It will feel uncomfortable. Your hand will twitch toward the mouse. Your brain will scream for a distraction.
So tomorrow morning, try this. When you sit down to work, pick one thing. Just one. Put on noise-canceling headphones (even if you play white noise). Hide your phone. And do that one thing until it is done.
The race to the bottom of the attention economy is a race you cannot win. The only winning move is not to play.
Here is how you start your rebellion today.
When you eat, just eat. Don't watch Netflix. When you walk the dog, look at the trees. Don't take a call. When you listen to your partner talk about their day, put your phone face down on the table and look at their eyes. You will be amazed at how much more you hear. The Paradox: Less is More Here is the beautiful paradox. When you stop trying to do everything, you actually do more.
We have a silent epidemic on our hands. It isn’t viral, and you won’t need a test for it. It is the slow erosion of our attention span.
We aren't superheroes. We are addicts—addicted to the feeling of switching. Let’s get specific. Imagine you are a software developer writing a complex piece of code. You are in "the zone." Suddenly, a Slack notification pops up. It’s a quick question about a meeting time.