My focus has been much more scattered lately. I’m having a hard time focusing on my work, research, reading, etc. for extended periods of time. I feel like my attention constantly wants to jump to something else.

This is is directly correlated to increased phone usage. I’ve started using my phone a lot more since being in quarantine, since it is my “window to the world” – aka access to my friends. I’m noticing that the more I use my phone, the more I want to use my phone. There’s a physiological addiction to it that’s like a snowball effect, which I learned a lot about by taking a year off social media in 2016.

Distraction in action

Sometimes I’ll grab my phone out of habit, blindly open an app or check for notifications, and then find myself scrolling through Instagram or Twitter. This does not follow a conscious thought that goes, “I want to check Instagram or Twitter.” It’s as if my appendages are working all on their own.

Other times I’ll need to go to my phone for a specific purpose (to do an online transfer, for example), and I’ll forget the reason I picked it up as soon as it’s unlocked. Staring at the tiny screen of blue light and all the shiny apps, my brain cycles through any potential reason I could’ve picked up my phone. Then, subconsciously, my thumb will tap on an app (usually social media or news – something scrollable that will feed me bite-sized updates or something cute). I find myself in the app, scrolling aimlessly, no quality thoughts surging through my brain. Then, after some minutes, it’s as if I wake up.

“What am I doing on this app?”
“This isn’t the reason I picked up my phone.”
“Why did I pick up my phone?”

Now I search the recent thoughts of my brain to try to determine what I needed my phone for moments prior. Sometimes, I’m able to figure it out and complete it. But many times, I land on nothing in that moment.

So, I lock my phone, unfulfilled and slightly disappointed in myself, and set it down. Then, within 5-10 minutes, I say, “Oh! That’s what I was doing on my phone!” And I giddily pick it back up, unlock it, and tend to whichever task I needed to do on it.

This just feels wrong, and almost sickening. Like I am a slave to the device.

I wonder how many collective minutes I’ve spent mindlessly scrolling in instances like these. Worse, I wonder how many worthwhile moments I’ve forgone by getting my fix. By sticking my nose in my iPhone screen, oblivious of my surroundings and void of any valuable thoughts.

I wonder how many opportunities I’ve missed to be present with myself, to notice something beautiful, or to have a revelation about a question I’ve been pondering.

While it may seem like these are just a few harmless minutes of mindless activity, I’ve observed that it’s actually much, much worse than that. The real problem is not picking up your phone; it’s the psychological addition to picking up your phone. This addiction is diminishing your ability to focus for extended periods of time.

The thoughtless phone-grab usually happens in the following scenarios:

• When switching between tasks (be them work tasks, chores, or otherwise).
• When reaching a challenging point in something you’re focusing on.
• At the start or end of the day.

Imagine with me for a second, what it would be like if you never used your phone in any of these three scenarios. Hard to imagine, huh? What would you do with those moments?

I can attest that you would spend more time being present. You would be much more aware of yourself and your surroundings. You would get to know yourself better, and start to like yourself more. Perhaps most importantly, you would spend time thinking quality thoughts. Whether these are thoughts related to your profession, a personal situation, or any other area, they are quality because they are uninterrupted.

And just like the unconscious phone-grab creates a snowball effect, making you increasingly grab your phone the more you do it, it works in reverse, too. Meaning the less you mindlessly reach for your phone, the less you want to, or even think to. Which means that in the above scenarios, you will thoughtlessly grab your phone, less. And instead, you will have an uninterrupted stream of thought, building upon your ideas. Otherwise known as extended focus.

But it’s so hard to be in control of this, especially as we’re using our phones more during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sometimes I just want to chuck my phone and liberate myself of its cruel grip on me. Then I remember the following.

The smartphone is an extremely useful tool. A computer in your pocket, equipped with a camera nicer than those digital cameras that were all the rage in the 2000s, that connects you to everyone in the world within a few clicks? What a mindf*ck! We’re especially fortunate to have these tools during this social isolation we’re all living due to coronavirus.

For most of us, it doesn’t make sense to live life without a smartphone, especially in 2020. We would lose so much connectivity and convenience that we’ve grown accustomed to. It feels like you either play the game and allow your focus to get hijacked (the price to pay?), or you don’t play, and you miss out on all the upside of being a smartphone owner.

So, how do we deal with this catch 22? More specifically, how do we take back control of our focus without literally throwing our phones away?

While I certainly don’t have a magical solution to this, I have developed a few simple practices that allow me to win back some focus, and some time to think quality thoughts that would’ve otherwise been muted by the smartphone. Anyone can implement these practices at any time, and I highly encourage you to try them out.

Starting with the most simple and lowest barrier to entry:

While there may be no way to reach 0% phone distractedness, there are a myriad of options to help you drastically reduce phone distractions. You can have more control than you think, achieved through extremely simple practices. It will be uncomfortable at first, but after just 24 hours of discipline, you’ll already start noticing changes. The snowball just needs a little time to lose its momentum and begin to reverse.

And if you think you can rely on your will power, think again! Will power is metered; it will diminish over the course of the day. Use it in areas where you have less ability to automate.

There is almost nothing so urgent that is worth interrupting your focus. In a world full of distractions vying for your attention, your focus is more sacred than ever. We all must train our focus and prioritize developing it like we would any other skill. It is becoming more and more valuable in an increasingly distracting world. As Cal Newport describes in Deep Work, one only produces value in the world by fending off distractions for extended periods of time. The best thinking, and therefore the best work, is achieved in long, uninterrupted periods of focus. Protect it like you would your most valuable asset.

Editor's Note:

I just watched a girl walk past my window using her phone.

This mere image made me feel an urge to use MY phone, to see what’s going on.

I had to shove it in a drawer so that I could focus on writing this.