Quote: I really feel like that combination of little…

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Quoted by Matt on April 20 2010:

I really feel like that combination of little, easy motor skills and clicking combined with feeling a little less bored for a minute is completely addictive to people. When the main way we communicate with each other is through all these things — and I’m not saying, “Don’t use Facebook, don’t use Twitter.” What I am saying is, if you’re not mindful about the amount of your attention that goes to thinking about and consuming those things, you’re not going to be making good stuff, either for that medium or elsewhere. That’s what I got kind of hung up on, when I finally realized that all I was doing was eating and producing potato chips all day long.

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Merlin Mann on becoming overwhelmed by useless online information

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6 comments so far

Matt Henderson 20 Apr 10

This really hit home. Just recently, in an effort to reduce the noise, I turned off Top Sites in Safari, switched to a Twitter client that supports lists, and created a “favs” list in which I’ll keep no more than 10 follows. Already the world has become a much calmer place.

Ross Hudgens 20 Apr 10

True – although a recent study in Wired showed that these little “interruptions” by Facebook and Twitter actually stimulated creativity and production when used appropriately.

Which is what he says—“be mindful”. Good in doses.

Shyam Patel 20 Apr 10

I recently gave an Ignite presentation along the same lines, what I call The Next American Epidemic: Mind Obesity.

Justin Jackson 20 Apr 10

I used to call this “screen sucking;” where you lost track of time, and mindlessly clicked through the web for hours.

Being mindful is recognizing when you’re in that “rut” and turning the damn machine off.

Walt K 20 Apr 10

Yes. This is so right.

I think of my reading and browsing and surfing time as ‘intake’ time.

And my writing and producing as ‘output’ time.

Best ratio (for me): 1 hour intake : 10 hours output.

(Used to be the other way around. NG on that.)

Suzanne 21 Apr 10

I’m currently slurping up Lanier’s “You are not a Gadget”, listing and unfollowing, deleting and unsubscribing and a whole bunch of other tactics to keep closer to the middle way.