Passion vs. Distraction

Luke Pomorskitwitter: lukesp

cellojourney.comlukepomorski@gmail.com

Frequent Concerns

•I don’t know what I am passionate about...

•How do I discover my passion?

W. A. MozartIsaac Newton

The Past

W.A. Mozart•41 Symphonies

•27 Piano Concertos

•16 Other Concertos

•55 Solo Piano Works

•18 Masses

•23 Operas

•100s of other works

Isaac Newton

•Laws of Motion

•Law of Universal Gravitation

•Calculus

•Reflecting Telescope

•Theory of Light and Color

No TelevisionNo MoviesNo RadioNo Internet

The Past (for thousands of years...)

The Past

No ElectricityNo TelephonesNo Cell PhonesNo Google MapsNo File SharingNo TwitterNo FacebookNo RSS Feeds

The Past

No YouTubeNo DVDsNo CNNNo BlogsNo Video GamesNo RadioNo CDsNo Google SearchNo E-Mail

The Past (life was hard...)

No Modern MedicineHigh Infant MortalityLow Life ExpectancyPovertyNo ElectricityNo AppliancesNo SupermarketsLifelong Ailments

Technology is not needed for

passion.

Distraction•Confuses you.

•Makes you lose focus on your main task.

•Emotionally draining. Especially video.

•Can’t hear your own thoughts and emotions.

•Possibly makes you dumber.

Video

•Most distracting.

•Emotional.

•YouTube selects the juiciest videos.

•Watch only if necessary.

Distraction and the Illusion of

Knowledge

Prediction Blogging

•Present many possibilities for the Future.

•Most possibilities never come about.

•Many iPhones Were Predicted (photoshopped images)

•US Election Coverage

How can you be all knowing?

Hindsight is 20/20

•Wait a week.

•Wait a month.

•Wait 6 months.

•Don’t worry about the predictions.

Website Size

•The larger the website the less often you need to see it.

•Choose smaller websites that regularly offer content specific to you.

•Visit digg.com, Google News, Techmeme etc. only once a week.

Large Websites•Information is general with little

value to you.

•Focuses on large trends which actually move slowly. Lots of predictions.

•As a visitor, you are one of 1000s. Your contribution is less valued.

•Visit once a week or once a month.

•Many updates but distracting!

Small Websites

•May have information pertaining specifically to you.

•You may know the author personally.

•Your contribution will be valued.

•Keep track of it more often.

•They have fewer updates anyways. Less distracting!

Other Ways To Avoid Distraction

Browsing Habits

•Avoid opening websites automatically

•Digg, Techmeme, Reddit, Google News

Browsing Habits

•Wait a month for the dust to settle.

Browsing Habits

•Stick to smaller more personal websites that update less frequently.

•Use an RSS reader. Great for smaller websites.

Browsing Habits

•Site Specific Browser

•Fluid for Mac

•Prism for Mac and Windows

Finding Passion

Passion is Sustained Interest

Passion is Sustained Interest

•Not just over a weekend.

•Bears fruit over months.

Technology is Not The Focus

You Are The Focus

•Your ideas.

•Your insights.

•Your emotions.

•Your connection with people.

Finding Passion The

Usual Way•Google Search

•Large Websites

•Many Blog Articles

•Online Videos (Youtube has Millions)

Different Way

•Avoid Distractions

•Introspection

•Change in Perspective

•Sustained Interest

•Surprises

Focus

•What makes you special?

•What interests you?

•Who is important to you?

•Experience your surroundings.

•Don’t distract your audience either.

•Build enough passion to Publish It!

Boredom is GoodMakes you hungry for change.

About Me

•These days...

•I don’t watch TV.

•I watch very little online video.

•I read very few distracting articles.

•You can too!

Additional Benefits

•More time with family and friends.

•Walks in the park.

•Go out more often.

•Keep better track of your life.

Assignment

For 2 Months

No TVVery little online videoVery few random articles

Passion vs. Distraction

Luke Pomorskitwitter: lukesp

cellojourney.comlukepomorski@gmail.com