How Distraction Becomes an Addiction Almost Impossible To Quit
Distracting yourself is not about relaxing, it’s about wasting your energy doing something forgettable and worthless.
Humans are not meant to be productive all the time.
The “wild nature” prepared us to have moments of work and rest throughout the day. In fact, 8–12 hour workdays were not a divine creation, but a human one — perhaps that’s why this system has been the subject of debate (not to say revolutions) for centuries.
Aside from right or wrong, the fact is that we stubbornly try to be productive all the time. And actually, that’s the worst thing for our… productivity.
Reduce breaks, reduce sleep hours, bad nutrition. All depending on obligations.
Until we get to the point where we need to state the obvious: productivity is all about regularity.
Eating or sleeping poorly may solve your problem today, but it will create a bigger problem tomorrow.
So why do we submit to these indisciplines?
Neuroscience for Dummies (but It Could Save Lives)
Much of this problem starts in the brain, in the region of the prefrontal cortex.
It is responsible for memory and attention. The prefrontal cortex is extremely sensitive to physiological changes.
That is, he gets tired very easily.
And when that happens, we lose the ability to focus. We become more distracted, subject to external or even voluntary interruptions.
When we push our body and mind to the limit, all our brain asks for is a little rest.
So he sabotages us and tries to force a rest period while we are active, working or studying.
Studying and working means being in front of a screen, right?
And what is the “proposed” rest by the cortex?
Exactly. Any distraction: social media, news, games etc. Tiredness and poor nutrition lead to less resistance to self-interruption.
In the end, our productive period of the day is broken.
And, to make matters worse, we ended up feeding the addiction to distraction, which is very powerful (for the dark side of the force)! So, even if tomorrow you are refreshed, you are still more susceptible to being distracted.
The Constant Contradictory Stimulation of Contemporaneity and Its Chimerical Risks
Now, a very simplified neurological explanation — for non-scientists, like me.
The prefrontal cortex is responsible for guarding your goals.
Another area, the basal ganglia, store your habits.
This means that your experience, your desires, lead to a rational effort to create goals for your life.
However, the routine, the actions that are repeated in your day-to-day, lead to the formation of habits.
The areas of the brain that store each of these things are independent of each other, which brings us to the drama of the modern professional:
Big life goals, but mediocre habits.
The same person who claims to be a future millionaire is the same person who every time picks up his cell phone to scroll through the Instagram feed.
We create a goal in our mind, but our actions take us just the opposite.
This not only creates a lack of efficiency, but also a profound feeling of malaise, where contemporary ailments such as insomnia, depression, anxiety and others start.
The Only Possible Advice To Regain Your Productivity (and Admit That We Need a Break)
Like I said, the obvious reality today may seem like very harsh advice, but it’s simple.
A normal routine is the best way to stay healthy and focused. Well-defined times for sleeping, waking up, eating and taking care of your health. There is no mystery.
It’s no use:
- Staying awake at night.
- Skip meals or eat fast food.
- Undergoing a grueling journey.
- Stop going to the gym.
Your body will retort, your productivity will drop to ridiculous levels, and you’ll feed an addiction to distraction.
If you’re getting distracted too often, leave your desktop and escape the screens — for a period of a few minutes to an hour, if necessary.
Reflect on whether it’s better to eat or rest for a while.
Forcing a breakthrough at work may, yes, have short-term efficiency, but it will destroy your production capacity in the long run.
