Finding tranquility in the age of distraction
by Eugene Yiga,
2015-10-14 06:44:33.0
THEY may be over 30 years old, but the lyrics to Mr Roboto still ring true: "The problem’s plain to see. Too much technology. Machines to save our lives. Machines, dehumanise."
Leo Babauta, creator of the popular Zen Habits blog and author of Focus: A Simplicity Manifesto in the Age of Distraction, offers an abundance of practical advice to help find peace in modern times. The first step is to simplify life by slowing down and eliminating everything unimportant. That means cutting back on the time spent (read: waste) online. It’s not possible to keep up with every status update, cat video, or foodie tweet.
Limit the stream of information to only the essential items and let the rest go. Cancel every single online subscription (or make a deal that you won’t subscribe to something new without unsubscribing from something old).
Delegate and outsource tasks to colleagues, virtual assistants, or anyone who can do them instead. Relinquish control and accept that things won’t be done in your "perfect" way. Put aside your ego and don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s the only way to free up your time for what you do best.
The second step is to set priorities and manage time. Plan the day by scheduling breaks to disconnect and then leaving work to fill in the gaps. Don’t check e-mails first thing in the morning. This leaves your workday at the mercy of other people.
Instead, start the day by working on the single most important (not just urgent) item on your list. Work for 50 minutes and then take a 10-minute break to walk around or stretch. Repeat until you get through your key tasks for the day. Take lunch away from your desk and save online browsing for the afternoon.
The only way to get into a state of "flow" — being so involved in a task that you lose sense of time, space, and even yourself — is to work without distraction. The third — and most important — step is to find your focus. That means no more multitasking in the form of texting and driving, and reading and walking, and having conversations with one earphone still plugged in.
Our brains can only handle one thing at a time, which is why multitasking just means switching back and forth, decreasing attention spans and increasing risks of mistakes.
It’s impossible to be available all the time and in several places at once — which makes people addicted to their smartphones which, if they were really smart, would leave people well alone.
You might think you need to take a phone call in the middle of a meeting because you’re too important to be unavailable for a nanosecond. But isn’t a sign of true importance having the ability to tell the world to wait? If you respond to whatever other people want, you’re saying that your time means nothing and that they’re the ones in control.
So instead of falling in line with society’s expectation that you’re available 24/7, set limits. Disable pop-up e-mail alerts, divert your calls to voicemail, and stop worrying about WhatsApp’s blue ticks.
Another idea is to go without any technology for a whole day (or half-a-day to start with). That means no computer, no internet, and (insert gasp here) no phone.
It doesn’t have to affect your work if you set up an automatic e-mail reply redirecting people to someone else who can help or a page of FAQs to answer their requests. Guess what? The world won’t end just because you’re away. People might even respect you for setting boundaries. And if they don’t, at least you will.
The best way to gain control over compulsions and addictions to technology is to understand what’s driving them in the first place.
Deep down inside, most of us are living in fear. We’re afraid that the moment we slow down, all the harsh realities of life will come rushing back.
So we escape to quick fixes like that safe sense of instant gratification that comes from getting an e-mail or text message. But these feelings don’t last, which is why we’re always chasing the next high.
This is a drug worse than any other because we refuse to accept that it’s a drug in the first place.
We’re not meant to live feeling so trapped. Life is for so much more.
Author Leo Babauta’s practical advice on achieving peace includes reducing time online and avoiding multitasking. Picture: ISTOCK
THEY may be over 30 years old, but the lyrics to Mr Roboto still ring true: "The problem’s plain to see. Too much technology. Machines to save our lives. Machines, dehumanise."
Leo Babauta, creator of the popular Zen Habits blog and author of Focus: A Simplicity Manifesto in the Age of Distraction, offers an abundance of practical advice to help find peace in modern times. The first step is to simplify life by slowing down and eliminating everything unimportant. That means cutting back on the time spent (read: waste) online. It’s not possible to keep up with every status update, cat video, or foodie tweet.
Limit the stream of information to only the essential items and let the rest go. Cancel every single online subscription (or make a deal that you won’t subscribe to something new without unsubscribing from something old).
Delegate and outsource tasks to colleagues, virtual assistants, or anyone who can do them instead. Relinquish control and accept that things won’t be done in your "perfect" way. Put aside your ego and don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s the only way to free up your time for what you do best.
The second step is to set priorities and manage time. Plan the day by scheduling breaks to disconnect and then leaving work to fill in the gaps. Don’t check e-mails first thing in the morning. This leaves your workday at the mercy of other people.
Instead, start the day by working on the single most important (not just urgent) item on your list. Work for 50 minutes and then take a 10-minute break to walk around or stretch. Repeat until you get through your key tasks for the day. Take lunch away from your desk and save online browsing for the afternoon.
The only way to get into a state of "flow" — being so involved in a task that you lose sense of time, space, and even yourself — is to work without distraction. The third — and most important — step is to find your focus. That means no more multitasking in the form of texting and driving, and reading and walking, and having conversations with one earphone still plugged in.
Our brains can only handle one thing at a time, which is why multitasking just means switching back and forth, decreasing attention spans and increasing risks of mistakes.
It’s impossible to be available all the time and in several places at once — which makes people addicted to their smartphones which, if they were really smart, would leave people well alone.
You might think you need to take a phone call in the middle of a meeting because you’re too important to be unavailable for a nanosecond. But isn’t a sign of true importance having the ability to tell the world to wait? If you respond to whatever other people want, you’re saying that your time means nothing and that they’re the ones in control.
So instead of falling in line with society’s expectation that you’re available 24/7, set limits. Disable pop-up e-mail alerts, divert your calls to voicemail, and stop worrying about WhatsApp’s blue ticks.
Another idea is to go without any technology for a whole day (or half-a-day to start with). That means no computer, no internet, and (insert gasp here) no phone.
It doesn’t have to affect your work if you set up an automatic e-mail reply redirecting people to someone else who can help or a page of FAQs to answer their requests. Guess what? The world won’t end just because you’re away. People might even respect you for setting boundaries. And if they don’t, at least you will.
The best way to gain control over compulsions and addictions to technology is to understand what’s driving them in the first place.
Deep down inside, most of us are living in fear. We’re afraid that the moment we slow down, all the harsh realities of life will come rushing back.
So we escape to quick fixes like that safe sense of instant gratification that comes from getting an e-mail or text message. But these feelings don’t last, which is why we’re always chasing the next high.
This is a drug worse than any other because we refuse to accept that it’s a drug in the first place.
We’re not meant to live feeling so trapped. Life is for so much more.
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