I believe the majority cannot do this. Perhaps they never could, but the ability to focus is becoming rarer. At work I am shocked at what I see.
Witness too the people using generative AI to do tasks that would provide at least some minimal practice of concentration and they are truly on the path to decline and ruin.
Out yesterday on my bike dodging the young ones who seem unable to walk anywhere alone without staring at their phones. Walking outside totally unaware of their physical surroundings.
I cannot agree more. It's really not the phone. It goes deeper, and the phone is the current strategy. Now iwe search for continuous excitement doomscrolling, beforehand (and still nowadays) it was drowning ourselves in paperwork, or watching TV for hours, or getting drunk with other villagers, or surrendering ourselves to whatever the Priest says we should do.
This is so true. I still find catch myself doing it and “forcing myself” not to, but I believe not everyone has enough awareness or willpower to try get out from this loop.
Isn’t it a bit comical that in a world filled with captions and 1-liners, context switching also gets the quick-and-easy explanation so folks can move on? Well written, friend. Something I think about quite literally daily working in a customer facing role where the idea of doing deep work is a dream for most as the reality is that speed is what matters.
I combat this with blocks of specific tasks that work best for my energy levels throughout the day for 60-120 minutes at a time (quiet, solo work first thing in the morning, talking and presenting to customers and colleagues in the afternoon). I’d highly recommend folks figure out when you best perform specific tasks and block those in the calendar like you life depends upon it
I am not sure getting lost in TikTok or social media is context switching. That usually refers to jumping between very different tasks. Watching a video then sending an email is context switching.
That said, I am not sure the TikTok brigade are just using that one thing. When I see people in a public place on their phone they do scroll through some mega feed, but they also quickly jump out into Whatsapp, then onto Twitter, then back to the mindless scrolling. So that definitely qualifies. It is disturbing to watch how automatic these switches are for some.
I think most people seek distraction. As you note, this is not new. Temptation is always with us. But the rapid fire dopamine abuse is fairly new.
I have given up believing most will make it. I think they are permanently broken. Few will escape. I focus primarily on me and now recognize my attention span and ability to produce complex work are survival traits. So that's what I use them for. This of course was Newport's point in Deep Work too; the future belongs to those who can focus on cognitively demanding work for hours at a time. The rest will be on the dole.
It definitely requires practice, like building a muscle. You may like Cal Newport's Deep Work if you haven't read it. Focusing is becoming a superpower.
I’ve been calling it code switching. Continually changing the context vs the sustained weighing of similar content.
I believe the majority cannot do this. Perhaps they never could, but the ability to focus is becoming rarer. At work I am shocked at what I see.
Witness too the people using generative AI to do tasks that would provide at least some minimal practice of concentration and they are truly on the path to decline and ruin.
Out yesterday on my bike dodging the young ones who seem unable to walk anywhere alone without staring at their phones. Walking outside totally unaware of their physical surroundings.
Yes. Needless to say I doubt they are reading the classics either. They are doomed.
I cannot agree more. It's really not the phone. It goes deeper, and the phone is the current strategy. Now iwe search for continuous excitement doomscrolling, beforehand (and still nowadays) it was drowning ourselves in paperwork, or watching TV for hours, or getting drunk with other villagers, or surrendering ourselves to whatever the Priest says we should do.
thanks david, i needed this
A pleasant life is a series of boundaried immersions
Spot-on insight! Sad I haven't seen any time tracking apps feature something like context-switching block; only time limits on the usage of each app.
This is so true. I still find catch myself doing it and “forcing myself” not to, but I believe not everyone has enough awareness or willpower to try get out from this loop.
Great one, as usual! 💛
Thanks. Needed this
Isn’t it a bit comical that in a world filled with captions and 1-liners, context switching also gets the quick-and-easy explanation so folks can move on? Well written, friend. Something I think about quite literally daily working in a customer facing role where the idea of doing deep work is a dream for most as the reality is that speed is what matters.
I combat this with blocks of specific tasks that work best for my energy levels throughout the day for 60-120 minutes at a time (quiet, solo work first thing in the morning, talking and presenting to customers and colleagues in the afternoon). I’d highly recommend folks figure out when you best perform specific tasks and block those in the calendar like you life depends upon it
I am not sure getting lost in TikTok or social media is context switching. That usually refers to jumping between very different tasks. Watching a video then sending an email is context switching.
That said, I am not sure the TikTok brigade are just using that one thing. When I see people in a public place on their phone they do scroll through some mega feed, but they also quickly jump out into Whatsapp, then onto Twitter, then back to the mindless scrolling. So that definitely qualifies. It is disturbing to watch how automatic these switches are for some.
I think most people seek distraction. As you note, this is not new. Temptation is always with us. But the rapid fire dopamine abuse is fairly new.
I have given up believing most will make it. I think they are permanently broken. Few will escape. I focus primarily on me and now recognize my attention span and ability to produce complex work are survival traits. So that's what I use them for. This of course was Newport's point in Deep Work too; the future belongs to those who can focus on cognitively demanding work for hours at a time. The rest will be on the dole.
It definitely requires practice, like building a muscle. You may like Cal Newport's Deep Work if you haven't read it. Focusing is becoming a superpower.