Spring Simplifying: 5 Ways to Reduce What Bids for Your Attention

Somethings cannot be helped, but many of the pings and tugs at us can be

This is part two of three of my Spring Simplify series on saving our time, money, and attention from all of the places that try to siphon it away from us. It’s not a unique sentiment to connect money, attention, and time as three parts of our resource bucket as individuals. Hopefully, the concrete ideas in this series give you ways to apply this concept outside of abstraction.

You can read part 1 with a longer intro essay and the ways of simplifying to save money here.

still from A Room With A View, 1985

Five Ways to Stop Attention Theft This Spring

1. Set a new routine around when you will NOT be looking at digital platforms that suck you in.

One way to try to cut back on attachment to screens is by picking a small amount of time each day that you can look at your phone and scroll. I’ve written about it, you’ve thought about it, it’s a great technique. BUT! Something that can be an easier on-ramp and require less willpower is to instead set a small time at the beginning of the day when you think it would be most powerful to not be tempted to get stuck in your screen. For me, this time is right when I wake up until I’m at work. This prevents me from running late, or scrolling and then realizing I don’t have time to workout or pack a lunch and am somehow already in a foul mood before the day has even gotten a chance to piss me off yet. Similar to what some notice about starting your day or having a specific routine right when you arrive home, reflect for a little bit about what time of day your attention most deleteriously gets stolen, and pick a 30 minute block just before then.

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