Continue to Recycle Concentration: Digital Severance

In the last article, I decided that instead of disconnecting from social media, I should change my habit of using social media, stop myself from using social media platforms on the phone, and then change the habit and time of my habitual swiping on the phone to reading books on the Kindle, to cultivate Make a habit of reading and writing yourself.

As the saying goes, if you want to do good work, you must sharpen your tools.

Unexpectedly, the Kindle bought five or six years ago can be used for a long time at this moment. I used to have dry eyes when reading e-books on the phone, so I want to switch to e-ink technology, which can reduce the irritation to the eyes and reduce the chance of becoming addicted to the screen.

After observing for a few days, I found that I felt a sense of restlessness when reading, and this feeling also occurs when reading paper books, as if I was in a hurry to jot down the key points. . When I can't find a way to satisfy myself to take notes, I can't empty my Working Memory to concentrate on enjoying and indulge in the reading experience.

During that time, I heard a friend introduce Notion. As I am not updated with technology at all, I did my homework on the Internet, and then I found Ali Abadaal 's strong approach: collect Kindle highlights through Readwise and export them to Notion for backup, and make a second brain. I am not afraid of missing the point. I couldn't be more moved, as Ali said, it's been a real game changer. (Of course, after a month of trial, I found that Readwise's fee was a bit unreasonable for me as a beginner, and then I changed other methods to store my Kindle highlights.)

The function of Notion made me discover the importance of tools. It is easy to classify and has a Database interface function, which allows me to systematically load the data and writing drafts that I need to integrate in my life. It's easy to form a habit. I stopped the habit of using Google Documents in a messy way in the past, which is the "removal" in the separation: discarding redundant items (tools/organization methods that did not work in the past.)

Another thing that is discarded is the inherent cognition of writing in the past. In the past, I would rush to write after thinking of a topic, but when it came time to write it, it was because of the slow typing speed and because of the limited ability to write when writing. Then, when I was visiting Matters, I saw a book on freelance writing shared by the reading outpost @WakiWaki, and I learned that the writing process can be divided into many steps, and separating the writing and editing steps can reduce the burden on the brain. And among them I just lacked a tool to mount my idea. After using Notion and allowing myself to use Voice Input, I solved it. During the month of digital separation, I recorded a lot of writing ideas, clearing my head and letting them continue to ferment.

Special thanks for reading the outpost 's many thoughtful articles, which is a very important help for me to start writing! (Subscribed, big push!!!)

In fact, there are many Productivity tools, suitable for different people, and use effective tools according to what they need to do. I think it's easiest to use your existing habits and routines to find the right tools, rather than relearning to adapt to a completely new operation. Especially my day job is to focus on the body and the senses. When using technology, narrowing the use of tools enables practice, mastery, play and effective management.

Just like learning to draw, you will learn to sketch first, focus on one thing, and then try other types.

Here's one more real thing to share. My sister quit Facebook many years ago. She spent her time and focus on a language-learning app to learn German, so she discovered her interest in German and even went abroad. The idea of studying abroad. Just three years ago, she successfully passed the German C1 Level and went to study in Germany, majoring in musicology. So...the first step in chasing your dreams is to quit FB~ Recycle your attention and use it~

This is the "discard" in my digital disengagement: discard unnecessary/inappropriate tools, including hardware and software, organization methods, and thinking methods, so that you can travel lightly.

To be continued...