You are currently viewing In search of Nothing – Distracted enough to be comfortable.

In search of Nothing – Distracted enough to be comfortable.

To be distracted is to have your attention diverted from doing something you planned to do, to something different. Therefore, to call something a distraction is to first know what you are being distracted from.

This post is about distraction, understanding what it is, where it comes from and practical steps to overcoming it.

If you are reading this, I bet you can relate to the drift of taking your phone and spending the next couple of minutes on social media, just browsing through your newsfeed looking for nothing specific.  Apparently checking whatever is happening for the day or whatever is trending on your favorite social media app. Maybe it’s even how you found this post, except you are signed up to my email list or a friend shared it with you. Before we continue, if you’ve not, you should consider signing up to my email list so you can receive new blog post in your email and read them only when you plan to. 😊 )

As I was saying, I think it’s okay to assume a lot of people will be familiar with this practice and experience of aimlessly browsing through social media to find nothing specific, you are not exactly sure what to expect but you know for sure that you’ll see something that’d be tad exciting. So, we give in, it gets comfortable and before you know it 30 minutes to an hour is gone in one drift. Just checking to see what’s making wave for the day. And It’s not even restricted to social media or our mobile devices alone, but because these are the most common means of distraction today and perhaps the most relatable, I’ll focus on that in this post.

To be clear, I’m not saying social media and our phones are bad. The problem of distraction is often beyond tech and our phones. But our smart phones and mobile devices are not free of blame for they have become a major means by which we can be distracted and a means by which our distraction is sustained mostly because of the number of stimulations we can get in one bit. That being said, if the source of your distraction is deeply beyond your phone addiction, you could still be as distracted as you are now even if you put your phone away or deactivate all your social media apps. Maybe you’ve even tried this and discover all you did was just replace the distraction with a different one. So, in place of spending time on your phone when you shouldn’t, you could be randomly doing something else that you shouldn’t in that moment.

Take a look at these two pictures, one is before the smart phone age with people reading newspapers on a train and the other is our current society with people clued to their phone on a train.

People reading newspaper vs People using their phones on a train ride.

Although one major differences in both the newspaper and phone as a distraction (displayed) in this image is that; the number of things you can joggle through per time on your phone which increases your stimulation is more compared to being limited to reading a couple different stories in the newspaper. So, our distraction can be expressed in different forms which is what will happen if you manage to put your phone away and the root cause of our distraction is not addressed.

If that point is clear, then you should recognize distractions that often come in these forms and that’s what this post is about.

Why we go in search of that which makes us comfortable instead of doing what we ought to. This post will also help you understand distraction in ways you’ve probably never thought about before, it will explain what distraction really is and where it comes from then suggest effective and proven ways to avoid them to become more productive.

Although distraction can prevent us from focusing on something we ought to, it is not often the root cause nor the enemy of focus. These and many more will be discussed in this post.

What really is distraction?

Distraction simply refers to anything that prevents you from concentrating or focusing on something you planned to do.

In this definition, emphasis is placed on “planned” and the thing that causes you to avoid executing that plan.

Basically, to really be distracted is to have your attention diverted from doing something you planned to do, to a completely different thing. And like Nir Eyal said,

“You can’t call something a distraction unless you know what it’s distracting you from.”

Where does distraction come from?

It is important to understand why and how we are distracted. Most of our distraction are triggered by the quest to avoid a current state of discomfort. To escape unpleasant feelings or sensations in our lives at certain moments in time.

Two triggers are primarily responsible for our distractions, Internal and external triggers.

Internal triggers.

These are triggers that come from within us. In the form of our thoughts and emotions. They come from inside us, the agitation of our mind. Like when you feel bored, and your response is to escape it, so you take your phone and check social media. Just like your response to feeling cold would be putting on a coat, going close to the fireplace or doing something that increases your temperature. So, where there is a trigger, there is often a response. It’s important to see that the response (e.g., using our mobile phone to escape boredom) is not the cause of the trigger (boredom) but a result of it. It is merely a symptom than the cause. Although the wrong response can indeed increase this agitation of our mind, causing us to remain distracted.

External triggers.

These on the other hand are environmental, situations and events that prompts us to action. Like a phone beeping notification that prompts you to check Facebook, Instagram, twitter, and emails. A pop-up on your computer. It could be a small talk by your colleague that leads to an hour conversation when you should be working. 

See that I have used mobile phones in both examples, this is to show that it can be a response in one case and a trigger in another. A very important distinction to be aware of. Which is why getting rid of your phone is not always the solution to getting rid of distraction. The first and probably most important step is understanding your distraction, what it is and where it comes from.

Understanding Distractions

When we are triggered, oftentimes, our dominant instinct is to succumb by reacting to the trigger prompt. For example, we pick up our phone, then do an hour of twitter and Instagram or whatever your go-to social media app is. So, it’s easy to think or assume that our phone, our smart devices are the distraction or the root cause of our distractions. Although an overuse of these devices can increase the agitation of our mind – Distraction. But often, it is a result of the fact that we are already distracted. It’s often a symptom than a cause.

This is brilliantly explained by Nir Eyal in his book Indistractable, where he describes that;

Unless we deal with the root cause of our distraction, we’ll continue to find ways to distract ourselves. Distraction as it turns out isn’t about the distraction itself; rather it’s about how we respond to it.

Most people don’t want to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality.

The problem is more than tech and our smartphones.

The first person I heard strongly expressing this view was Gary Vee. Though it was first unclear and hard to accept as a fact but thought he might have some good points so listened and gave it more thoughts. But Nir Eyal breaks it down in a simple to understand and pretty convincing way.

Although excessive use of phone and smart devices can increase the agitation of our mind, they are more of the result of our already distracted minds than the cause. At the root, our mobile phones are not always the cause of our distractions, but it might be a way to escape it.

The problem is deeper than tech, Being Indistractable isn’t about being a luddite it’s about understanding the real why we do the things against our best interest.

Nir shows that fundamentally our drive to relieve discomfort is the root cause of all our behavior while everything else is a proximate cause.

He uses the game of pool or snooker as a perfect analogy for the difference between root cause and proximate cause.

A snooker player's stick hitting the white cue ball which hits the brown cue ball into the pocket

Consider the game of pool. What do you think makes the ball go into the pockets? Is it the white cue ball, the stick, or the player’s actions? We understand that while the white cue ball and stick are necessary, the root cause is the player. The white cue ball and stick aren’t the root causes; they are the proximate causes of the resulting event.

The distractions in our lives are the result of the same forces – they are proximate causes that we think are to blame, while the root causes stay hidden. We tend to blame things like television, junk food, social media, cigarettes, and video games – but these are all proximate causes of our distraction.

Both external and internal triggers are not always bad, nor do they always lead to distractions. But how we respond to them and what they prompt us to do is important. If a trigger is not leading us in the direction we want to be headed, then that is obviously not a good trigger. Viewing triggers as tools that lead us in the direction we want, changes our response to them.

For example, when the timer on my phone goes off and starts beeping regardless of my phone profile, then I know it’s time to take out the Banana bread from the oven or get out of bed. Now imagine getting a similar beep or ping every time you get an email or a WhatsApp message. The prompt says Hey, you have a message, and you should check it now. Knowing that following through on that prompt now or every few minutes you have a notification on your phone will keep you distracted and away from something else you should be doing.

Who is this for?

It’s worth saying that the suggestions and advice here might not work for everyone and some might consider it extreme or realistically difficult to follow because of habit or many other genuine reasons you may have but if you have a specific task or project you want to get done, if you find yourself often distracted trying to finish a task, then you will find some of the recommendations below very useful.

What can we do? – How to avoid distractions.

You cannot always choose what to feel but you often have the will to choose how you react to what you feel.

When triggered and you will, the most important thing becomes how you respond to it.

Living the life we want not only requires doing the right thing but also necessitates not doing the things we know we’ll regret.– Nir Eyal.

Again, the dictionary definition of distraction is, a thing that prevents someone from concentrating on something. An extreme agitation of the mind. A trigger, an over stimulation of the mind. So, the most effective approach should be at the core, which is to reduce this agitation, and over stimulation of the mind.

Make your phone serve you.

Although our phones and smart devices are not the root cause of our distractions, they are not free from blame either. Even as a symptom of our distracted mind, excessive use of mobile phone can contribute to our lack of focus and will continue to keep us distracted.

Our phones and smart devices may not be the cause of our distraction, but they can be good at sustaining it.

Therefore, we can learn to make our devices serve us better for example by turning off notifications. Most phones and smart devices now come with controls that allow you to turn off notifications and get less prompt from them. On your phone you can easily go into the settings and disable notification pop-ups. This can also be done for specific apps. When you plan on working, you can also switch your phone to a silent mode, so your workflow does not get interrupted.

Imagine that your phone beeps or vibrates every time you get a WhatsApp message or an email. I bet you can barely get any focused work done this way. Disabling your notification helps you to check your phone only when you want to and not when your phone wants you to. This can also help you check or reduce the number of times you check your phone therefore reducing the time you spend on your device.

When you decide to lower the rate of your phone use it might take some days or weeks to adjust down into a new lower level of stimulation, but you will slowly get used to it and a few things are likely to happen. An obvious one is that your stimulation and the internal agitation of your mind will be reduced, you are more likely to get fresh ideas and your attention span may even improve significantly.

Understand Distraction.

We often think that our brains are distracted but actually it is a symptom of a deeper problem which is the root cause of our distraction. It is not that we are distracted but it is that our brains are over stimulated. And for some reason we crave this distraction in the first place. Our brain loves it and even rewards us for seeking them and finding distraction in the first place. The tiny little nuggets of information, binging social media, and bits of stimulating online contents such as reading the news, a tweeter thread or even an article.

Understanding that this is what happens when we are distracted helps us to be more self-aware and device effective means to combat it.

Having understood what distraction is. Plan your day by prioritizing your activities. To have a more efficient focused session, use the pomodoro technique where you work a relatively short period of time, say thirty minutes, and take a Five-minute break and work another thirty minutes. In this period, you are not allowed to use your phone or even have it in your view nor access any device not used for studying or your focused work.

By understanding that overstimulation is the enemy of focus, we can properly channel our attention to reducing the level and frequency of our stimulation.

Rediscover Idleness and boredom.

Aristotle is famously quoted to have defined “Nothing” as that which rocks dream about.

Boredom is the state where your mind is unoccupied, a state of low stimulation. The feeling we get from going from a state of high stimulation into a state of low stimulation. Although it can be uncomfortable and so many try to avoid it, boredom and idleness is good for your mind. It can give it more space to wonder, and to relax. The less stimulated your mind is, the less distracted your mind will be.

Try getting bored.

Like not using your phone the whole day, writing the first five chapters of a book by hand, reading the terms and conditions of a software you use.

If you continue this practice on a regular basis it might take some time, but your mind will have to readjust to a lower level of stimulation.

Relax the mind.

Do things that relaxes your mind and allows it to wonder long. Like a soaking bath, a Massage, exercise. Talking to a friend in person, going for a walk, taking a joyride.

Make a disconnection ritual.

Have a disconnection ritual where you go off your devices or the internet. This can also help you sleep better. Often times the state of our attention determines the state of our lives.

If we are distracted in each little moment, those moments of distraction and over stimulation builds up and accumulates to create a life that feels more distracted and overwhelming like we don’t have a clear direction and can make us more anxious.

Trying to figure out what you need to know and what you can ignore is exhausting.– Daniel J Levitin

But when we become less stimulated and make our minds calm, we not only get the benefits of added productivity, focus and creativity but we also live a better life because of it.

Conclusion

Recalibrate expectations.

There is an email trick I read a long time ago and it’s something like this, if you send less emails you tend to receive less emails. Look at it from another view, in an email conversation, someone eventually ends the conversation by not replying back (usually because there is nothing else to reply to). The point though is often time if you don’t send a message there won’t be a reply to it.

Here is one illustration and I understand the tendency to have this misunderstood, but I hope you won’t. Intentionally or unintentionally, you set expectations with people you communicate with regardless of the channel, could be email, WhatsApp, SMS, or on Facebook messenger. But since we all have mobile phones now and have access to them almost every time, there is this expectation that you should always be reachable or available without considering your convenience.

Let’s say you constantly reply to your WhatsApp messages within every few minutes (which would be mind-bugging). Every time someone sends you a message there is that expectation that a reply will be given within that time frame. Or let’s say you usually reply to your emails within the hour. When someone emails you, subconsciously they expect a reply within the hour (Which can be a good thing, especially for work).

But if you get serious about cutting down your phone usage, then you’ll most likely have slotted time of the day where you read these messages and then reply. Or at least you’ll be on your phone less and probably not see these messages to reply within that short period of time.

In the past these expectations used to be different and to reduce your overstimulation and perhaps excessive use of your mobile device it can help to recalibrate these expectations.

Daniel J Levitin captured this in such a beautiful way:

When all phones were wired to a wall, there was no expectation of being able to reach us at all times – one might have gone out for a walk or been between places – and so if someone couldn’t reach you (or you didn’t feel like being reached), it was considered normal. Now more people have mobile phones than have toilets. This has created an implicit expectation that you should be able to reach someone when it is convenient for you, regardless of whether it is convenient for them.

***

I am also curious to know how you stay focused and reduce your distraction. Share some of those tips with me in the comment section below or send me an email blog@isaacodoma.com

Sources

As usual, this post is the result of what I’ve been thinking about and lessons from these sources:  
Book: Indiscractable by Nir Eyal
TED Talk: How to Get Your Brain to Focus By Chris Bailey

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