Eliminating distractions
A detox from Spotify
8.25 seconds. According to The Treetop Therapy, that is the average human attention span. As the world grows more digital and disconnection becomes harder to achieve, things will only get worse.
In search of separation in my life, I decided to run an experiment: for 5 days, I would eliminate Spotify from my life.
But why Spotify? In 2022, Americans spent 140 minutes a day on average. As a college student who spends a significant amount of time on studies, commuting, and working out, it’s safe to assume that I spend well over that number.
In a previous blog post, I discussed my struggles with being a chronic procrastinator and how my lack of time management greatly hurts me and my work. As a possible step toward a more productive life, I ruminated over the idea of “mind-wandering.” In summary, this is allowing your brain to think and feel on a deeper level by removing outside distractions.
By cutting out the hours of music and podcasts that I listen to each day in favor of letting my mind wander, I would be forced to just think. At least, that’s what I thought.
On Monday, September 11, I began the 5-day detox.
“A great deal of the damage to our attention spans is being caused by something more subtle. It is not the smartphone in and of itself; it is the way the apps on the smartphone . . . are designed.”
First, the positives
I found that not defaulting to audio entertainment did create more quiet time.
Before and after school, for example, the time spent in my car was better utilized. I was able to mentally prepare and plan for the day ahead on my way there. Heading home, I had time for reflection and serious thought about how I spent the prior hours.
Now for some negatives
Activities that required my full proved to be far more difficult. Music has been proven to reduce stress, improve academic performance, and help focus when studying or working. I found that without it, it became very difficult for me to “lock in” and get work done. Overall, I was less productive not listening to music than I would have been otherwise.
The same proved true when working out. Although the gym plays music in its facility, not having earbuds in distracted me from my workout. I felt that I could not put my full attention and effort toward the exercises that I was doing.
The worst part of this experiment, however, is that eliminating Spotify alone did not prevent me from finding other distractions. In the early days of the experiment, I did my best to spend time in quiet and think deeply. However, the later days I found myself replacing Spotify with something else. My time spent on YouTube and Instagram this week increased by around an hour each in comparison to the previous week.
Final thoughts
The little time that I was able to spend mind-wandering did prove to have a positive impact on my week. Mental prep and reflection at the beginning and end of my days allowed me to be more intentional about how I used my time.
However, Spotify can be extremely beneficial in certain aspects of life. It can and should be used as a tool to dial in focus when needed.
When it comes to eliminating distractions in my life and finding more time to think quietly, Spotify is not the problem. It may be worthwhile for me to conduct another experiment where I eliminate YouTube and Instagram, as well as schedule time in my day to be in silence.
Hi! My name is Peyton McKenzie.
I am a professional graphic designer, photographer and content creator.
I encourage you to explore my portfolio to get a better idea of the work I create. If you are interested in working with me or have inquiries of any kind, don’t hesitate to reach out over email.
