22 Comments

What a fabulous post - I had never thought of my curiosity as uncontrolled curiosity, but TBH - I think it might be. I tend to have a hard time focusing because of it. These tips are awesome and I am saving this to read over and over. I think I will start with 'out of site, out of mind' andat least get the millions of books put away and only have a few out at a time. Same with my internet tabs!

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Your emphasis on the effects of uncontrolled curiosity is so well placed. Especially on social media I often get lost and lose so much time. I have been trying to restrict timing as well as topics and find your suggestions valuable. Thanks,

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Let me know how it goes Figen. It's so easy to lose time on these platforms.

Useful to have an intention and guardrails so you catch yourself before wasting too much time or energy.

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Oh man! I found your notes by scrolling and clicking when something caught my eye. Now I feel in two minds about that!

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Oops! I see the quandary re the topic of this post! Thanks for reading and your comment. Perhaps in a pocket of scroll time you've carved out in your day? 🙌

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Great post Sabrina. The only downside is that I picked it up from a "Substack Reads" list that came to my email, and now I have another Substack to follow... 😂

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Thanks Nikki! Eek sorry - hope you enjoy the articles though 🙌💥😆

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Now that I’m on Substack, I’m painfully aware of how much lower my attention span is, thanks to social media. I struggle reading entire posts and focusing on the content without my brain wandering. And I graduated with a Literature degree! How times have changed. That why I’ll be here more often now, instead. Thanks for the tips!

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I empathise with this completely. I have no idea how I was able to focus so much when I was younger.

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Oh I hear you Kristina. We've lost the art of focus so I try to make myself watch and read long form to build my attention span up. Thanks for reading and commenting!

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Something that have helped me is a spinning pen. Rather play with that then scrolling anything 😁

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Ooh I love that idea Jezz. Physical distraction vs digital one. I play with those wires you get with cables at my desk. I need to have a bundle of those in my pocket!

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Thanks for sharing Sabrina! I find that social media can be all too tempting and I’ll lose myself in mindless scrolling. I’m glad this information is out there for the world!

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It is so so tempting Katie. And they know it! Glad you found it useful 🥳

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Just 33 minutes a day is 200 hours a year, which is how long it took me to run 1,105 miles in 2020. And you can imagine which was better for my physical and mental health haha

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Yikes that's a great way to put it into context! Where did you run? All in one go? Favourite bit? So many questions Seth. Thanks for sharing!

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Hah! Noooo, not all in one go... spread out over many many afternoons and evenings. The best part was just being away from my computer for that amount of time haha

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Ah, now that does sound like bliss. Great to get out and into your body in the real world

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You wrote this for me!

I like the idea of checking in with myself as to what "done" looks like. Is it a note, a post, or just the dopamine hit? At least I'll become more awake to myself.

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Glad it resonated Jeanette. I see 'done' as putting a mental marker in the ground. If you are more specific about the curiosity gap you're trying to fill and what it looks like when it's satisfied I.e. I'll have an answer to x, or I'll feel y etc, you'll recognise when you need to check in with going further with your curiosity. A physical note could help so you write down what you discover to the question posed. If it's more abstract, you might need to tap into an emotional or physical sensation like that dopamine and endorphin hit - 'ah that was the answer I was looking for. Keen to see what works for you when trying this out

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Great tips in here! #1 works for me every day! I also check in 20 - 30 times a day and ask myself “is this a distraction or procrastination?” Wild, but it works for me. Curiosity can be both a superpower and kryptonite. 😆

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Thanks Beth. Love this question you ask yourself - such a great tip! Curiosity can be both so we need to use it wisely!

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