Don’t get distracted by this blog post.

Why are you reading this post? Was it on purpose or more likely, by accident, when scrolling through a social feed somewhere? More interestingly — as thought-provoking as I intend to be in the following short paragraphs — how many diversions like this one actually add value to your day as opposed to a distraction from whatever else you could be productively focussing your time doing? If the frequency is high, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but it turns out that, like me, you’ve very possibly got a bad case of CPA (Continuous Partial Attention — the 2009 description for which rather quaintly refers to the phenomenon in relation to MySpace and Blackberrys).

Nir Eyal, author of ‘Hooked’ — and now, oxymoronically, ‘Indistractable’ (coming out in September) argues that we’re all distracted and that this is not only wasting huge amounts of our time but causing huge challenges for our ability to focus, imagine and create — arguably the most important skills humans possess as society races towards automation. He holds a fascinating mirror up to all the daily distractions we indulge in both consciously (ping, ping ping) and unconsciously (e.g. the behavioural science behind infinite scroll and notification colours). But are enough of us doing anything about it yet?

Digital Detox apps and hacks abound — my favourite being Forest, an app promoting deep, undistracted focus — which, I kid you not — charges your $3/ £2 for the gimmick of slowly growing a virtual tree which wilts and dies (like your aspirational deep-work output) the minute you get distracted and open up another app. Holy fucking 40 million downloads later, why didn’t I think of that!? Others include hacks to turn all notifications off, grey-scale your phone, leaving phones out of the bedroom — and another favourite — the simple, polite, yet accusative question that you might ask someone picking up their phone during social events ‘oh dear, is everything alright?’.

Tristan Harris, ex-Googler and founder of the ‘Time Well Spent’ movement (now the Center for Human Technology) paints a much more bleak picture of ‘human downgrading’. He describes the recent phenomenon whereby we have all been collectively manipulated by tech into a dangerous all-pervasive culture of not only shortened attention span but reduced complexity, loss of nuance, outrage, polarisation and the fundamental loss of trust… basically we’ve all become crazy people. Even those not guilty of using these tech products to inadvertently behaviourally-re-engineer themselves, still suffer the consequences… whether in national elections, the fact that the unvaccinated children of conspiracy theorists play around theirs or simply in the polarised, fact-free society around them.

I have to say, (despite the observation that this is, it itself, a somewhat polarising view) that I find this line compelling, persuasive and recognisable in my own behaviour… whether when angrily consumed by the ‘good vs bad’ tenor of a political or ideological debate; in the despair or outrage induced by a tragic personal story; in the lost minutes and hours that could have been spent writing, reading a book or playing within my young children; in the cynicism or surprised optimism I occasionally feel on seeking out more contextual data and facts (Steven Pinker, anyone?); Increasingly, I’m left with the need to be a small part of the solution.

But there are no quick solutions. Sunlight, self-awareness and daily hacks help, but the attention economy is now firmly entrenched as free stuff will always trump premium. Of course this technology has enhanced our lives massively (free, unlimited knowledge, accessibility, borderless communication, Google maps restoring marital harmony to road trips yada yada…), but it’s hard to deny that these benefits have come with a hefty price-tag for civil society.

In May, I spoke at The Next Web conference in Amsterdam on some of these themes. On arriving early at the speaker dinner, I sat quietly, admiring the view and taking stock of some of the day’s learnings. I was approached by a woman asking if I ‘might possibly be the Jess Butcher who spoke on Digital Detox today’ — deduced by the fact that I was the only person on that balcony sat without a face glued down to a device. It was Catherine Price, author of the brilliant ‘How to break up with your phone’ and we bonded over our shared mission. It was only after 3 glasses of wine that I felt comfortable enough to inform her that in actual fact, my phone battery had died and was charging behind the bar.

I can talk the talk but if I’m honest, I struggle to manage my own device abuse. Partly due to the fact that I run a digital app business and partly because CPA actually really suits my working style, as I’m a multipotentialite. (To save you 20 minutes heading off on a superfluous, fascinating tangent, that means ‘generalist’). I like to know a little bit about a lot of things so I get value out of scattering my curiosity around and falling down a few serendipitous rabbit holes from where I invariably find inspiration. But try I will. I’ve grey-scaled, implemented timing restrictions and joined the small 30% of all phone users who proactively manage their notification settings. I’ve opened books, prioritised more in-person time and I’ve sat down to write this blog (which could still be deemed further procrastination from deep thought/ problem solving).

I’ve also reached out to the Center for Humane Tech and am initiating a number of conversations with like-minded individuals — across tech, government, media, education, academia and more — to start the creative, entrepreneurial juices flowing. Join me? I would love to hear from anyone who is similarly struggling with these symptoms and/or those willing to guinea pig a selection of solutions. Is your device a source of tension? What could getting back an extra hour or two of your day be worth to you?

Now get back to work.