I think about this Billie Oppenheimer quote all of the time!
"Accept the initial agitation.
..when you try to lean into boredom or a bout of focused work, at first, the brain naturally tries to resist. it might have you reflexively reach for your phone, tempt you to pull up your email, or remind you about that text you still need to reply to. the agitation and stress that you feel at the beginning is just a recognized gate…there is a gate of entry. "
I've understood that smartphones are unique in the sense of creating subtle distraction.
It seems that the mere presence of one’s own smartphone in their pocket or room reduces cognitive capacity. Our subconscious is always aware that we have a infinite entertainment source just a few meters from us, and this seems to create infinite distraction in the back of my mind. (This is how I perceive it).
I would say that aggressive constraints are the only response to it, since the internet is heavily aggressive with our minds too.
loved this, clear way to put something that seems like it should be intuitive. for the record, george martin is the only one who really deserves the fifth beatle title
the simplest truths often are the ones that need to be presented to us in every which way until they finally click. "love is the answer" might be the holy grail of it.
OK FINE—youve convinced me to be a morning person again. maybe then i can get some actual studying done and enjoy it... hopefully! thanks for this tadz!
hah! & thank you, that's probably a writer's favorite compliment to hear.
re: leaving phone outside of the room — i'm sure that's effective and maybe for some, something drastic like that is required. but what i've found to work for me is:
1. turn phone on airplane mode before bed (probs not a great idea for your brain to be next to those signals all night anyway).
2. in the morning, i'm not allowed to turn it off airplane mode until i've journal. i've become almost superstitious about it — convincing myself that i'll be doomed to have a bad day if i break the ritual. not everyone journals, so you can anchor it to a different habit like your morning coffee.
I’ve started putting my phone in night mode in another room at night and that’s definitely helped, since it’s not my alarm clock and the first thing I see in the morning.
My second trick is that I put my phone in black and white as an accessability option which ruins a lot of the attention grabbing hard work the UX people spend on stealing my attention. I use a triple tap shortcut to bring the colors back (driving directions or family photos) but the black and white is so supremely boring it helps me realize how much reward is tied to the colors and effects. Hope this helps someone!
i also do the black and white bit, but found i always forget to turn it back on after i turned it off. so i set up a shortcut to turn it back on 3 times each day.
I think about this Billie Oppenheimer quote all of the time!
"Accept the initial agitation.
..when you try to lean into boredom or a bout of focused work, at first, the brain naturally tries to resist. it might have you reflexively reach for your phone, tempt you to pull up your email, or remind you about that text you still need to reply to. the agitation and stress that you feel at the beginning is just a recognized gate…there is a gate of entry. "
i need this tattooed on both my hands so i never forget it. life is so much easier when you know to expect and accept the initial agitation.
I've understood that smartphones are unique in the sense of creating subtle distraction.
It seems that the mere presence of one’s own smartphone in their pocket or room reduces cognitive capacity. Our subconscious is always aware that we have a infinite entertainment source just a few meters from us, and this seems to create infinite distraction in the back of my mind. (This is how I perceive it).
I would say that aggressive constraints are the only response to it, since the internet is heavily aggressive with our minds too.
i think you’re spot on. it’s little ol’ you against an army of the best engineers in the world. how could that ever be a fair fight.
btw — i’m reading “stolen focus” rn and it’s quite the wake up call on this front.
okay so like say i get rid of all the scrolling and excess stimulation in my mornings.
can
i
still
hit
my
vape
?
only in the name of nootropics!
💯 agree I have the best focus between 5am and 10am! And ur right that Instagram or socials ruin it- since I’ve avoided that in morning I’m Holden
those hours are GOLDEN
loved this, clear way to put something that seems like it should be intuitive. for the record, george martin is the only one who really deserves the fifth beatle title
the simplest truths often are the ones that need to be presented to us in every which way until they finally click. "love is the answer" might be the holy grail of it.
yes yes yes yes
🌞💊
OK FINE—youve convinced me to be a morning person again. maybe then i can get some actual studying done and enjoy it... hopefully! thanks for this tadz!
welcome back! 🌞
Well, I just read this is the first 90 mins of my morning on my phone so you’re wrong!!!!!!!
Just kidding, great article, I like your style of writing. Will try to think more about this, maybe leave my phone out of the room tomorrow 😒
hah! & thank you, that's probably a writer's favorite compliment to hear.
re: leaving phone outside of the room — i'm sure that's effective and maybe for some, something drastic like that is required. but what i've found to work for me is:
1. turn phone on airplane mode before bed (probs not a great idea for your brain to be next to those signals all night anyway).
2. in the morning, i'm not allowed to turn it off airplane mode until i've journal. i've become almost superstitious about it — convincing myself that i'll be doomed to have a bad day if i break the ritual. not everyone journals, so you can anchor it to a different habit like your morning coffee.
No phone until you journal, genius !!
Loved this!!
ty ty & please keep the glorious fridge inspo coming
I love your writing style, it's giving stream of consciousness and it compliments my attention span so well ⭐
thank uuu destiny! ✨
I’ve started putting my phone in night mode in another room at night and that’s definitely helped, since it’s not my alarm clock and the first thing I see in the morning.
My second trick is that I put my phone in black and white as an accessability option which ruins a lot of the attention grabbing hard work the UX people spend on stealing my attention. I use a triple tap shortcut to bring the colors back (driving directions or family photos) but the black and white is so supremely boring it helps me realize how much reward is tied to the colors and effects. Hope this helps someone!
love it! ty for the share.
i also do the black and white bit, but found i always forget to turn it back on after i turned it off. so i set up a shortcut to turn it back on 3 times each day.
Loved this!
thanks zoe!