I completely get where this person is coming from (being interested in lots of things, diving down rabbit holes and then losing passion and moving onto the next interesting thing).
It feels like minimising distractions is one piece of the puzzle, but the other is having something that is going to help you to stay focussed and complete the goal/task that is right in front of you.
Spot on. Minimizing distractions is just one side of the coin. The other is maintaining momentum on the single task at hand.
That is actually the specific problem I'm trying to solve with my first prototype: https://seton.run
It's a very simple Pomodoro-ish timer, but designed to visualize your accumulated effort. Seeing the concrete data of "time spent" creates a positive feedback loop that helps me stick to the finish line.
Fair point. This post is intended as a manifesto. I'm currently wrapping up the integration after selling my previous company, but I plan to release a prototype next month.
I clicked in the hope I could read more about these products for unplugging...
Since I can't read about any unplugging products I'll tell you about one of mine. It's a bicycle caravan. You put it behind your bicycle, then you cycle to the forest, there you pop it up. You can relax in nature, unplug a little, and even make coffee or pancakes on the portable stove.
I wish they shared some links, regardless how small and unfinished the work is! Seeing the process is often more interesting to me than the finished product instead. Also, it’s an easier way of getting more focus: if it’s out there, it’s real and not 100% under your control. (We tend to be more scared of the emotions/feelings we might might experience rather than what would cause them)
"We tend to be more scared of the emotions/feelings we might might experience rather than what would cause them"
You nailed it. Keeping it private allows the fear to grow, but shipping it makes it just a "thing" in the world. Here's my first prototype: https://seton.run
It's a very simple Pomodoro-ish timer, but designed to visualize your accumulated effort. Seeing the concrete data of "time spent" creates a positive feedback loop that helps me stick to the finish line.
I'll check out your list. It seems we are exploring the same problem space.
This isn't a product, but on the topic of unplugging, we decided to replace our TV with a bookshelf. One of the best results of this decision was it allowed us to rearrange the living room in such a way that wasn't focused on the TV and was instead focused on being social.
We must stop pretending that we can implement restrictions that will keep us from becoming unfocused. You can delete your account, but you can always recreate it. You can add facebook.com to your etc hosts file, but then you can always re-edit that file to allow those domains. Focus is a mental discipline. The only way to focus is to focus on focusing.
You're right. We can always bypass a block if we try.
That is exactly why I'm exploring other approaches. Since willpower is a finite resource, I believe tools can help us preserve it without relying on brute-force restrictions.
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[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 35.0 ms ] threadIt feels like minimising distractions is one piece of the puzzle, but the other is having something that is going to help you to stay focussed and complete the goal/task that is right in front of you.
That is actually the specific problem I'm trying to solve with my first prototype: https://seton.run
It's a very simple Pomodoro-ish timer, but designed to visualize your accumulated effort. Seeing the concrete data of "time spent" creates a positive feedback loop that helps me stick to the finish line.
Since I can't read about any unplugging products I'll tell you about one of mine. It's a bicycle caravan. You put it behind your bicycle, then you cycle to the forest, there you pop it up. You can relax in nature, unplug a little, and even make coffee or pancakes on the portable stove.
Want to know more? Take a look at https://www.theredpanther.org
I maintain a list of projects I made for my own well-being: https://untested.sonnet.io/notes/projects-and-apps-i-built-f...
You nailed it. Keeping it private allows the fear to grow, but shipping it makes it just a "thing" in the world. Here's my first prototype: https://seton.run
It's a very simple Pomodoro-ish timer, but designed to visualize your accumulated effort. Seeing the concrete data of "time spent" creates a positive feedback loop that helps me stick to the finish line.
I'll check out your list. It seems we are exploring the same problem space.
That is exactly why I'm exploring other approaches. Since willpower is a finite resource, I believe tools can help us preserve it without relying on brute-force restrictions.