From the course: Becoming Indistractable

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The psychology of akrasia: A model of distraction

The psychology of akrasia: A model of distraction

From the course: Becoming Indistractable

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The psychology of akrasia: A model of distraction

- Becoming indistractable will be the skill of this century. When we think about in the workplace where so many jobs are being automated away, the jobs that will remain and will remain worth doing are the ones that require the kind of human ingenuity and creativity that comes from focused attention. When we talk about our relationships, psychologists tell us that loneliness is as detrimental to our health as obesity and smoking. And when it comes to our kids, how are we teaching them to just focus on one thing at a time and what kind of example are we setting if what they see of us most of the time is the top of our heads as we're working away on our cellphones? At least we can take some comfort in knowing that distraction is not a new problem. You see, Socrates and Plato debated the nature of Akrasia over 2,500 years ago. And if these two Greek philosophers were struggling with distraction, it's no surprise that it's a problem that we still have today. So if we are going to overcome…

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