How Not To Be Distracted
Because being on your phone all day won’t get things done, trust me.
I came across this realization a few days ago when I was scrolling down the timeline on social media. I saw a bunch of interesting stuff my friends do and how much they have done something with it, “Oh wow, Bob jogged a lot today!”, “Karen is trying out a new recipe. I wonder what that tastes like…”. Then suddenly, the shouting of my mom across the room woke me from the cyberspace that drew me in. No wonder why she was mad, I was so full of my own thoughts that I forgot to wash the dishes, fill up my cats’ empty food bowls, and buy some groceries. I also forgot to do the grand plan I made the night before — this includes trying out Yoga and doing The Artist’s Way weekly exercise.
The Turning Point
The thing is, distractions suck. No one enjoys reading unrelated content on social media instead of doing activities that could bring a sense of fulfillment to them. Being on your phone 3–4 hours a day won’t make you feel good. It’s not that you could brush off your friends’ delightful news or maybe ignore the deadly pandemic news updates, but don’t you think it would be better to actually get your life going too?
Digital Minimalism lifestyle could help you set your priorities straight and you probably will get ultimate satisfaction when you get things done. It can help you focus whilst battling your addiction to gadgets. It’s a win-win solution.
What is Digital Minimalism?
Cal Newport got the best definition for this:
Digital minimalism is a philosophy that helps you question what digital communication tools (and behaviors surrounding these tools) add the most value to your life. It is motivated by the belief that intentionally and aggressively clearing away low-value digital noise, and optimizing your use of the tools that really matter, can significantly improve your life.
Email, chat apps, social media can be as productive as they can be distracting. This way of life could help you focus on the things that only matter to you. Some of us have that FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) syndrome, I was one of those people…
I used to get a lot of notifications of news updates and recent posts on my social media account. The amount of information I got was so overwhelming that they eventually made me stressed out without me even realizing it.
I became gloomy and easily got irritated. I also got lost in the track of time whenever I use my phone. That’s a huge red flag. This way of life has helped me to set boundaries on things so that they could work for me.
The question is, how?
As Nick Wignall describes it, the best way to explore Digital Minimalism is to simply notice how and when you use technology, and whether your use of it lines up with your highest values for how you want to live your life.
Before you start, ask yourself this question:
Do you find yourself repeatedly procrastinating on your work, getting lost in a stream of blog posts, social feeds, and online videos rather than making progress on that side project or hobby you’ve wanted to get started on forever?
If the answer is yes, then it is a sign for you to do a digital decluttering. Doing these could help you zone out of the horror of internet and social media:
- Try deleting social media off your phone or treat it like a professional task — something you do as needed and not more.
- For phone users, install some apps, like Forest. This app could help you stay focused by allowing you to nurture trees, which can wither if you visit blacklisted sites. I also downloaded YourHour, this tool could track my phone usage and warns me whenever I use apps in an abnormal amount of time (Only available on Android).
- Unless it’s for calls or messages or work emails, turn off your notifications. For real. Just turn it off.
- Unfollow & unfriend people. If it doesn’t interest, entertain, or inform you anymore it’s time to go. Our feeds are full of distracting posts from people we’re not particularly close to. Unfriend anyone that doesn’t add value to your life.
To be real honest, I struggled to do all the things above in the first week… Just like what people say, the beginning is always hard, indeed. But I suppose the best way to seize life is by being there at that moment, not enjoying it through your phone screen.
