I gotta say, I've been unsuccessful at consistently doing any of these things. Then one time I went to a buddhist monastery for a weekend leaving tech behind. That was a revelation. Time to time I had the urge to look at phone I didn't have, but soon felt like a blessing.
When I look at my computer, I see a device not designed to help me with these goals. I constantly check email, messages, read toxic forums which I guess is partly because of being alone and lonely. Hard to make friends after college. Seems impossible to make good ones.
I wonder what you think about getting my box in order.
This doesn't sound like a computer problem so much as an attention / habitual problem (perhaps even addiction to the noted distractions). That said, there are numerous aspects of MacOS designed specifically for this...
1. MacOS has its do not disturb functionality, use it.
2. You can also hide your dock so you're not seeing those pesky red dots constantly.
3. Leverage the virtual desktop functionality of your OS. On MBPs, 4-finger swipe functionality makes it extremely smooth to switch between desktops and use "Mission control" to peek at your open apps for a given desktop.
Have one virtual desktop set up for browsing/communication apps (Safari or Edge + slack, discord, email, etc), then additional virtual desktops for your other, more focused tasks, e.g. your text editor of choice, design software, cad software, or whatever else.
On my 'main' virtual desktop, I use Rectangle (window position management) to have Edge on half the screen, with chat applications on the right upper/lower quarters). Then on my second virtual desktop I'll have VS Code on half the screen, and Terminal / Finder in the quarters on the right, Maximized Fusion360 on the third, etc...
• use Spaces and put all the chattery apps in one Space (right click in Dock > only this space)
• Hide the Dock
• Set cmd-lower right corner of screen (in screensaver prefs) to turn off screen, so you can easily create a void when you need to think
• Turn off all extra toolbars in programs, reduce visual clutter as much as possible
• Hide Desktop icons (simple Terminal command, Google it)
• Use Sticky Notes App to jot down quick thoughts — you can get in and out instantly
• Launch apps w/ Spotlight (cmd space) so you don't see cluttered Dock or Launchpad or Apps folder
• Solid color dark gray desktop so it's not a distraction
• Mute the computer
• Accessibility > display > reduce transparency makes the system more bland
• prefs > general set graphite accent color
Do you mean how to make your macOS less distracting?
Hide your Dock, Dark Mode ( if that is your thing ), go into Full Screen Mode. Make your Apps act like a Full Screen Single purpose program.
I know this question is about macOS, but you could consider how to have this method implemented in your Mac. I recently installed FreeBSD on my MBP 2015 since it was quite dead anyway. The wifi on it doesn't work, I haven't tried to see if Bluetooth works, but it feels like my computer in 1998-2005. This has become my primary driver to learn new technologies.
I have a USB wifi adapter that I can use to get temporary Internet connection. I usually use it to download PDFs of books I am using to learn, or to load a full HTML formatted book, and disconnect the adapter. This has also made me a more structured learner because I have to think of all the sites I need open before I disconnect the adapter. My learning process has never been this efficient in so long. Also, keep your phone away, or check once every 25 mins using Pomodoro app.
In the first 2-3 days, I instinctively used to open a new tab and just try visiting Twitter (I am also not logged in to any of my accounts on this machine) only to be greeted by a "no connection" screen.
Also, going through the solutions in other comments, I think the easiest thing to control is to turn off Internet access -- no additional software required.
> constantly check email, messages, read toxic forums
I think no Internet during the phase of learning is the perfect solution for this. I had very little issue with this on (non-Internet) computer applications but websites/forums are much more addictive in nature as opposed to applications IMO.
focusTimer = nil -- A timer for when we are in "Focus Mode"
function focusModeOff()
all = hs.window.allWindows()
for _, w in pairs(all) do
if(w:isMinimized()) then
w:unminimize()
end
end
applyStandardLayout()
if(focusTimer ~= nil) then
focusTimer:stop()
focusTimer = nil
end
end
-- Focus mode
function focusMode()
if(focusTimer == nil) then
hs.alert("Setting focus for 25mins.")
local focused = hs.window.focusedWindow()
if(focused ~= nil) then
focused:centerOnScreen()
end
all = hs.window.allWindows()
for _, w in pairs(all) do
if(focused ~= nil and w:id() ~= focused:id()) then
w:minimize()
end
end
focusTimer = hs.timer.doAfter(25 * 60, function()
focusModeOff()
hs.alert("Take a 5min break. Record what you just did.")
--TODO: Make a pomodoro recording thing
end)
else
local remaining = focusTimer:nextTrigger()
local remainingSec = math.floor(remaining % 60)
local remainingMin = math.floor(remaining / 60)
hs.alert("Focus timer expires in " .. remainingMin .. "m " .. remainingSec .. "s.")
end
end
--focus mode
hs.hotkey.bind({"cmd", "ctrl"}, "Return", focusMode)I remember the 90's, having to delete solitaire games from my computer because I wasted too much time playing them. Now with the web always there....
Also, morning walks are good. Leave the phone at home (I only take the cellular-less Apple Watch with me that is recording my "workout").
Use the Accessibility Color Filters to make your machine greyscale. Works fine. Reduces brightly colored distractions.
But... really, read Cal Newport's stuff on Deep Work and stop using a computer for a lot of those tasks.
There are two reasons VR computing can be less distracting than PCs/Laptops. The first is that they block out external distractions:
> VR Computers are like "high-quality, noise-cancelling headphones for your eyes". They're especially good for distracting work environments, and when you want to signal to you and your coworkers that you're "locked down and focused".
The second is that VR UX (at least for Simula) is very bare-bones and simple at this stage of its development. There aren't a ton of bells and whistles and notifications built into the OS to distract you from your core work.
[1] Working in VR isn't a total solution to distraction (it doesn't prevent you from browsing Twitter all day, etc). But it does have some nice features built into it that can make it less distracting.
For me, the following has helped:
* Turn off all notifications, that means on all devices.
* Leave your phone in silent mode, better yet hide the screen from your view so you don't see incoming notifications
* Log out of any social media, for me having to log in and do 2FA again is usually the barrier where I remember why I was logged out in the first place
* People have said it but set your dock on auto-hide, you can also turn off the red dots on most applications
* Tons of apps now allow you to go full screen, some writing apps are super minimal, so you really only see text.
* I use a pomodoro timer if I need real focus, there's videos on YouTube that will also just run 45 mins then have 15 minute break, though that might be too distracting an environment initially.
On the other hand if you were to step out for 15 minutes and then come back, just walking and looking around, thinking of what you'll be doing when back at the computer; then when you're back you'll have something to do. Good luck not getting stuck doing that. Because you will.
Turn off all notifications, time-box all calls and emails to twice a day, and reduce the use of color in the UI. Don't let yourself be prompted into getting stuck on something. You have your own agenda and the world around you can manage for 3-4 hours without your input. It really can. Make sure it can.
Being prepared is half the job.
On Mac I also used to use a program called vitamin-R which helped me somewhat back im the day, but it doesn't make the computer less distracting, only helps me cope with it. (Yes, it still exists, I was pleasantly surprised that it still existed when I got a Mac mini last year after being away from Macs for almost a decade. Now if someone could recreate Alarms, the visual countdown program I used until it broke on Snow Leopard I'd probably happily pay for it again.)
With reference to toxic forums, as the saying goes: it is not a problem if the submarine is in the ocean but a big problem if the ocean is in the submarine. Stick to places where your hull tolerates the pressure and where you can do something useful.
I've seen plenty of nasty posts the places I go and I can also say I and others have succeeded somewhat in flagging and smacking down trolls and (actual) nazis that at least one place that used to be ugly is now somewhat safe (i.e. no complaints anymore about Hitler dying to young after articles about the middle east).
This is something you're going to want to solve eventually. You recognise these are what you long for when you engage in behaviour that distracts yourself. I would strongly recommend doubling down and solving your loneliness and belonging problem (and i realise its not easy. I struggle with it too. But you have to start somewhere and it gets better. Use the internet, use your head, solve it little at a time)
Take care of your needs and the tendency to escape reality will slowly subside and this will likely be the most sustainable solution.
Of course you're also going to want to incorporate the countless suggestions here which give you a more hands on approach to tweaking your OS and your environment to maximise focus.
Using apps in full screen mode helps also. I use spaces for web browsing, communications, writing, etc. so that I'm not constantly bombarded by irrelevant windows.
Having all notifications go through the Macs native Notifications is great, because now I have only a single place to ignore. I effectively set Notifications to "off" by setting a schedule of 4:00am until 3:59am. When I want to check notifications (which is almost never) I simply enable Notifications temporarily with a shortcut on the touchbar.
The only thing that remains is non-native notifications like Java's "Update now or the world ends!". Window focus stealing is completely unacceptable, and I suspect the reason Apple does nothing to fix it is to coerse you into using full screen, which I think is grooming you for their locked down iOS-like world for the Mac.
- use slack in the browser so you need to type in its address
You can think of other creative things like:
- use automation to only allow mail when some other app is running so now you start two apps?
- run messages under a second user account?
- slower browser in a vm for social media sites?
The sky is the limit. The key is to make it still possible to use the app, just more involved, breaking the habit.
The final advice from me is to write down what you are going to do and write down the currrbt situation and the approach you’re going to take, then all that’s left to do is act on it which sets up a nice internal focus mode
2.) Camouflage App to hide desktop elements: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/camouflage/id445264274?mt=12
3.) https://selfcontrolapp.com/ - to block sides like Facebook system wide for some time!
4.) https://heyfocus.com/ to play the complete game :)
I always take a laptop camping, but it’s a outdoor converted (Pixel Qi display) circa ‘08 netbook. Its slow but fast enough, and I do a lot of great work on it, distraction free with no internet connection in the woods.
To remove distractions I have turned off all notifications (you don’t need them), declutterd my desktop (delete unnesesry apps, remove distracting ones you still need from the dock on macOS). The biggest for me though was blocking sites like Reddit, just point them to the loop back ip in your host file, no need for clever blocking software, just pertinently block them.
Harsh but fair.
More seriously, just turn the computer off. Print papers to read, write notes when you're thinking rather than typing them, and use your time actively.
You might find some interesting ideas and links in the README which is quite generously verbose.
Taking this approach has radically changed how distracting my computing environments are.
If that's a bit too much, maybe try pomodoro or similar techniques. Basically create small achievable goals for yourself; "I'm going to read 10 minutes without distraction", "I'll practice one question" etc. After you could reward yourself with a 5-10min distraction break.
Also maybe try mindfulness.
This is a focus problem. Everyone have a different way of solving this. For me, the best way is to write what I want to achieve on paper and start doing it right away. I don’t do anything else until I cross out all of them.
then quit the finder... forever : p
Seriously changed my relationship to mac os. As semi-non-voluntary mac user from 199X to present. It used to be a love-hate relationship. Now macs are just aesthetically appealing unix hardware vectors.
Idunno Im sure some other HN entities have smarter thoughts on this.
A self discipline is something that needs to be built up and exercised over time.
How to stop my mind from being a monkey jumping from one distraction to another?
The answer is simple - meditation
- Get rid of as many of the notifications as you can. Quit or log out of desktop email, discord, messages, whatever. Stuff shouldn't intrude when you're trying to focus. The relationship I try to have with social media is that I check it, it shouldn't check me.
- Instead of cutting distractions completely out of my life, I set aside specific times and places for them. I usually browse forums and things for about 30 minutes while I sip coffee in the morning, and then I'm done until just before bed. I find that making that place means I don't really get the urge to check the forums intruding into my workday. Sometimes if there's high drama or if I'm having a really pleasant interaction it might intrude, but I try to keep that confined to lunch.
- When I'm at work, I check Outlook near the bottom of each hour to see if there's anything I need to deal with, and when I'm done I close the program. This frequency works for me because nobody typically emails me about something that needs to happen asap, your mileage might vary. I usually leave a single, less-distracting "work channel" open. In my case, that's Zoom. If someone needs to message me on this, it's a work thing and it's not really a "distraction" to me. Nobody really messages me for fun on it, anyway.
- At home, when I'm working on classwork using my own computer, I just "get rid of" everything. Shut off all the desktop notifiers. Since Chrome's logged in to all my gmail/twitter/whatever accounts, I switch to Firefox to get stuff done. I haven't put the Bitwarden add-on to Firefox, so it's just mildly more difficult to log in and get distracted. While the barrier isn't really that much higher, it's just enough that I have to think twice before letting myself get sidetracked. Opening reddit and finding myself logged out is enough to remind me that I did this on purpose, and taking any more steps to pursue that distraction just feels like losing which is usually enough to dissuade me. I think there's "focus" software you can use to enforce your rules if you need a higher barrier?
- I do Pomodoro splits when I have trouble motivating myself to focus. It's easier to make a small promise to try for 25 minutes than it is to make the large promise to focus for a few hours. A lot of the time I find that it just takes getting started to actually get interested, and then I don't need the crutch to keep going. I use a physical timer for this because it's less to fiddle with on my computer i.e. alt-tabbing, using the computer at all if I'm trying to read a textbook, etc.
- I try not to put my phone on the desk when I'm working & I don't wear a smartwatch. I gave the smartwatch thing a shot a while back since people were saying they were less distracting than a phone but I found the notifications really intrusive and distracting. The phone's usually in my pocket on do not disturb at work, with a few specific people who I usually do want to talk to allowed through. I'm okay with getting a little distracted if my girlfriend texts me at work.