How do we achieve maximal mental focus in an overly wired and wireless world? This is the question that Georgetown University professor, author, and father, Cal Newport, addresses in his forthcoming book Digital Minimalism. He writes about ways to prune one’s digital life, getting it down to those technologies that truly help us to think deeper.
I often talk about how new strategies for helping our kids focus in this tech revolution whether that’s enforcing a no-cell-phone rule at school or ways to stay on task while doing homework. So, I am always excited to get ideas from others about helpful approaches to fostering deep thinking.
One of the reasons I wanted to discuss this topic is that it gives us a chance to share with our kids some of the strategies we use to have focused times. When I talk with youth they often complain about how distracted adults are on their devices—yes, true—AND we are often doing work on our devices. So, subtly reinforcing that point, and how we stay on task when we are doing that, is key.
Newport argues that we should be much more selective about the technologies we adopt in our personal lives and “radically reduce the time you spend online, focusing on a small number of activities chosen because they support things you deeply value, and then happily miss out on everything else.” He also says something that I agree with: “Technology is intrinsically neither good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values, rather than letting it use you.”
In an interview that ran in the New York Times last week, Newport discusses with writer Tim Herrera how to achieve “deep work.” Here are some of the main points Newport makes:
Here are three examples of things I do to help create times of undistracted thinking:
As a society, it is essential that we openly discuss how we can foster focused thinking in our children and students. I find it heartening that so many tech educators and IT leaders at schools reach out to us about showing Screenagers. These are the people that are tasked with integrating technology into schools, and they want to ensure that we are having a dialogue about how to best do this.
Another reason I wanted to talk about this is that young people are thinking about these issues. When I ask them their strategies for staying focused, more often than not, they share things they are trying. Just today I was filming several middle schoolers and I asked them this question and they told me a few of their tricks like “putting on a timer” and “changing phone settings to ‘Do Not Disturb’ while doing homework”.
For this week’s Tech Talk Tuesday let’s explore “digital minimalism” with our kids:
We would love for you to share this TTT any way that works for you, whether that’s on social media or via a newsletter. If you want to send it out in your newsletter we just ask that you credit us and link to our website, and let us know at lisa@screenagersmovie.com.
HOST A SCREENING to help spark change.
FIND EVENT LISTINGS
Stay in touch with the Screenagers community on Facebook, Twitter and at www.screenagersmovie.com.
Now Available for Educators: A New Professional Development Resource
Request more information about this 6-hour ready-to-use Professional Development module.
January 22, 2019
How do we achieve maximal mental focus in an overly wired and wireless world? This is the question that Georgetown University professor, author, and father, Cal Newport, addresses in his forthcoming book Digital Minimalism. He writes about ways to prune one’s digital life, getting it down to those technologies that truly help us to think deeper.
I often talk about how new strategies for helping our kids focus in this tech revolution whether that’s enforcing a no-cell-phone rule at school or ways to stay on task while doing homework. So, I am always excited to get ideas from others about helpful approaches to fostering deep thinking.
One of the reasons I wanted to discuss this topic is that it gives us a chance to share with our kids some of the strategies we use to have focused times. When I talk with youth they often complain about how distracted adults are on their devices—yes, true—AND we are often doing work on our devices. So, subtly reinforcing that point, and how we stay on task when we are doing that, is key.
Newport argues that we should be much more selective about the technologies we adopt in our personal lives and “radically reduce the time you spend online, focusing on a small number of activities chosen because they support things you deeply value, and then happily miss out on everything else.” He also says something that I agree with: “Technology is intrinsically neither good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values, rather than letting it use you.”
In an interview that ran in the New York Times last week, Newport discusses with writer Tim Herrera how to achieve “deep work.” Here are some of the main points Newport makes:
Here are three examples of things I do to help create times of undistracted thinking:
As a society, it is essential that we openly discuss how we can foster focused thinking in our children and students. I find it heartening that so many tech educators and IT leaders at schools reach out to us about showing Screenagers. These are the people that are tasked with integrating technology into schools, and they want to ensure that we are having a dialogue about how to best do this.
Another reason I wanted to talk about this is that young people are thinking about these issues. When I ask them their strategies for staying focused, more often than not, they share things they are trying. Just today I was filming several middle schoolers and I asked them this question and they told me a few of their tricks like “putting on a timer” and “changing phone settings to ‘Do Not Disturb’ while doing homework”.
For this week’s Tech Talk Tuesday let’s explore “digital minimalism” with our kids:
We would love for you to share this TTT any way that works for you, whether that’s on social media or via a newsletter. If you want to send it out in your newsletter we just ask that you credit us and link to our website, and let us know at lisa@screenagersmovie.com.
HOST A SCREENING to help spark change.
FIND EVENT LISTINGS
Stay in touch with the Screenagers community on Facebook, Twitter and at www.screenagersmovie.com.
Now Available for Educators: A New Professional Development Resource
Request more information about this 6-hour ready-to-use Professional Development module.
January 22, 2019
I bet there is one thing (at least) about your phone that you have been meaning to do, and yet you have not taken the time to do it. Yes? I just got another alert from the social media app, BeReal. I downloaded it with my kids a while back to learn about it. I don’t use it. Instead, I have been repeatedly irked whenever it pings me (it does that even with notifications turned off). I keep saying to myself, "Oh, yes, I have to delete that.” And then I never do. SO RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT, I am inviting you to do one tiny thing (yep, right now) …
READ MORE >This Thanksgiving week, I’m taking time with my family. Due to illnesses in the family, this is the first time since the pandemic began that we finally get to have an extended family gathering, and I’m taking the week to truly enjoy it. Here are four of my past Screenagers’ Tech Talk Tuesday favorite Thanksgiving posts which are chock-full of ideas for fostering togetherness this week.
READ MORE >I firmly believe that kids should have at least two activities that they are doing outside of school time. But what to do if the teen is not motivated to find something to do? In today’s blog, I write about what to do when our teens are resistant to getting involved in extracurriculars.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.