Solitude: the subjective state in which your mind is free from input from other minds
Kethledge & Erwin (2017) via Newport (2019)
One thing I tried out recently is trying to keep my head clear in the morning. Given the «Deep Work» and «Digital Minimalism» books by Newport, I tried to limit any stimulation from other minds.
So no more music in the morning, no more podcasts on the way to work, no more news sites or RSS feeds. At work, just not connecting the ethernet cable prevents any online input, incl. work mails or work instant messages. While I do have an always-connected smartphone (is there any other kind?), there are less than a handful people whose messages would result in a notification. If there is a notification that is not an appointment reminder, it’s usually relevant.
The result is that the first two or three hours at work are very focused. The daily business does not require that much concentration, so it can be done later, after the main tasks are done.
Works very very well.
