traditional way by unfollowing literally everyone. however I use it much more for groups now. I really get a lot of value out of local community groups in particular.

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#309

Post by TameAntelope » Mon, Aug 01, 2022, 11:04 PM UTC

giantg2 wrote: post #235

TameAntelope wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Get the skills, limited doesn’t mean none, get better at performing remotely, drop the wife… You are in complete control over your life, but you have to accept that responsibility. Stop blaming externalities and start owning your choices.

Everything is a tradeoff. Just because someone view the weight of the choices differently doesn't mean they are wrong. Check your ego.

Did I say you were wrong? No, you did.

No ego, just facts, and your attitude here is crap, your headspace is so negative I’m not at all surprised you’re suffering such as you are.

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#310

Post by stevage » Mon, Aug 01, 2022, 11:07 PM UTC

mtnygard wrote: post #186

Zanneth wrote: post #154

Aaron Swartz wrote a blog post about the news[1] and just how terrible it is for the brain. Reading his post had a major impact on me—since then I have always thought differently about the time I spend online. It’s interesting how people, including myself, try to justify various addictions. How am I supposed to stay informed about important topics without the news? How do I know how to help people in need without kno…

I hadn’t seen that post before. This paragraph hit me as a tragic irony: ‘This seems to be true, but the curious thing is that I’m never involved. The government commits a crime, the New York Times prints it on the front page, the people on the cable chat shows foam at the mouth about it, the government apologizes and commits the crime more subtly. It’s a valuable system — I certainly support the government being mor…

The bit his argument is missing is about how the news gets funded.

Me, currently I pay for a Guardian subscription, because I think it plays an important role in our democracy - although I don't actually read it.