HN Books @HNBooksMonth

Anything that has an element of "New! Fun!" is "social media". This is a personal nomenclature, and loose.

Even arXiv is social media.

I have 45 minutes set for using HN and everythinh that comes out of it.

YouTube and TikTok have algorithms that have the goal to grab my attention. The garden/road outside my home does not have an algorithm. It is safe to look that way.

Outside of the focus hours, I stay away from social media, but I do read books, play Factorio, discover new music, watch documentaries, and rarely movies/series. So there is nothing wrong with media consumption.

But social media makes our brain secrete stuff and that gives our brain a false sense of achievement.

That false sense of achievement, too much scrolling, getting distracted, and the anticipation of the unknown fun for long times- these are what I fear.

Does social media rewire our brain in some way? (Take the word "rewire" lightly, not technically)

I was never known to be weak-minded person. I never had any kind of addiction although I drink alcohol and never had an eating disorder although I love to eat and so on.

So, nothing is wrong with me. Maybe the problem does lie with them?

Social media addiction made me feel weak. I hate that.

I only started doing this after I read Cal Newport's Deep Work [0].

I don't pull up my phone even when waiting for a friend or commutibg in subway.

I do not know why, but this has been extremely effective for my peace of mind and productivity while working.

I aim for 1/2 hours of deep focus (like learning new math for the first time), and 3/4 hours of moderate focus (working on a challenging problem).

[0]: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0349411905/

Deep Work (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracte...) concisely sums up many feelings I've had about distractions and how this always connected world affects the way I think. I believe the teachings of this book are especially applicable to knowledge workers.

⬐ bitexploder

I can’t recommend this book enough. It is one of the most important ideas in my life. The book is good, but the ideas and observations are critical. It really helps me manage my ADHD. A lot more goes into it, but the basic notion is: more deep work hours = more productivity = moving the needle in my universe more.

⬐ trouble

I'm also a big fan of this book, for the same reasons (ADHD management). Understanding the value of setting aside big chunks of time to work deeply and prioritising that time has had an enormous positive impact on how I get things done.

⬐ bitexploder

I have tried (legally prescribed) amphetamines. I found without a structure and a plan I would be intensely focused on /something/, but maybe not what was most important every day. And with good time management, diet, and most important, exercise, I didn’t need anything else. So, seconded there on the impact :)

⬐ trouble

I've had a pretty similar experience. Get exercise, sleep, food and hydration under control, then (in my case) medication helps me make the most of that structure.

I actually just wrote a giant post [1] about what I've learned about managing ADHD so far. It focuses on the core stuff, but I want to follow it up with a breakdown of how books like Deep Work (e.g. Flow; Farsighted; Thinking, Fast and Slow; How Not to be Wrong) have made a difference for me.

[1] https://medium.com/@sashacollecutt/life-with-adhd-a61cae5a5b...

⬐ tiniuclx

What I like about the book is that it presents many ways of incorporating deep work into your life: from long, focused sabbaticals (e.g. writers living and working in a cabin to complete important work) to frequently dedicating a small part of your day to pursue your goal. It also presents rituals, quirky as that may be, as a good way to get yourself into the desired mindset.

Another interesting idea: not all important jobs require or even benefit from deep work.