How to Identify the Modern Distractions That Rob Our Focus and Time

Distractions are everywhere in the modern age.

In the book Make Time, authors Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky name the two primary forces of modern distraction: the Busy Bandwagon and Infinity Pools.

These rob our time and keep us stuck on autopilot.

Busy Bandwagon

Modern culture is obsessed with business and productivity. I still remember the motto from my days in fast-food: "If you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean." Staying (and looking) busy was enforced by managers.

These days my manager's don't have to enforce it. The culture has done that for them.

We find ourselves caught in the trap of always chasing the white rabbit. The new trick, tip, or tool that will unlock the magical feeling of achievement and productivity.

Infinity Pools

If you can pull to refresh, it's an Infinity Pool. If it streams, it's an Infinity Pool.

— (Knapp & Zeratsky, 2018)

These flood us with non-stop distractions and never-ending content. If you time-tracked every single action you took in a day, how many of them would look like:

- Checked Facebook
- Checked Twitter
- Checked TikTok
- Checked Email
- Checked Etc

Infinity pools work because they feed our desire for dopamine. Dopamine comes in anticipation of a reward. This is why gambling and slot machines can be so addicting.

Pull-to-refresh is the modern slot machine, just pull for a release of dopamine and see if you've won a prize.