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How I regained concentration and focus

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Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#341

Post by daniel_iversen »

miguelazo wrote: post #321
stevage wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Grayscale also worked for me-- even beyond looking at images (only Wall Street Journal seemed somewhat immune). The lack of contrast or something was just so jarring and served as a reminder that I am trying to stay focused.

Yeah same. In my simple mind I liken modern apps (esp. social apps) a bit like a casino - there's so much colors and "things going on" that it just feels a bit too intense for me over time. And color was one of the few app-configurations (along with muting notifications, adding Screen Time, and maybe complete uninstallation) that I had control over.. at least on the desktop web you can have extensions block some stuff for you. I tried greyscale mode on desktop too btw but to ruin the surprise for you - it SUCKED! :-)

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#342

Post by stereoradonc »

The HN forum pushes through many "articles" around improving "productivity", while all the solutions are in plain sight. We justify our bad habits-social media because work colleagues are there (so as not to miss the water cooler conversations) and YouTube because there is a lot of "educational content".

We forget that our actions determine outcomes. The imperative to act lies solely on the individual. Most notifications systems have been designed based on UI/UX dark patterns to "maximise" interaction. Instead, I see the younger generation slipping into a complete lack of concentration.

My way to handle the onslaught of notifications is to keep them switched on for family instead. Work colleagues get a different tone (I use Telegram) because it's cross platform and inherits notification settings from the main applications.

This way, it helps boost my interaction. It offers me tabs to organise my intake, and all high post channels are archived, which I rarely check. I use Inoreader extensively; use Twitter lists to follow specific accounts (that add to my knowledge base) instead of following futile "success stories" or "collaboration" or "publications".

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#343

Post by Panzer04 »

fleddr wrote: post #291
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.

There's a lot of wiggle room between sane consumption and addiction. And addiction is becoming the norm. I'd add that even if you were to consume no news at all, you'd still get the summary of it one way or another. I'll now continue with my hot take: being informed, even being an expert, on anything outside your field of work is overrated, if not useless. Say you've been following the recent war in great depth. Or t…

Agreed - I think one could argue they enjoy reading it, but in a practical sense 99% of news is largely useless, especially from feeds, since there's no real reason to expect news from the feed to be relevant to you. Arguably the same goes for most things (eg HN too), with an occasional relevant article showing up every so often.

In general, I think reading news/forums is more for enjoyment/addiction than practicality, though.

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#344

Post by andsoitis »

wrs wrote: post #320
kibwen wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that whereas casinos are strictly recreational, a lot of YouTube content is actually extremely informative and educational. The problem is that going to YouTube just for the educational stuff still subjects you to the addictive stuff.

For me the educational stuff is the addictive stuff. I have to force myself to stop watching people talk about doing things and actually go do things myself!

Just as there are far fewer producers than consumers, so too are there far fewer do-ers-of-interesting-things than people who only dream of or fantasize about doing interesting things.

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#345

Post by alihm »

stevage wrote: post #307
kibwen wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yup, I use Unhook and it was a game changer. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/unhook-remove-yout...

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#346

Post by TameAntelope »

giantg2 wrote: post #322
TameAntelope wrote: post #309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Based on your comment history, you seem to be very aggressive and derogatory. I would almost say you're trolling. It's quite pedantic to claim you never said someone is wrong even after you've said several things which effectively say that.

I'm not the person who is causing your anger and frustration, but the fact that you choose to berate me instead of do anything about your situation speaks volumes.

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#347

Post by [deleted] »

tootie wrote: post #227
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…

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.

[deleted]

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#348

Post by briHass »

ineedasername wrote: post #328
koonsolo wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The world moves faster than experts write books. The US has an important election coming up in a few months. Regardless of which part of the political spectrum a person is on there are issues most will care about a great deal that will be extremely impacted by the outcomes of the elections. Issues that are way too recent to get coverage in books written by experts. Like it or not, engagement with civic society requir…

Sure, but how many people are looking up congressional voting records, examining budgets, and reading thousands of pages of court decisions and the text of proposed legislation to form honest, independent opinions? It sure seems like most people use the internet and tv/cable news to reenforce their red/blue preference by watching shows or reading articles/posts that focus on how horrible blue/red is. Even for prominent sources, the depth of discussion is typically extremely shallow, appealing mostly to emotions, and highly biased towards the 'team' supported by the organization publishing it.

In the voting booth, almost nobody will actually consider the candidates based on their individual merits or plans, regardless of team. The number of voters that dare to split the ticket is well below 10%, outright proving that there's little consideration of 'important issues' ; people pick a side and stick with it.

Re: How I regained concentration and focus

#349

Post by dredmorbius »

ineedasername wrote: post #328
koonsolo wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The world moves faster than experts write books. The US has an important election coming up in a few months. Regardless of which part of the political spectrum a person is on there are issues most will care about a great deal that will be extremely impacted by the outcomes of the elections. Issues that are way too recent to get coverage in books written by experts. Like it or not, engagement with civic society requir…

There are over a million books written annually in the English language alone.

I'll track headlines every few days. I listen to a few in-depth podcasts. An hour on a substantial topic is useful.

I try to be aware of weather and local elections. That last is becoming stunningly difficult, FWIW.

Otherwise, news has a useful lifetime of The tendency for public broadcasters to replace ever more long-form content and discussion with Yet Another News Show Hyping The Cycle Yet More ... is among the reasons I've curtailed even most of my public-broadcasting diet.

For a time there was a weekly programme which would cover 3--4 stories in depth with background, and do so well. It had been on a bit of a fade for some years and began what I suspect is its final implosion about a year ago. That had been a useful option for me --- an hour a week, substance, most of the hype and uncertainty had already resolved. Unfortunately it seems I'm now shopping for a replacement, though I'm not entirely sure I want one.

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