[tablet]Flickr/thebarrowboy Is the world more distracting? Sometimes it seems that way. With our digital devices buzzing, world events demanding our attention, and more things to entertain us than ever before, it certainly seems harder to focus on what's really important. And yet, focus is exactly what it takes to get things done and get ahead. Distraction might appear more available than ever, but it is nothing new. Over 2,000 years ago, Socrates and Aristotle debated the nature of "akrasia," (pronounced uh-crazy-uh), our tendency to act against our better judgement. To the ancient Greeks, mere mortals were prone to distraction due to our weakness of will. Easy for them to say — Socrates and Aristotle never had to resist binge-watching "Game of Thrones." In this Golden Age of distraction, what does it take to focus? How do we do what we must so we can have the lives we really want? Instead of blaming our puny attention spans, we should dig deeper to understand how certain products affect us. I'll use my own struggle as an example. I decided to plot certain products and services on the matrix below. On one axis is the question of whether the product is harmful to my life. On the other, I asked myself whether I could stop using the product or whether I was dependent. With this two-by-two tool, I can begin to classify certain products and decide how to put them in their place. You can do this, too – and you probably should. Nir and Far GOODS The top left quadrant is an easy one. Things that aren't harmful and I can easily stop using are what I call "Goods." The vast majority of the products and services I use fit into this category. Goods are not problematic. In fact, I wish I used some of these things, like my gym membership, meditation app, or water bottle, more frequently. NECESSITIES In the upper right are "Necessities." These things are not harmful but I can't stop using them without serious consequences. For example, food, clothing, and shelter all fall into this bucket. As much as I wish I didn't have to shove nutrients into my face hole to stay alive and that societal norms allowed public nudity, unfortunately, that isn't the case. I can't stop consuming these things even if I wanted to. One might also argue that having a connection to certain technologies like an email account or Google has also become a necessity. Disconnecting won't kill you, but neither would walking around the office in the buff. Rather, society expects certain things of us (like being web proficient and accessible through email) and we would find it difficult to live, work, and sustain personal and professional relationships without these services. It's interesting to note that this category can become harmful, depending on the degree of use. For example, eating too much food or spending too much money on clothing can have negative consequences, but there's nothing inherently bad about these products when used in the right amounts. To make sure we don't over-use, we set budgets, listen to our bodies' satiety, and set limits. The key is to monitor and moderate our use. When it comes to necessities, most people find self-regulating relatively easy. It's the next category of products that presents a bigger challenge. SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDER
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