Notification Nightmare
Ping! It’s your phone ringing again.
Cellphones have become an extra limb in our modern world, connecting us to our friends, coworkers, and the entire world’s database with the touch of a button. But this incredibly powerful connectivity comes at a cost. Jeanette Skowronek, a scientific researcher in psychology, recently published a study analyzing the effect of phones and attentional performance. Skowronek says, “the smartphone enables endless possibilities. However, the societal shift towards a greater use of the smartphone raises potential for negative consequences.”
Skowroneck continues, “hearing one’s own name activates the same system [in the brain] as the ringing of one's own cell phone or smartphone.” Not only does a cellphone divert a person’s attention away from their tasks, but it perpetually splits their focus, even when it’s not being used. She continues, “even when participants do not respond to the messages… an involuntary attention system becomes active, which actively listens to the smartphone.” So while we’re desperately trying to focus on our to-do lists, our brains are subconsciously seeking distractions.
And it’s not just the phones, the entire world is designed to capture your attention at every turn with flashy billboards, unskippable ads online, and triggering sound bites that ring like a serotonin-boosting dinner bell. According to Paddy Murphy, a psychology-focused cultural journalist from Medium, “we are living in an attention warzone engineered by corporate behavioral scientists who know more about your neurology than you do.” Our attention is the highest form of currency and every corporation, content creator, and purveyor of consumable goods is desperate to harvest every ounce of our brain bandwidth, to the detriment of our productivity. Murphy continues, “every single app, every single advertisement, and every flashing screen is a predator waiting for your mind to soften.”
Because of this, completely avoiding distraction seems impossible. Even at the gas station—a once sanctified, tech-free space—patrons are accosted with screeching videos at the pump, unable to get a moment of relief from constant advertisement inundation.
Locking In
Gen Z has been enduring a flood of distractions since their infancy, but by surviving this onslaught of disturbance, they’ve inadvertently created the perfect technique to combat distractability. With our attention torn in every which way, the only chance we have at getting anything done on our to-do list, is to tune out the noise, put on the blinders, and completely “lock in.”
English language analyst and YouTube language teacher, Ben from English A to Z, defines “locking in” as “having absolute focus, drive, or determination to achieve a singular goal.” He goes on to explain that this first originated in the world of sports and gaming, tempting players into a hyperfocused mindset in order to achieve what we once thought wasn’t humanly possible. However, the slang term has trickled down from impossibility into daily use as Gen Z jokingly claims they need to “lock in” in order to answer a work email.
With constant distractions ripping us away from a perfectly-worded work email, perhaps we do need to attain superhuman focus in order to get the job done. Being productive isn’t a simple accomplishment anymore, but a brag-worthy trophy of success for any adult.
Via u/rustik
Butterfly Chasers
Gen Z may have coined this slang term for hyperfocusing to achieve maximum efficiency, but every generation and adults of any age can benefit from distraction-free productivity, no matter how clinical it may seem. It’s not a “hack” and it’s not a top-secret technique to success, locking in is now the only path forward—that is, without 10,000 mental detours.
“Attention is a limited resource. As humans, we must be selective about what to focus on,” says Melissa Madeson Ph. D., a productivity psychologist in selecting our hyperfixation. “In a world filled with distractions, learning how to focus is becoming increasingly important to individual and collective wellbeing.” With locking in, we can finally stand a chance to tune out the noise around us.
The only way to manage our looming to-do list is to capitalize on our finite attention spans, disregarding our notifications, training our minds, and tackling the impossible. Sometimes, it may feel “impossible” to focus long enough to send a work email, fold your clean laundry, or take the dog for a walk around the block, but “locking in” gives us the extra-human strength to get it done.
Because when the world is designed to derail our focus to steal our attention, the only way to take control of our neurology is to take a page from the Gen Z handbook and totally lock in, tuning out the noise and tackling our duties. It may have started as a meme about achieving the unthinkable, but locking in is a necessity in the adult world. By focusing on our responsibilities and getting through our to-do list with minimal distraction, we may finally have the time to go out and chase butterflies again, dilly-dallying our way through nature—guilt-free.
