Focus

Our lives are quite digital these days and living without being plugged in is for some a big problem. You'll see tons of people checking their phone often while matching a movies (in the theatres), when on holiday, while crossing the road, bicycling or driving a car. Especially these last few are quite dangerous and can lead to very funny circumstances or deadly ones. While cycling to work everyday I see lots of people that don't pay attention to traffic but are rather focussed else where. To say this annoys me is an understatement but I understand it too. It's the new addiction of our age. However it is also quite funny that people think that you can't live without checking your social status for the length of a movie or commute.

Multitasking is however quite a lot of bullshit in my opinion and to think that you can properly drive a car will texting your better half is laughable. I personally have noticed that while at work when I do more then just one thing at a time my productivity and especially the quality of my work goes out of the window. I get distracted easily so if I really need to focus on something I plug in my in-ear headphones and zone out while listening to something like the new Queens of The Stone Age album. We view more information on a daily basis then ever before. Our brains are quite good at filtering through everything but doing this will operating machinery....probably not so much.

In the past I've blogged about enjoying the moment and the more we immerse ourselves into the digital realm the more this becomes vital. This is why I especially love cycling, running and hiking. It's a great way to do one thing at a time and focus completely on it. A few years ago I stopped listing to music while running because it helps you concentrate on every little aspect of it. Your heartrate, breathing, your feet touching the ground (certainly if you run minimalistic), your surroundings and so on. As a nature lover I enjoy the sound of birds in the trees or leaves rustling, being an urban dweller I sometimes miss animal activity of the countryside. That's why I immensely enjoyed WWOOFing in Australia but the more you unplug yourself the more you will notice your surroundings. On my daily commute to work I use to listen to music but recently stop doing that which gives me more focus and hearing a passing car in advance before it overtakes me from behind is a big plus. It's in part to me going from an ATB bike to a race bike. With the increase of speed I prefer to have all my senses available to me ;)

This blogpost was actually going to be about the applications available to you to track your handheld devices (smartphone, tablet and laptop) but I guess I totally strayed from that subject, even I get distracted by other trains of thought it seems. Instead I have tried to make a point I have before. Sometimes you should really stop updating your Facebook status and live life like we humans did when we still had to hunt for our food. Stop, breath, listen, look, focus and enjoy!

P.S. Really, if you have a smartphone, tablet and/or laptop use Prey on it. It is neat and helpful if you lose your device or it gets stolen. Check it out!