Overcome Tech Addiction With This Mono-Tasking Work Ritual
I Am a Tech Addict
In AA you admit your addiction before others. So, here it is. “I’m a tech addict.” I check my tech almost every day.
It didn’t used to be this way. Now it is. Here’s how I manage my addiction, and took back control of my mind using the Pomodoro Technique.
Francesco Cirillo’s Pomodoro Technique is an elegant and spartan behavioral pattern, but the world has changed a lot since he invented it in the 1980s.
One of the worst changes happened in the 90’s. That’s when hundreds of millions of brains got infected with the mental virus “I can multi-task”. Computers started doing it, so people thought they could do it as well. This idea falls into the category of “seemed like a good idea at the time.”
The problem got worse in the 2000’s, when smart phones, texting and social media invaded our lives, eroding our attention spans. Since then, armies of Google and Facebook psychologists have worked with AI to capture our attention and hack our subconscious. Their goal is to get us to click on and consume content, because “that’s what we want.” That conveniently aligns with their goal of keeping us in their software ecosystem as long as possible.
Now Google is getting so good at predicting what we want, and giving us options, that they can suggest how to finish our search query. Their ultimate goal is to give the right answer to all our questions, the first time we ask. If they can do that then they will have built a mind reading, precognitive salesman that can sell to your subconscious.
You might want to back up and read that sentence again because the implications are heavy duty. Welcome to your sci-fi life.
Social networks are getting so good at maximizing time in app, and the average amount of time spent on social media is now 2 1/2 hours per day per person. I saw one person confess she spent six hours a day on her phone, so she’s making up for the time I don’t spend there. Anyways, their so good at hacking our subconscious and compelling us to use their apps, I call it magic. What do I mean by that?
A famous sci-fi writer, Arthur C. Clarke said, “Any sufficiently evolved technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
In other words, if you don’t have a clue how it really works, but it does work, it’s magic.
Case in point, we carry around semi-omniscient supercomputers in our pockets. They didn’t exist in 2006, then “ta-da” they did for the first time in the history of the Universe. Now this technomagic has us under it’s thrall, a magic word meaning a “state of being in someone’s power or having great power over someone.”
So how do you dispel Big Tech’s enchantment and take back control of your time? I used the Pomodoro Technique to create a mono-tasking work ritual. What’s that?
The Pomodoro Technique — Quick Recap
Here’s a quick recap on how to do a pomodoro:
- Set your timer to 25 minutes.
- Focus on doing only one thing during that time.
- Mark your tracking sheet.
- Take a five minute break.
- Do that again three more times to complete a Set.
- Take a 20 minute break.
It seems easy, right? Yet, I don’t a single person that’s been able to stick with the discipline. But I’ve had great results from it, writing over a million words in five years, and have used it almost every day since January of 2019.
Why I Do The Practice
At this point in my habit, I’m getting a bunch of benefits from the practice including:
- It gives me control over my life, and my tech addiction.
- I don’t stress about _________. I just twist the timer and make progress.
- I’ve built a strong habit. I miss it if I don’t do a couple poms a day.
- It feels great to know I had the discipline to stick with the program this long.
- Every mark on my tracking sheet is another time brick laid and progress made.
- I get into flow easily, so time flies.
- It supports my physical health, by giving me an excuse and a reminder to move more.
- I’ve got a TON of highly focused work done.
Limitations of the Basic Pomodoro Technique
The sole purpose of the Pomodoro Technique is to focus and track progress. It’s very minimal, and doesn’t have its eye on a bigger picture. There’s a lot that can be done to support building this into a consistent habit that makes progress towards something bigger in life. I’ve addressed these issues by building out the core system which I call the Magic Pomodoro Technique(MPT).
Incredibly original name, I know. But it’s legit. It will transform your life, even if you don’t completely understand why or how. Let me explain.
1) The Pomodoro Technique is spartan.
It does one thing really well. It’s completely focused and perfectly elegant. Twist the timer. Do the work.
But what if you build an altar around the timer, and fill it with meaningful symbols that support your mission? What if you use music, psychology, and yoga to stay focused on your alchemical quest? Then you’ve changed the narrative, and started to build a magic work ritual.
2) The Pomodoro Technique has no mechanism for building habits, staying consistent and remaining motivated.
It tells you how to pick up and connect a lego to make a big pile of legos. It doesn’t help you turn them into an amazing sculpture.
Consistency and discipline is rare these days. That means if you can:
- Do 2 poms a day for five days a week? That’s big.
- Scale to 4 poms a day and stick with it for a month? That’s great.
- Scale to 8 poms a day and stick with it for six months? That’s huge! 90% of people dropped out of the race a long time ago.
- Do an average of 12 poms a day for a year? You are a badass, a truly rare bird. I want to shake your hand.
But the only way you will get to that year mark is one day at a time. Don’t think about it. Just do one more day and remember the rule I’m about to share.
This rule gave me the fortitude to do Zen meditation EVERY day for 30 years, without fail and its the same rule I used to quit drinking in 2001. Here it is:
“This is not negotiable. Just do it. End of discussion.”
To build this level of conviction, you have to do the experiment. You have to experience the value and rewards of this discipline. Only then will you unlock the key to unfailing consistency.
3) The Pomodoro Technique doesn’t address tech addiction.
Technology has changed a lot since the PT was invented. Devices have invaded our lives. Now we all carry networked, wish-fulfilling, supercomputers in our pocket that are hacking our attention with Pavlovian pings.
To successfully monotask we have to eliminate all distractions. If we get triggered by sounds or visuals, it’s almost impossible to say resist them, so I’ve turned off most of my notifications and removed any visual triggers that compel me to give them my attention.
4) The Pomodoro Technique isn’t a path of personal transformation.
There’s more to life than mono-tasking. My life path is the path of Karma Yoga, the yoga of action, that Gandhi followed. It’s about personal growth and being better. I don’t want to be a tech addict. I want a strong mind that doesn’t mind being bored(it has a lot of benefits), and enjoy life without a device. I don’t want to be a technoslave to Big Tech.
If you want to serve life and be transformed, work on your Magnum Opus.
5) The Pomodoro Technique has no concern for your Magnum Opus.
It’s a generic tool for doing stuff, but why are you doing it?
Magnum Opus means “great work.” It is the work of a lifetime. For me, it’s the alchemical quest to transform my inner lead into gold. I’m overcoming my bad habits, and harnessing their energy so I can master the art of crafting spells, like this one.
6) The Pomodoro Technique doesn’t address your environment. It has no meaningful symbols, only utility.
There is nothing emotionally compelling about a tomato shaped timer, paper and pen.
You can’t act unless you have emotion, which is internal motion. It’s a physiological and psychological fact. We don’t take action because of logic(although it helps), otherwise we’d fix climate change and all the other problems of the world.
Since we move to satisfy emotional needs, I’ve crafted an environment that supports my narrative. For instance, I play epic music that reminds me I’m on an epic journey to transform my life. It’s harder than I ever thought it would be, but everything worth doing is.
I also crafted an altar around my timer to focus my will, so I can perform the magic work ritual that’s transforming my life. It’s symbols trigger my reptilian brain the same way corporate logos and country flags do. When I see that altar, it reaffirms the wish I made to build my new life, one time brick at a time.
Exercise #1: How to Assemble Your Magic Work Altar
The central physical artifact of the MPT is a desktop altar, a collection of personally meaningful artifacts.
Before you begin building your work altar consider these two things:
1) Symbols — What symbols or pictures have deep personal meaning to you? Some possibilities include pictures of family members, crosses, netsuki, crystals, or whatever. These will inspire you to focus and not distract you or cause your mind to wander.
I have crystals, Futhark runes, a little owl, goat and raven on my altar. Since I’m a fan of the Golden Ratio, the mathematical secret to beauty, I have a celtic pentacle whose lines always bring me back to my eye to the timer when I look at it.
These items are superstitious, but guess what? The Placebo Effect works. So use it to your advantage.
2) Intention — Every magical act begins with a wish. Wishes are desires that focus your will.
What do you really, really want? Keep it simple and doable. At the core of my altar is my wish was to become a writer. To do that, I have to write without interruption.
Now it’s time to get crafty, assemble your altar, and place the symbols of meaning around your timer. These symbols will change and evolve, but as you craft your altar, consciously focus your will on your intention.
A Brief Overview of My Magic Pomodoro Technique
Waking up from the Tech Matrix isn’t easy. I know. I was a technozombie, compelled by the the siren calls of my devices. I couldn’t resist the Pavlovian ping of an incoming text.
Now I can.
Usually. Sort of.
Okay I’m totally in denial. But…
Although I can’t claim complete freedom from techno-slavery, I can now focus, flow and finish much more effectively. How?
I modified and upgraded the basic Pomodoro Technique to the Magic Pomodoro Technique(MPT). I drew on every possible thing I could think of to support my efforts. These include:
1) Yoga — Yoga is one of the oldest, most advanced spiritual system in the world. It uses breath work and one pointed concentration to achieve great things. BTW, Buddhism was heavily influenced by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. So using most buddhist mental disciplines like mindfulness, will support your efforts just as well.
2) Modern Psychology — Google’s brain hackers use them to influence my behavior, so why shouldn’t I use them to find freedom? I use auditory cues like epic music and the ticking of my timer to condition my brain to focus. I also use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT) to reprogram my brain and the thoughts I think, because as Bruce Lee reminds us, “Words are energy and cast spells, that’s why it’s called spelling.” The specific words you use in your daily thinking affect you deeply.
3) Superstition — I’m a pragmatic scientist type, and guess what? The Placebo effect works. It has real power. So if I have to use magic symbols to be consistent and in my mono-tasking practice, I will.
4) Music — I use a variety of different musics to work too. I start every day with Mannavegr Viking music by Danheim. Then I bust out epic classical music by Adrian Von Ziegler and Peter Gundry. Later on in the day, I move into some Cafe De Anatolia. All of this music energizes me and gives me an emotional tone that supports my focus. None of it has words I can understand to distract the language centers of my brain.
5) Cognitive Enhancement — We’re all Americans here, so let’s be frank. Caffeine and sugar are socially acceptable drugs people feel comfortable using to stay focused. Some people use Adderal or Ritalin, but they aren’t for me. I personally chew on tobacco leaf (with no additives), because Stephen King said tobacco helped him focus, and it does. Long story short, I spoke with two oncologists who said tobacco doesn’t cause cancer. Tar and additives cause cancer, so I don’t smoke cigarettes or use chew. I also don’t write while high, because like George Carlin noted, you think more clearly when you don’t. Same goes for alcohol and psychedelics. If you think you write good while using them, try not using them. You might be surprised at the superior results.
6) Power Breaks — Sitting is the new smoking, so when I take a break, I move. I walk. I stretch, self massage and hydrate with plain old water. I give my eyes a break and look at something that’s far away. Just don’t do anything distracting like answering texts or emails. They can suck you down a cognitive rabbit hole. Wait for your 20 minute break to do that.
Does this sound daunting? Don’t worry. Just practice the basic Pomodoro technique. It’s super easy, until you get over the exciting novelty of your new practice. Or your phone pings you and you can’t resist answering it. Or you lose your motivation because the practice feels tedious.
Then consider easing into the Magic Pomodoro Technique. It will transform your work session and help you remember you’re “on a mission from God”, to borrow from the Blues Brothers.
So how do you do a Magic Pomodoro? Btw, I just call them poms.
Exercise #2: Do a Magic Pomodoro Session
1) Turn off all notifications — Eliminate as many distractions as possible.
2) Music matters — I’m doing magic here. I need magic music so I turn on my favorite compositions by Danheim, Adrian Von Ziegler or Peter Gundry. Their music is epic without being disruptive. It’s non-verbal and gives me good energy. I keep the volume low so it doesn’t distract me, but sets the right mood.
3) Cast your spell — It’s hard to do this every time, but it’s a chance to be mindful and disciplined. The words will condition your brain and trigger focus on a subconscious level.
Now focus your intention, take a deep breath and speak this simple spell, while twisting your timer to 25 minutes.
“As I wind, so I bind. Now distractions leave my mind.”
4) Do your pomodoro session.
5) Take a Power Break — There’s a whole Art of the Power Break I’ve been working on. In a nutshell, don’t do anything that will interrupt your flow, but try to get out of your chair. Take the time to overlearn and move, because movement supports better thinking.
In Conclusion
I developed the MPT to address shortcoming in the basic pomodoro practice. These included “why am I doing this?” and “why should I keep doing this?”
The Magic Pomodoro Technique is pragmatic in that I use ANY means necessary be consistent in this habit. I use yoga, magic, and modern psychology to make sure I do my work ritual and make progress towards achieving my goals.
By turning each pomodoro into a magic work ritual, I’ve been able to maintain a long term, daily commitment to my distraction free work space. If I just hyperfocused, I wouldn’t take breaks, but they support my physical health and thinking, and gives me an excuse to move more.
Done consistently, this practice will transform your life and help make your dreams a reality. I know, because I’ve been doing the discipline since January 2019 and I’ve accomplished more than I thought possible. Not only did I overcome my tech addiction, but I became the writer I wanted to be. Man I’ve written a lot of good stuff.
If you stick with the practice, you’ll realize the sense of achievement is addicting. The longer you stick with it, the more badass you are. Don’t worry, it’ll get easier to do because you’ll need to do it, like brushing your teeth.
Remember, this practice is deceptively simple. In reality it is super deep and filled with nuances.
I encourage you to do the discipline, make the mistakes, correct them. Then twist your timer, do another pomodoro and lay another time brick on the edifice of your life’s work.
