xdeb.org

Take control of my own attention

I like to be in control of most aspects of my own life. I want to make conscious decision on what I spend my attention on.

Companies, services, media and gadgets compete for our attention, it even have a name the attention economy. Here are my attempts at resisting it.

1. Do not use any social media.

I deleted my Twitter account in 2012 and have not used any other social media so this is easy for me.

I do not like social media, nor do I think it’s good for anyone in the long run. At best it’s a waste of time and attention, at the worst it’s private monopolies manipulating people and society for shortsighted profit.

It’s like my sisters comment when she lived in the countryside for a few years, “I see less people, but I meet more.”

2. Make your phone boring, you can then notice interesting things in front of you.

Delete any app that is distracting from your phone, it will do wonders to your phones battery time.

For the times when I have time to kill I have a books app loaded with some titles that I think I should read.

3. Do not bring your glasses (phone) to bed.

I use my phone as a clock/alarm-clock so always have it besides my bed at night. Without glasses I can only read the big text on the phone. The “Do not disturb” feature is set to activate automatically early in the evening until after breakfast. Nothing to distract me from sleep.

I believe these things make me happier and a better parent.