Industry Magazine Get JACK'D Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 23

cave long enough for their fear-of-missing-out to subside and
their digital withdrawals to relent are deeply rewarded. Most
of us not only don’t want to do this but we actually say it’s bad
for us. Two-thirds of men and one-quarter of women would
prefer to experience an electric shock rather than spend
fifteen minutes in silence or solitude. But the truth is that
access is the enemy of ingenuity.
Since most people today are passively going the way
of distraction, the few who wake up to the gravity of the
situation, learn how to quiet the world, enter the cave, and
take control of their attention will see their value in the
marketplace multiplied.
The key to the cave? You must be unreachable. You’re
familiar with Murphy’s Law, right? It states that if anything
can go wrong, it will go wrong. This applies especially to
your attention. If anyone can interrupt you, they will. And the
easier it is to reach you, the less likely the interruption will
be important. How do you keep distractions away? Let’s get
practical.
You Need To Create Physical Barriers
Keep Your Door Closed
A good cave is going to be a place where you can physically
separate yourself from your peers. It should have walls or
barriers that keep you from co-workers, friends, family, and
maybe even the occasional enemy.
Hang Up Your “Do Not Disturb” Sign
Buy yourself a “Do Not Disturb” sign. Hang it on your door
and you’ll watch the unnecessary interruptions come to a
screeching halt.
Invest in a Pair of Noise-Canceling Headphones
Some of us don’t have the luxury of a personal office.
Maybe you share an office, maybe you work in one of those
monstrosities known as an open office, or maybe your office
walls are just paper thin. Noise-canceling headphones are a
great alternative for less than ideal circumstances such as
these.
Physically isolating yourself is the first step, but it isn’t
enough. You may be away from your peers, but your phone
and laptop keep you at arm’s length to almost everyone in the
world. You’ve put up walls of defense around your attention,
but your phone is a Trojan horse. It never really had to break
down walls to get to you. It entices you until you invite it
inside, but at any moment, it will drop a band of attention-
hungry soldiers who will pillage your mind and thwart your
plans. Keep the Trojan horse out!
You Need To Create Virtual