The Distraction Addiction: Getting the Information You Need and the Communication You Want, Without Enraging Your Family, Annoying Your Colleagues, and Destroying Your Soul

by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

The question of our can we reclaim our lives in an age that feels busier and more distracting by the day?

We've all found ourselves checking email at the dinner table, holding our breath while waiting for Outlook to load, or sitting hunched in front of a screen for an hour longer than we intended.

Mobile devices and the web have invaded our lives, and this is a big idea book that addresses one of the biggest questions of our can we stay connected without diminishing our intelligence, attention spans, and ability to really live? Can we have it all?

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, a renowned Stanford technology guru, says yes. The Distraction Addiction is packed with fascinating studies, compelling research, and crucial takeaways. Whether it's breathing while Facebook refreshes, or finding creative ways to take a few hours away from the digital crush, this book is about the ways to tune in without tuning out.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Self Help, Technology, Productivity, Personal Development, Sociology

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I write about people, technology, and the worlds they make.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was ever so happy to finish the Distraction Addiction last night, primarily because I was pretty bored with it. There are some very interesting ideas in here and a few jewels of wisdom, but they are spread out amongst long rambling stories of people he interviewed and places he has been. I think you could easily chop half the book out and have basically the same book. If you want the short route just read the final chapter where he summarizes all his ideas in "Eight steps to contemplative computing."

By far the most interesting section in this book is about entanglement. Our technologies have, in many ways, become extensions of ourselves. They extend our mental and physical skills in a way that is difficult to cut off. They affect how we see ourselves and change how we interact with the world, in good ways and bad. If the author had spent the entire book exploring this idea I would have been fascinated.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

In "The Shallows", a recent book covering similar territory, Nicholas Carr posits that the internet is making us dumb. And not just dumber, but less able to concentrate and focus. But if I recall from reading it, there were no solutions beyond, perhaps, the old Hee Haw punch line - "Don't do that!" In "The Distraction Addiction", author Pang focuses on what he sees as the ease of distraction caused by all the technology devices that we use (not just the internet connected ones). And unlike "The Shallows", he offers some advice on how to tell your devices who is in charge. I liked the stories and anecdotes he relates throughout the book, including some background on "Flow", and how he can work well in an airplane. I'd say this book is religious around the edges, with some examples on Digital Sabbath coming from the Jewish faith, and much coming from Eastern religions concerning mindfulness. The stories here are also very interesting. I think the weakest part, though, is the recommendations for dealing with this "addiction". They seem very common sense, especially if you have read about the meaning of Sabbath or the Buddhist way. The hard part, of course, is to put these into action. I was pleased that he didn't suggest a radical Luddite response to technology - I think the horse has already left that barn and we have to live with our device-infested world. I look forward to reading more from Pang.

Won the galley of this book in Goodreads First Reads program.

[David Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the Goodreads first-read giveaway. I gave this book 4 stars because I didn't want to discourage people from reading it. For me personally it was around 2 stars. Reason being I don't have the information overload that this book is trying to help people overcome. I do not have a smart phone. I don't text. I don't tweet. I check my E-mail once a day on a computer that is 9 years old. If you are having trouble with too many devices taking up your time then this book could be a big help. I did like the chapter on meditation.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Distraction Addition” by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is a book for our times. Mr. Pang recognizes how we are all becoming slaves to technology, with checking our email every few seconds, to “switch-tasking” which most people think is multi-tasking,” to forgetting how to just be with ourselves and with others.

Throughout the book, Mr. Pang brings things to the reader’s attention that seem obvious but really isn’t until he points it out. One of these is watching how you breathe before, during and after checking your email. I did and was surprised that I held my breath a little when I was pulling my email up! Mr. Pang refers to this as email-apnea and compares it to sleep apnea and it cannot be good for you.

I really like that Mr. Pang has antidotes about himself and his family sprinkled throughout the book to illustrate what the problem is and how he has tried dealing with it. He discusses studies that have been done to help support his various arguments. He has conversations with various people throughout the world (including monks!).

This book isn’t really ground-breaking, but it is full of commonsense about how to handle taking care of ourselves and not letting technology take over our lives so much that we do not take care of our mental, physical and psychological health. I say it is commonsense, but oftentimes commonsense is elusive until someone points it out. Mr. Pang offers ideas on how to reduce our stresses that are brought on by being plugged-in all the time.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often struggle with my writing because I am addicted to facebook, a number of blogs, and other tantalizing aspects of the internet. I read this book in order to attempt to address these technological distractions, and I found it useful in many ways. The opening chapters on zenware directed me to a number of word processing programs (some of which are free) that can help one avoid the distractions of email and MS Word’s overwhelming buttons and functions. The later chapters, especially the one that focused on Darwin, walking, and places of contemplation, were also useful in helping me consider what kinds of non-writing activities that can aid in thinking through the problems of my writing. The writer’s distinctions between effective and ineffective multitasking are also refreshing. Surprise! You really can’t write, eat, look at twitter, and listen to Lady Gaga all at the same time!

Pang's style is clear and direct, meaning that this can be read rather easily, though there is a tendency at points for the author’s obviously successful and rather posh lifestyle to get in the way. Like Pico Iyer in The Global Soul, Pang is doing rather well and enjoying the connections and amenities that work with Microsoft and time in Cambridge, UK, have brought him. At times, I wanted to hear less about the highly successful woman he met in a futuristic-looking bistro in Palo Alto to discuss “flow” and hear a little more about how people with limited resources might adopt the techniques mentioned here.

[Mollie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I got about three quarters through this before putting it down for good. Guiltily, since this was my pick for my new book club! Oops. I got pretty much nothing out of it: I think if you've spent more than twenty minutes of your life ever thinking about your over-reliance on computers, you have thought of everything useful this book has to say. Really? Unsubscribe from mailing lists? Don't check your phone first thing when you wake up? THERE'S SOFTWARE THAT LET'S YOU BLOCK THE INTERNET? Stop the presses.

The book REALLY lost me when the author started waxing poetic about Mario Kart. I mean, I don't care if you play video games with your kids. I don't, but I think it's possible to do it thoughtfully. But when the author starts talking about how at FIRST when they started playing, gosh, his pesky son just kept talking and chattering away? But luckily now he's better and knows his dad really has to focus on the game? Sweet mother. Sounds like epic parenting fail to me.

If you want good advice about cutting back on your addiction to computers and media, spend some time on the lifehacker website and make some decisions that way. This book is a meandering waste of time.

[Bảo Ngọc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book on Blinkist so I don’t waste many time for reading this book. I simply find that the way to focus and stay attention to your business is that you should walking like Charles Darwin or doing the meditation like the monk to have a good attention and memory.

[Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things to consider. A undercurrent of Spirituality in this book.

PopSugar read - Social Media Book

[Dr. Tobias Christian Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book cover but a story that is not 100% balanced. It’s important to be in the moment, task and activities you do. It’s distracting when you are not in the moment so it helps to let your distracting habits at home: you can always choose to be focused all time and remove the distraction.

[Sarede Switzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing so innovative however I appreciated the author's overall approach that we can (and should) utilize technology to augment ourselves and that it can be done in a way where we are the ones in control rather than being ruled by tech. And how using "technology" to augment ourselves is something which can be traced back as far as our history goes. Also his understanding of the uniqueness of the human mind which so many futurists discard/minimize. His distinction between "multi-tasking" and "switch-tasking" was good as well. There were a couple of apps/extensions he mentioned which I plan on checking out.

[أنس سمحان · Rating 2 out of 5]

يجب عليك، مع هذا النوع من الكتب، أن تضع في يدك مجرافاً، احتياطاً، إما لتدفنه، أو لتضرب الكاتب له، أو لتضرب نفسك على الوقت الذي ضيعته في تصفحه.

أهم النقاط حول الكتاب:
- يمكن تلخيصه في مقالة قصيرة للغاية.
- ينقل اللوم من على شركات التكنولوجيا إلى الناس.
- يُبرئ ذمة الرأسمالية ورأسمالية المراقبة، وسباقهم على الانتباه.
- يضع الحل ومسؤوليته بالكامل على المُستهلك المُتعب ليتخلص من إدمان مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي.

[briz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up after hearing the author, Alex Pang, on a very intriguing episode of Buddhist Geeks. Maybe it just hit me in the right moment - my life had paused in a little eddy of Dharma Lite ("Hmm, maybe I should meditate again or something?"), and the ever-gushing torrent of INTERNETTTT OMGGGG (i.e. my techlove). Anyway, it really hit the spot in that sense.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with some of the other reviews I've seen here: it's a bit rambley, a bit meandering, and could have been edited down to something a lot shorter and snappier. In particular, I'd often end up confused (and a little impatient!) after I'd find myself deep into a long, seemingly irrelevant digression into:
- Psychedelic drugs in ancient civilizations
- The path around Darwin's house in England
- These cool VR researchers, doing cool psychology experiments (including that famous one about people behaving different when they get sexier-looking avatars)...
- ...this digressed even further into a note about stereotype threat! Yo, I love stereotype threat, I be droppin' it at aaaalll the parties, but - what!? why?!
- Some unexamined, uncritical press release copypasta about the (IMHO, controversial and not so great) One Laptop Per Child program (talk about development bloat!).

How does all this relate to our eroding attention spans amid myriad tech distractions, and the ways we can claim our brains back? I DON'T KNOW. I couldn't make heads or tails of it, and often found myself plowing through these bits, waiting for the point to emerge. Pang does do an OK-ish job of tying it all up in the very end, but it still felt like many of those pages could have been paragraphs.

That said, there are some nuggets of very interesting issues in here; particularly his adapting Abraham Heschel's ideas on the Jewish sabbath to our digital age. Indeed, that's what he talked about in the Buddhist Geeks podcast, that's basically why I bought the book, and that's what I ended up liking most about it (I know, I know). Other very interesting bits included the (slightly fanboy-ish and unfortunately outdated - some of those apps are dead or different now) overview of "Zenware" (i.e. Freedom, WriteRoom, Futureful (?)), and the Buddhist monastic responses to it. Also, when Pang is on his game, his writing can be smart and funny.

[Yor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Segundo libro que leo de Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, en este libro encontraremos la invitación a reflexionar sobre el uso extremo de la tecnología contemporánea, por que somos de cierto modo adictos a estar hiperconectados, y así mismo un poco de consciencia de cómo podemos ser presentes en nuestro día a día y ser vigilantes sobre el uso moderado del celular, buscadores y todo lo que nos conecta con actividades virtuales, reflexiones sobre el multitasking y cómo podemos ejercer cierto control sobre donde colocamos nuestra atención, y cómo podemos conectar más con nosotros mismos y las personas que están a nuestro alrededor.

El libro está compuesto por
Dedication
Introduction: Two Monkeys
Cap. 1. Breathe
Cap. 2. Simplify
Cap. 3. Meditate
Cap. 4. Deprogram
Cap. 5. Experiment
Cap. 6. Refocus
Cap. 7. Rest
Cap. 8. Eight Steps to Contemplative Computing

Appendix 1: Keeping a Tech Diary
Appendix 2: Rules for mindful Social Media
Appendix 3: DIY Digital Sabbath.

Muchas frases y ejemplos interesantes, por acá comparto algunas frases que quisiera recordar:


English
“Homo sapiens has a very long history of entanglement; interaction with technologies change the way our bodies work and the way our minds work. Entanglement allows us to extend our physical and cognitive abilities; do things that we could not do with our bodies alone; accomplish tasks more efficiently, easily, or quickly; and achieve the kind of mastery that lets us lose ourselves in our work. It stretches the body schema, the unconscious mental map of where one’s body ends and the world starts. This is why a common statement like “my Iphone feels like part of my brain” actually expresses some deep truths.”

The term entanglement combines several phenomena that scientists and philosophers have studied separately. I prefer the term entanglement over other options for a couple of reasons.

Español
“El Homo sapiens tiene una larga historia de enredos; la interacción con las tecnologías cambia la forma en que funcionan nuestros cuerpos y la forma en que funcionan nuestras mentes. El enredo nos permite ampliar nuestras capacidades físicas y cognitivas; hacer cosas que no podríamos hacer solo con nuestro cuerpo; realizar tareas de manera más eficiente, fácil o rápida; y lograr el tipo de dominio que nos permite perdernos en nuestro trabajo. Extiende el esquema corporal, el mapa mental inconsciente de dónde termina el cuerpo y comienza el mundo. Es por eso que una afirmación común como "mi Iphone se siente como parte de mi cerebro" en realidad expresa algunas verdades profundas ".

-------

English
“The ability to pay attention, to control the content of your consciousness, is critical to a good life. This explains why perpetual distraction is such a big problem. When you’re constantly interrupted by external things ─ the phone, text, people with “just one quick question,” clients, children ─ by self-generated interruption, or by your own efforts to multitask and juggle several tasks at once, the chronic distractions erode your sense of having control of your life. They don’t just derail your train of thought. They make you lose yourself.

When it goes well, entanglement lets you use technologies skillfully, even effortlessly. At its best, entanglement gives you tremendous pleasure, extends your ability to imagine and create, and gives your life depth and meaning. This explains why bad entanglement is so painful, why distraction is so corrosive, and why it’s so important to have technologies that help you focus, be mindful, and flow.”



Español
“La capacidad de prestar atención, de controlar el contenido de su conciencia, es fundamental para una buena vida. Esto explica por qué la distracción perpetua es un problema tan grande. Cuando lo interrumpen constantemente cosas externas (el teléfono, el mensaje de texto, las personas con "solo una pregunta rápida", los clientes, los niños), por una interrupción generada por usted mismo o por sus propios esfuerzos para realizar múltiples tareas y hacer malabares con varias tareas a la vez, el problema crónico las distracciones erosionan la sensación de tener el control de su vida. No solo descarrilan su línea de pensamiento. Te hacen perderte

Cuando va bien, el entrelazamiento te permite utilizar las tecnologías con destreza, incluso sin esfuerzo. En el mejor de los casos, el enredo le brinda un placer tremendo, amplía su capacidad para imaginar y crear, y le da profundidad y significado a su vida. Esto explica por qué un enredo malo es tan doloroso, por qué la distracción es tan corrosiva y por qué es tan importante tener tecnologías que te ayuden a concentrarte, ser consciente y fluir."
--------

English
“There are times when it can get hectic, but it’s still well within a person’s abilities to cook three different dishes on the stove and in the oven while getting the kids to set the table. Reading at a desk crowded with books and monitors while struggling to braid together several ideas is a challenge, but one that’s absorbing and rewarding. These kinds of multitasking encourage flow.

But the multitasking we do when we split our attention among several devices or media is something else entirely. Writing at my desk with music playing is very different from tabbing between two Web pages in my browser while also chatting with a highschool friend on Facebook and listening to a podcast on my iPhone. These separate activities don’t add up to a single grand intellectual challenge. They’re just different things I try to do simultaneously.
This kind of multitasking, scientists will tell you, isn’t actually multitasking, despite the label. It’s switch-taking: your brain is toggling between different activities, constantly redirecting its focus, tearing away from one task to deal with another.

Why is switch-tasking a problem? In addition to making us less creative and productive, addicting us to inefficiency, and causing us to be more susceptible to self-delusion, switch-tasking is a lot harder for the brain to manage than we once thought.”

Español
“Hay momentos en los que puede ser frenético, pero todavía está dentro de la capacidad de una persona cocinar tres platos diferentes en la estufa y en el horno mientras los niños ponen la mesa. Leer en un escritorio lleno de libros y monitores mientras luchas por trenzar varias ideas es un desafío, pero absorbente y gratificante. Este tipo de multitarea fomenta el flujo.

Pero la multitarea que hacemos cuando dividimos nuestra atención entre varios dispositivos o medios es algo completamente diferente. Escribir en mi escritorio con la reproducción de música es muy diferente a tabular entre dos páginas web en mi navegador mientras también charlo con un amigo de la escuela secundaria en Facebook y escucho un podcast en mi iPhone. Estas actividades separadas no se suman a un gran desafío intelectual. Son cosas diferentes que trato de hacer simultáneamente.
Este tipo de multitarea, le dirán los científicos, no es realmente multitarea, a pesar de la etiqueta. Es un cambio: su cerebro alterna entre diferentes actividades, redirigiendo constantemente su enfoque, apartándose de una tarea para ocuparse de otra.

¿Por qué el cambio de tareas es un problema? Además de hacernos menos creativos y productivos, hacernos adictos a la ineficiencia y hacer que seamos más susceptibles al autoengaño, el cambio de tareas es mucho más difícil de manejar para el cerebro de lo que alguna vez pensamos ".
------


http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

[Jullietta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Продовжую досліджувати залежність сучасності - гаджети 📱

«Гаджет залежність» Алекс Сучжон-Кім Пан від @fabulabook 📖

Автор книги не розповідає читачам про те, що вони залежні від своїх гаджетів. Це і так зрозуміло. Він розповідає нам як повноцінно жити у світі смартфонів, планшетів, ноутбуків і постійного перебування онлайн.

Читач дізнається про «свідомий компютеринг», ведення медіащоденника, як організувати «безцифрову суботу», отримає перелік програм, які допоможуть у користуванні комп’ютером. Також автор розповідає про різні дослідження, факти, свої подорожі та знайомства з свідомими користувачами інтернету.

Головна ідея, яку автор просуває - це те, що від сучасних технологій ми не втечемо, це прогрес. Нам треба навчитися використовувати їх з користю, а не бездумно.

Що мені сподобалось, то це практичні поради, які можна використовувати тут і зараз.

Що не сподобалось так це спосіб викладу матеріалу. Ніби потік свідомості. Мені не вистачило структурованості тексту для кращого сприйняття.

А ще вже не вперше в книгах зустрічаю відсилки до «Потоку» Чиксентмихаї. Але саме ця книга «продала» мені «Потік». Найближчим часом буду шукати свої потоки.

[Desiree · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book, but I found myself disappointed... I was easily distracted while reading it, maybe all the talk of distractions kept me thinking of going online! I found the book to be a bit choppy, but there is some good advice! I am not one that is constantly texting or checking facebook, so, if you are, you may find this a much better read than I did!

He talks about meditation, which is a wonderful idea to relax your mind... Also, about taking a digital sabbath, where you turn off your various screens and do real world stuff!

I found it very interesting that the author speaks of switch-tasking rather than multi-tasking, which is mostly what we hear about. But, most of us are really just switching from one task to another. This makes us less productive on the whole!

Definitely recommended for anyone who is addicted to being constantly connected and wants to change!

[Estee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd title and even odder subtitle for a book that is really an argument for what the author calls "contemplative computing" - something one DOES rather than USES, he points out. The book is fun to read and succeeds in communicating the fruits of the author's intellectual quest undertaken in 2011 as a Microsoft Cambridge Fellow. It leans heavily to the Buddhist but brings in other, primarily Bay Area based voices as well. And concludes with an insightful read of Abraham Joshua Heschel's life-altering little book called Sabbath' - one of my all time favorites. Suspect it will leave others, even those less committed than I to designing everyday mindfulness into the emerging gen of 'productivity' apps, wanting more. (hence 3 stars). Hope there's a deeper look in the works.

[Book Riot Community]

One of my ongoing bad habits is getting distracted by my smartphone and by the Internet at large. The Distraction Addiction was the first book I read about distraction that asked the right question about technology – “Can we stay connected without diminishing our intelligence, attention spans, and ability to really live?” – and offered smart answers to that question. Pang doesn’t advocate we get rid of our devices, but does encourage readers to think carefully about how we let them interrupt our lives and attention. After I read the book, I turned off nearly every notification on my phone (including email) and have not looked back since.

From Books to Make You Happy, Productive, Focused, and Smart by Kim Ukura: http://bookriot.com/2014/12/08/books-...)

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish this thing. I picked it up because I do have an addiction to distracting myself with context-switching behavior, which this book does a great job explaining. However, I don’t think the solution to tech is more tech. As someone who works in the tech industry, I find it tiring when tech enthusiasts try to fix a problem they caused by creating more problem-adjacent solutions.

Bottom line: get outside, embrace calm, be mindful of your usage and try to cut back on the distractions. Great message in this book, just too many distractions.

[Lori Tatar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Distraction Addiction by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is a revelation for technophobes and technophiles alike, not to mention those of us who fit somewhere in between. It offers a revelatory view of how much technology has been a part of human history since the beginning of human history. The main key today seems to be learning how to embrace technology without losing ourselves. There are tips on meditation and my favorite, on how NOT to be a monkey mind! Thank you, Goodreads!

[Marc Leroux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this through the Goodreads give-away program. Thank you.
The book is well written and thought provoking. As I was reading it I realized that many of the characteristics of distraction are things that I do on a regular basis, and the solutions/alternatives presented are practical and effective. I've started to implement some of these in my own work (and home) practices.
This is a great book for everyone trying to survive in the ever increasin worls of digital distractions.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, make one think about how much of our time we spend looking at the screen...and what our goals really are. I think parents of teens should read this book. Seems like many teens and adults are always texting, online or checking the phone and not in the moment. Like the idea of taking a tech break one day a week.

[Jennifer Stringer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas; maybe a few chapters could be more succinct, but that's the editor's job. Very solid and worthwhile information.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this dense, somewhat plodding, and potentially off-puttingly Buddhist - but incredibly important and often fascinating - work of nonfiction, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang describes the way in which modern technological devices (like smartphones) have predisposed many of us to a “distraction addiction” and suggests ways in which we can practice more “contemplative computing” in order to put our devices in service of our happiness and productivity rather than shaping our lives to their capacity.

After describing technological devices as an extension of our own minds, he offers up a choice. You can allow your extended mind to be a racing and inefficient jumble (characterized by “[toddleresque mobile devices]: they’re super-responsive, simultaneously eager to please and oppressively demanding, always on, and insistent that we pay attention to them”), or “[y]ou can create an extended mind that’s strengthened by the joining of diverse skills, not weakened by unending distractions, unhelpful complexity, and unexamined habits.” No Luddite, Pang writes, “The aim isn’t to escape, but to engage - in our case, to set the stage on which we can bring our entanglement with devices and media under our control so we can more effectively engage with the world and extend ourselves.”

Since getting an iPhone a few years ago I’ve told myself that stopping any given activity just long enough to glance at my email is restorative and efficient; after all, John Medina’s neuroscience research shows that our brains can really only focus in ten-minute chunks: “At 9 minutes and 59 seconds, you must do something to regain attention and restart the clock - something emotional and relevant. Also, the brain needs a break.” And yet, I’ve harbored a growing suspicion that all the toggling back and forth between apps isn’t as fulfilling, or even as productive, as it seems.

Pang validates this unease, summarizing research regarding three concepts: “switch-tasking,” “flow,” and “real time”:

Switch-tasking: “[W]e use the word multitasking to describe two completely different kinds of activities. Some are productive, intellectually engaging, and make us feel good. Others are unproductive, distracting, and make us feel stretched thin. It’s important to distinguish these different kinds of multitasking, because we use the word very casually, and often incorrectly. [True multi-tasking] we do when we’re engaged in complicated projects; we have to juggle lots of balls so they’ll land in the right places, in the right order, at the right time. [For example, performing lots of separate cooking tasks all aimed at preparation of the same meal.] We do this fairly naturally . . . . [But with what many of us erroneously refer to as multi-tasking, switch-tasking,] your brain is toggling between different activities, constantly redirecting its focus, tearing away from one task to deal with another [like when you attempt to simultaneously watch TV and scroll through your Facebook feed] . . . . [S]witch-tasking is a lot harder for the brain to manage . . . . Every time you move from one window to another on your computer or move from reading your e-mail to listening to a conference call, your mind has to spend energy. By some estimates, you can lose several working hours every week to these moments . . . . You also make more mistakes when you switch-task.” Moreover, the more you switch-task, the more addicted to fragmented thought your mind becomes, and the more difficulty you have concentrating. It also “mak[es] us less creative . . . and caus[es] us to be susceptible to self-delusion [regarding how much we’re accomplishing and how effectively].”

Flow: “Challenge, exhilaration, worthwhile and rewarding difficulties, and an intense awareness of them: these are what produce flow, and flow is the key to happiness. . . . [Think of flow like being “in the zone” when playing sports or successfully pulling ideas together in writing.] The ability to pay attention [and to be entirely engaged in a single pursuit] . . . is critical to a good life. This explains why perpetual distraction is such a big problem. When you’re constantly interrupted by external things - the phone, texts, people with ‘just one quick question,’ clients, children - by self-generated interruptions, or by your own [switch-tasking], the chronic distractions erode your sense of having control of your life [and impede your ability to feel happy.]”

Real-time: Describing the work of Ruth Schwartz Cowan (which analyzed the impact of household appliances), Pang writes “time studies of housework conducted decades apart showed virtually no change in the number of hours women spent keeping house: women in the 1970s spent as much time doing dishes, washing clothes, and cleaning house as their grandmothers had. Technology made housework easier, but it didn’t make life easier. . . . [This example is just one] cautionary tale of how technology makes work easier but then creates new work by changing who does the work and raising the standards to which it must be done.” Similarly, as technology has improved, we’ve tried to speed everything from correspondence to financial trading up to our devices’ capacity. “Trying to keep up with real time . . . disrupts life [in an attempt] to make life more seamless. . . . ‘Minds, organizations, cities, entire societies all need time to integrate and process new ideas,’ futurist Anthony Townsend says. ‘If you think you have to constantly, instantly react, rest and contemplation and deliberation . . . disappears.’” In other words, allowing computing capacity to determine our timeline, rather than our own brains’ needs, allows our “extended minds” to drag us down rather than serve us well.

Pang then turns to solutions, in part by looking at “a group of people who are regular users of social media but who seem immune to its effects[:] . . . monks who blog.” The following suggestions particularly resonated with me:

“Are there times of day when it feels most satisfying to check your mail?” Keep track for a while and then only check it at those times.

“If it seems like simply spending less time on e-mail would be good, try setting a couple of specific times a day for you to check your mail. Do it on one machine only . . . .”

With respect to social media use, try to “[e]xperience now, share later, and give yourself time to make sense of what you’ve done.” Only make comments that you feel are beneficial. In other words, “tweet mindfully.” Also, “give up trying to follow all your friends all the time, [and] accept that you’re just going to miss some fascinating things.”

“[U]se the design principles behind contemplative environments [like churches and garden paths] to create restorative experiences and interactions in small, temporary, and unexpected places [like an airplane seat].”

“Turning off the million little requests and interactions that cascade into distraction and exhaustion is good, but trying to recover your mind just by unplugging is like trying to fix a building by abandoning it. T[ry employing a] digital Sabbath [but remember that it] is defined not only by what you turn off and ignore but also by what you do with the pauses.”

“[L]earn to be aware of how devices and media affect your breathing and mood.”

“[R]eplace switch-tasking with real multitasking.”

In general, consciously “adopt tools and practices designed to protect your attention.”

In sum, through “a bunch of small observations and experiments,” you can “[l]earn how to focus on your ultimate goals, be mindful about the technology at hand, and switch tools when they don’t work - this is how you enhance your extended mind.”

A few years ago (long before I first read about the concept of "flow" in "All Joy and No Fun"), I decided to stop trying to engage in flow activities (like reading and writing) when the kids are present. Since reading "Distraction Addiction," I've also gone on a massive unsubscribe binge, set filters to reroute emails I don’t need to see immediately but would like to be able to search for later, switched from the "most recent" to the "newsfeed" setting on Facebook, tried to create little "digital Sabbaths" by leaving my phone on silent, and adopted a host of other policies that leave me feeling less overwhelmed and living more in the moment.

Perhaps none of Pang's suggestions (or the practices I adopted) will work for you. Some will, but that’s not why you should read the book. At the end of the day, “Distraction Addiction” adds immense value simply by calling attention to a problem we each suffer from in varying degrees and urging us to think about what separate steps each of us can take to resolve it. Pang would say that “contemplative computing” can mean a million different technology protocols for a million different people - but we should all do it rather than letting our devices’ computing capacity drag us toward a default of constant distraction and mindless action. Bottom line: "Distraction Addiction" is worth the slog.

[Leonidas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I began reading "The Distraction Addiction" right after finishing "Stolen Focus".

My aim was to understand the underlying reasons for being so distracted, and potentially some tools for overcoming the "monkey mind" that constantly seeks distraction, instead of concentrated focus, and effort.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), I ended up going on a month-long tour through Ecuador, seeking all of the novelties of a brand new place in the world, while simultaneously being entirely distracted by the war in Ukraine on my mobile screen.

These 2 factors didn't even allow me to coherently understand what I was reading, or to finish the book, until more than 2 months later.

Yet, despite the addiction to being distracted by our electronic devices, the Author interviewed a couple of very interesting people, including Buddhist monks who use Twitter.

One of the biggest takeaways was being mindful and aware of your addiction, and WHEN you are addicted. Then using your awareness as a stepping stone to implementing processes that can help you move away from that addiction.

For example, I use a phone-locking app and even a phone-lock box for hours at a time.

Furthermore, I'm trying to implement a consistent practice of meditating at least 10 minutes per day, to allow the mind to unravel all of the thoughts and emotions that clog up the brain.

Finally, the author even points out several apps, like "Stay Focused", which is what I use to block my phone, and "Cold Turkey" to block various apps, websites, and processes on your computer from distracting you.

Ultimately, overcoming the addiction to being distracted is a life-long process, just like the gym, meditation, or any other concerted effort at doing something.

You will fail many times, but you will also become better over time as well.

[Dan Mantena · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entanglement of technology with humanity is inevitable and has occurred multiple times in the evolution of our species. Modern digital technology use by the average user usually leads to either a distracted or a restless mind.

For us to use technology instead of technology using us we need to be more contemplative about technology use. Pang suggests the eight steps to contemplative computing as a method of redesigning our relationship with technology that allows us to use the advantages tech provides us while minimizing the disadvantages that seem inherent in tech.

1. Be Human
2. Be Calm
3. Be Mindful
4. Make Conscious Choices
5. Extend Your Abilities
6. Seek Flow
7. Engage You With The World
8. Restorative


my rating - overall Score: 4.8/5.0
- quality of writing (5/5)
- quality of the content (5/5)
- impact on my perspective (5/5)
- personal resonance (5/5)
- rereading potential (4/5)

Quality of writing - is the topic covered in the right amount of words? Tangentially related, is the book paperback? how smooth are the pages on my fingers? how visually pleasing is the font? can I hold the book in my hand for an extended period without my shoulders cramping up?!

Quality of the content - how rewarding was the material? did the reading help concentrate my mind and reduce attention residue from work?

Impact of my perspective - did the book cause me to re-visit my core values for adjustment?

Personal resonance - did I feel more connected to other people?

Re-read potential - is this a desert island book for me?

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this. I've been really struggling with focus and attention lately and this book is 12 years old, but as is my way it came to me at the right time. I appreciate that he lets us all know that this is normal and we don't just suck at life. Humans get distracted. These technological devises are just strategically designed to be really good at getting us to prioritize them. So, he then arms you with ways to combat this hijacking. I especially appreciated learning about the Zenware movement and may need to incorporate that into my life. I did set up some social media blocks though, and that seemed really to help productivity. I'd love to see some updated statistics, because I feel like it is way way worse than in 2013. It really does feel like it's destroying our souls, but it is possible to use it as a tool instead of a lifestyle, and I think it would fix a lot of things for a lot of people. Remember in the 90's when we purposefully got on the internet? Yeah, those were the days. Sabbaticals, taking a walk to clear your head. Breaks. Blocks. Whatever works for you. Don't make technology, especially social media, your central point of existence.

[Susanna L · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Distraction Addiction: Getting the Information You Need and the Communication You Want, Without Enraging Your Family, Annoying Your Colleagues, and Destroying Your Soul" is a thoughtful and engaging exploration of our complicated relationship with technology and digital distractions. The book offers a nuanced look at how constant connectivity can impact our well-being, relationships, and productivity, while providing practical strategies for achieving a healthier balance between online engagement and real-life presence. The author’s insights are grounded in both research and relatable anecdotes, making the advice feel accessible and actionable without being preachy. While some readers may wish for even more concrete step-by-step guidance, the book succeeds in raising awareness and encouraging mindful use of technology. Overall, it’s a timely and valuable read for anyone seeking to reclaim focus and live more intentionally in a hyperconnected world—worthy of four stars.

[Ryan Pennell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I am done with Pang's writing. I liked this book better than rest, which turns out to be a chapter in this book. The Distraction Addiction is mostly a digital self-help book about those who are facing the idea that they are spending too much time on their devices. Pang suggest making a technology diary to recall how much time you are spending on your devices and on what. He also suggest to write down what was the intentional reason you started using your device. I believe that there is software that can perform this task for you now but writing it down might also be therapeutic. I am not really sure who would benefit from this book as I believe that most people don't think they don't have a problem or wouldn't take this advice anyway. I would prefer to read about the effects of these types of addictions rather than simple ways to taper off.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is aimed at improving your life in a swiftly growing technological era. While push notifications of all sorts of networks crave for our attention, we are disrupted and distracted. Let's make the technology to work for us, not against us - is the main leitmotif of the book.
If you pick up this book as a guide for steps to improve your life, it's rather a bad choice, since the book is not well structured and moreover, can be cut off by half (I agree with the reviews that say the same).

Meanwhile, for the sake of grasping new ideas about writing applications, transactive memory, stories of Darwin's walks and so on (oh yes, this book replete with such information!), and thought you might not be looking at the first place, enjoy the lines of the book.

[خالد · Rating 4 out of 5]

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- العالم اصبح مكانا اكثر تشتيتا وهناك حلول لاعادة العقل تحت السيطرة.
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-المشي يحفز الابداع ، المشي ينشط التفكير ويمكنه ان يتحول الى شكل من التأمل . " حُلت بالمشي".
- " يوم الاجازة الرقمي "