Intentional Longer Focus
Idea of taking control of your life away from distractions.
Awareness:
I noticed since 2024 that I’ve been watching short videos a little too intensively. And people around are very addicted to it too. It reminds me of the time when I played video games like crazy. You feel good and disgust at the same time. Time goes by very fast and nothing is accomplished. Scary times.
Catching myself into the social media loops. Scroll on reddit for new ideas, move to FB marketplace to look at deals, scroll facebook posts for something funny, short videos, move to youtube short videos, then realized I need to focus on my goals again.
Same thing with Netflix shows. I noticed the shows are edit in a way which makes it very stressful to watch and look forward to the next episodes. It’s too easy to binge watch. Not good for “intentional longer focus” goal.
“Intentional Longer Focus.”
Intentional: Take action by your own will.
I think it’s fine to watch short videos if you intention was to watch them to begin with. A more intentional approach would be to dedicate a time and place to watch the short videos. (e.g.: 10 mins doom scrolling when using the bathroom or lunch break)
The better approach would be to actively look for video you are interested in.
Longer: Avoiding short dopamine hit.
Short videos are too easy. Something quick and funny and different shot multiple times in front of your eyes. We want to aim for 10mins educational video or 30mins anime episode or 1h podcast or 1-2h movie. Let the brain get used to absorb long form content.
Focus: Allow your brain to 100% concentrate on one thing. Shutdown all the distractions.
Focus activities are studying, planning, retrospection on previous events, etc.
Focus on a single tasks. (e.g.: Making a pour-over coffee, clean mechanical keyboard, bouldering session, coding a project, etc.)
Mindfulness.
Being fully present and enjoy what’s happening now at a very detailed level of “feelings”. I feel being bombarded with quick short entertainment is fun for the brain, but very stressful. Being always distracted, we don’t allow the brain to rest and be bored. And think about the important things.
Solutions:
I think a reasonable approach would be to increase “intentional longer focus” activities and decrease “Spontaneous short distractions.”
Daily: Read 15 mins. Morning walk 15mins. Make coffee 10mins
Weekly: Meditate 10mins. Yoga 20mins. Gym 30mins. Bouldering 60mins.
Set a time after work to do research on things you are curious about. Planning for the next activity.
Choose two times during the day you can use your phone for doom scrolling.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
SimpleLifeBalancing.