Posted by Perig Gouanvic
Some say that the Internet age is deleterious for our brains, that we have become scattered and shallow; others applaud this change, insisting that we are simply adapting to a new and better age of connectivity and openness. Being prone, from birth, to being scattered, I would have some advice for those who are starting to wonder what their brains are becoming in the Internet age.
I made the discovery of a technique (wait, this is not promotional material -- I have nothing to sell!) that is based on the hypotheses that the brain is not really capable of focusing, to its best, on a single thing for more than 25 minutes maximum (on average) and that hearing and controlling a timer can help exorcise the anguish of time. I did not try this technique to boost my "brain power" but rather because I was intrigued by the idea of devoting such short periods of time to the 10 or 15 different things that I have in mind everyday (15 times 25 minutes fits in a single day). These things are extremely different one from the other, and it is the fact that they kept nagging me, even becoming intrusive, one idea coming into conflict with the other one, that caused me to be mentally too exhausted to do anything at all.
I guess this is how most of us feel when they have about 15 different tabs open in their browser.
Only a few days after I started to practice the first elements of this pomodoro technique (that's how its called; tomato in Italian, because timers often are tomato-shaped down there), the heap of other things to do stopped bothering me and I could focus for about 20 minutes on a single thing. And then on another one. And so forth.
After a few days I had to stop using this technique because it had changed my personality rather profoundly. I drew several lessons from this tomato-free day. But the most important is that there is a time to be frantically scattered and superficial. It is the daytime version of REM (random eye movement) sleep, and it is as important. The only problem is that we are REM awake too often, these days, because of the Internet; ultimately this REM awakeness becomes counterproductive. Learning to manage my own inner tabs not only helps me to be more structured, but to be more positively scattered, more intuitive, when I decide to stop structuring myself.
I made the discovery of a technique (wait, this is not promotional material -- I have nothing to sell!) that is based on the hypotheses that the brain is not really capable of focusing, to its best, on a single thing for more than 25 minutes maximum (on average) and that hearing and controlling a timer can help exorcise the anguish of time. I did not try this technique to boost my "brain power" but rather because I was intrigued by the idea of devoting such short periods of time to the 10 or 15 different things that I have in mind everyday (15 times 25 minutes fits in a single day). These things are extremely different one from the other, and it is the fact that they kept nagging me, even becoming intrusive, one idea coming into conflict with the other one, that caused me to be mentally too exhausted to do anything at all.
I guess this is how most of us feel when they have about 15 different tabs open in their browser.
Only a few days after I started to practice the first elements of this pomodoro technique (that's how its called; tomato in Italian, because timers often are tomato-shaped down there), the heap of other things to do stopped bothering me and I could focus for about 20 minutes on a single thing. And then on another one. And so forth.
After a few days I had to stop using this technique because it had changed my personality rather profoundly. I drew several lessons from this tomato-free day. But the most important is that there is a time to be frantically scattered and superficial. It is the daytime version of REM (random eye movement) sleep, and it is as important. The only problem is that we are REM awake too often, these days, because of the Internet; ultimately this REM awakeness becomes counterproductive. Learning to manage my own inner tabs not only helps me to be more structured, but to be more positively scattered, more intuitive, when I decide to stop structuring myself.
Perhaps too, it all hinges on how intense your 25 minutes is. Maybe I do 25 minutes thinking in about 2 hours of other people's time?
ReplyDeleteThis is me being humourous, by the way...!
Delete"But once you get a feel of your chronotype for the day, it's simply respectful of your body to keep the same rhythm." I like your idea of being respectful of my body. I think it is important. For example, after years of resisting my body's urge for a 20-minute nap every so often, after trying to fight it and always losing the fight, I finally gave up a couple of years ago, and have been much happier since. "I need to respect my body" I now say to myself, "it is the vessel of my immortal soul." And I don't feel guilty anymore taking a nap. Now I think being in concord with my body is important: I respect it, and in return, I think, it may be bothering me less than it might otherwise.
ReplyDeleteYes, I used to feel bad about staying up late and then sleeping in. But now I think that is how my internal clock works (or doesn't ) and well, if one is luckily able (that's 'luck' in some ways, not in others, in my case - I'd like to have important commitments 'in a way') to sleep in...?
DeleteAh... yes, Delayed sleep phase disorder... or syndrome...
Deletepart of life -- we used to be those who guarded the fire when others slept, listening to potential dangers in the wilderness... now, well, we pay attention to other dangers, and cultivate other kinds of fires... or try to...
Ah... yes, Delayed sleep phase disorder... or syndrome...
Deletepart of life -- we used to be those who guarded the fire when others slept, listening to potential dangers in the wilderness... now, well, we pay attention to other dangers, and cultivate other kinds of fires... or try to...
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