We don’t know how to focus anymore.
We all have a distraction machine in our pockets, endless shows to binge, and use the laptop an obscene amount of hours a week, as though it’s perfectly normal to stare at a screen and be sitting for 8 hours a day. This has wreaked havoc on our attention spans, as we are constantly reminded, but it’s a herculean effort to fix it because the setup of society works against you in myriad ways. Just being on the computer during work is an exercise in constant distraction more than ‘work’.
The constant interaction with screens (and, let’s be honest, going to an office) had exhausted me too much to pursue meaningful evening activities other than sitting zombie-like in front of Gilmore Girls reruns. I thought work was just supposed to be thus and let myself off the hook for doing essentially nothing with my life other than working, and one hobby I didn’t even engage in much. It was, obviously, a terrible way to live.
How to reduce screen time at work:
Even if you still go to an office, there are many improvements you can make to minimize screen time.
During meetings, put the computer down and take paper notes. If at home, pacing will probably make you more attentive.
Stop checking your email and IMs constantly and actually honor your do-not-disturb time. The less you participate in the hive mind, the fewer context switches. Context switches are the enemy of deep thought.
Step away from the laptop as often as possible and find analog ways to think. I have epiphanies on walks. Using pen and paper to ideate can help organize your thinking immensely.
The laptop does not actually facilitate deeper work than pen and paper, though it seems more efficient than writing by hand and re-typing. My ideas and execution were better because I spent so much time away from the laptop thinking, writing by hand, and doing the relevant reading.
What to do when you finish work?
The impulse to turn on the TV to ‘relax’ right after stopping work ruled me for the first 7 years of my working life. Before I knew it, I had passed the whole evening spending low-quality time with my partner. Perhaps parents don’t have this issue because children demand attention but childless people have nothing stopping them from idling away for 4 hours watching TV after spending 8 hours on the computer.
Create a shutdown ritual. Do something after closing the computer. A short walk or a stretch and writing down what you have to do tomorrow can reduce anxiety in the morning and allow mental digestion of the day.
Even better, a hobby that requires some concentration will do wonders to build your attention span back up.
Reducing phone time is a requirement
Without reducing your phone pickups, time spent reading the ‘news’, and social media, concentration improvement will prove impossible. There are so many good books about the problems caused by the distraction gremlin next to you at all times, I won’t bore you with more exhortations. If you read one book on the topic, it should be Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism.
The key to a better life (and concentration): reading books
Try to read a few pages of a book every day. Longform articles on the internet don’t count, because they require a screen and because articles and the news are the worst way to go about developing a true understanding of a complex issue.
I recognize most people enjoy reading fiction. That is fine, but adding the occasional non-fiction will help develop better critical thinking skills because you have to understand a complex topic, and will help concentration in all areas of life. I became a far better product manager because reading non-fiction books and making connections between seemingly disparate concepts led me to develop deeper thinking abilities.
Every night, hold yourself to reading 15 pages of any book. In a year at that pace, you’ll have read the equivalent of 24 200-page books. Reading before bed will also improve sleep quality.
As you’re reading or afterward, write the main ideas or lessons from the book to retain what you read. Notes by hand will help with information retention.
All of the above changes made me better at work and helped me find a more meaningful life. Some of these changes are difficult and may require re-wiring, but you will be grateful you put in the effort even a month later.
A reading list
Cal Newport, Deep Work, Digital Minimalism, A World without Email
Siva Vaidyanathan, Anti-social Media
Nicholas Carr, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains
Matt Taibbi, Hate Inc.: Why Today’s Media Makes Us Despise One Another
Adam Grant, Think Again: The Power of What You Don’t Know