Deep Work is an invaluable skill, but mastering it can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’re looking to do deep work on a computer. Staying focused while social media is a tab away might seem impossible, but I’ve crafted a white paper that will help you stay on task while online and reach your deep work potential.
I have a roommate that is always glued to her phone screen and I’m not exaggerating that in the slightest. She is always staring down at her screen. Always. If I try to have a conversation with her it usually goes like this: I’ll ask her a question and it will either go in one ear or out the other, she’ll be silent for a moment or two before eventually looking up and asking me to repeat myself or she’ll respond without ever looking up. All of these reactions make me feel unimportant, silly and irrelevant. I’m not even important enough for her to look up from her phone? “But Libby,” you say, “you’re just being dramatic.” That’s not the first time I’ve been told that so maybe you’re right, I mean, she must be doing something really important on her phone and that’s why she’s ignoring me, right?
I love going to Staples. Staples, Office Max Office Depot, really any office supply store where I can pick up an organizer or something to file things in or even just some new pens. Walking into a store like that creates the illusion of productivity. Of course I’m getting things done- can’t you see me deciding between the sparkly pink pen and the sparkly blue one? I’m making very important decisions to stay organized. Unfortunately, the illusion doesn’t carry out much further than the doors of the store. Just because I picked up a brand new planner doesn’t mean I’m going to use it ever day. Maybe I just like being the kind of person that owns a planner, because I don’t think I’ve ever consistently used a planner for more than three weeks. Am I alone in this?
nos·tal·gia
näˈstaljə,nəˈstaljə/
noun
a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.
As I currently write this I enter hour three of staring at my cursor blink… blink… blink on an empty Word document. It’s hypnotic at this point and convinces me that a quick scroll through Twitter will help me think of ideas. However, that “quick” scroll becomes half an hour and I forget that I still have an empty document waiting for the next great blog post to be written on it. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to overcoming it and I am not afraid to admit that social media might have a slight control over my life. Continue reading Out of Focus
