Sylvia's Journal

Cal Newport’s book (Deep Work), got me thinking, and got me concentrating in ways I haven’t done in a long time. Sometimes it feels like I am flitting from one activity to another, from one app’s ping to another. I have a big stack of books I want to read, but my days are ripped into tiny shreds of focus & attention. The subtitle of Newport’s book is: Rules for focused success in a distracted world. I am not after success, but I am after being able to read a book without interruption, ideally for hours on end.

I was able to do some of that, having read through 60% of Newport’s book in one sitting, but then the distractions took over. And the distractions are everywhere: there is our renovation project, still not finished 22 weeks after the demolition of our G&T porch began the first week of July. It’s final touches time. My mind is filling in the gaps constantly, imagining things completed that aren’t yet, stuff to decide, to buy. Maybe this is fine when you work on a project (for success) but in my case it doesn’t do any good; it doesn’t speed things up, just makes me impatient. 

And then there are the constant pings; not just mine but Axel’s as well. We often have 5 devices within earshot. Axel had programmed his text alerts to sound like a French Horn but then our daughters changed it into the screeching of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Both distract me.

And then there are the sources of news: newspapers strewn across the table – we haven’t finished the NYT from last weekend yet and the local newspaper and the daily from the next town over.  We tend not to use the TV much, a good thing because most of the news is dreadful, but we listen to the radio which cackles on while we try to have a conversation.

Many years ago, we did a program with our Quaker meeting about simple living during one of our retreats. We sat around and looked at various categories of stuff and then talked about what was enough. It was both hilarious and sad, because we had more than enough of so much: sources of news, shoes, clothes, books, music, everything. We were faced with ridiculous abundance, irrelevance, and oh yes, distractions.

Aside from read and unread newspapers, our dining room table is now also strewn with Quaker documents. As the newly appointed Clerk of our local Quaker Meeting, I am preparing for my first Meeting for Business this Sunday. I am immersing myself not only into the history, rules and procedures of Quaker practices, but also the written testimonies that go back as far as the mid 17^th century. They give me pause because they are of a depth I am jealous of. They invite me into Newport’s Deep Work: reading attentively, reflecting and making notes.

And so, ahead of my New year’s resolutions, I have taken action to reduce my distractions:

• All my apps notification sounds are turned off (which means immediate reactions are unlikely from now on – I’ll check for activities on those apps a few times a day instead of instantly).
• I deleted my Facebook account
• I deleted my Instagram account
• I deleted my Twitter account
• I am working on getting Axel’s pings to be reduced to essentials (not entirely my call)
• I am advocating for leaving our landline disconnected as it has been for the last 5 months due to the renovation.  This has saved us from countless solicitations for money and unnecessary election reminders.

Despite all these disconnects, I feel very connected to those I care about because they know where to find me. And so this is how I plan to start my 70^th year on this world, tomorrow.