This is Sucking Your Attention. Can You Quit it?
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.”
- Seneca
It starts as an innocent itch, right?
It would just be a quick check, you tell yourself.
But one scroll turns into an hour, and the guilt that follows is unbearable.
Facebook.
It was Facebook for me, but for you it could be Instagram, email, YouTube shots – or any of those attention-sucking tools – that exploit psychological tricks to keep us hooked.
Facebook wasn’t adding value to my life — it was draining my time and attention.
In an era where every notification pulls us away from meaningful work, protecting our attention has become the ultimate productivity hack.
Yet, how often do we let distractions like social media steal our focus — and our time?
For me, this struggle hit hard in 2018, when Facebook became a tremendous obstacle to my productivity.
I realised I needed a change.
This realisation transpired an unusual decision, and on the 100th day of 2018, I said goodbye to Facebook.
(I don’t wait till the year’s end to do something productive.)
Deleting my Facebook account wasn’t easy. Friends warned me that I’d miss out on staying connected, but I couldn’t ignore the impact of constant distractions on my focus and productivity.
I was inspired by the stories of highly productive individuals who minimised distractions to maximise output. Mark Twain wrote in a secluded shed near the Mississippi River. Charles Darwin postponed reading and responding to letters until after tackling his toughest tasks. Even in today’s fast-paced world, figures like Christopher Nolan and Cal Newport thrive without the noise of email and social media.
Their example showed me that focus flourishes when we cut out the noise.
Today, neuroscience explains the science behind attention. Research confirms that our attention is finite. If we spend it on meaningless tasks, we deplete our capacity for deeper, more meaningful work. Yet, we guard our money more fiercely than our attention.
Here, it’s also pertinent to talk about the adage “garbage in, garbage out”. The content we consume directly shapes our thoughts and actions, and we won’t be able to guard against it.
Facebook’s flood of trivial content was diluting my ability to think deeply and work effectively. So I chose to leave it behind.
Did FOMO (fear of missing out) trouble me? Sure, I feared missing out. But I applied the Pareto Principle — the idea that 20% of our actions yield 80% of results—and asked myself: Does Facebook belong in my 20%?
The answer was clear: No.
So I cut the clutter, and regained peace, perspective, and my finite time.
Quitting Facebook wasn’t just about eliminating distractions—it was about creating space for what truly matters. By cutting the clutter, I reclaimed my focus and learned to protect one of my most valuable resources: attention.
Life is too short to spend on distractions – or anything – that isn’t aligned with your core goals and values. It was Facebook for me; for you it could be something else.
Take stock of your habits, identify the noise, and cut it out. You’ll face resistance. A number of reasons – yes those rational ones – would crop up before you to hold you back. Your well-meaning friends might say that you’re going crazy.
But don’t get swayed by anything. Reflect, introspect, and draw your own conclusion.
Your focus — and your future self — will thank you. You deserve better.
Comments
Post a Comment