Distraction is Destruction

Let me take you back to the early 80s.

Picture this:
You’re 10 years old. It’s summer. You’re outside from 8 a.m. until the streetlights flicker on. No smartphones. No endless notifications. Just a knock on the door and:

“Hey, wanna come out and play?”

You’d run through fields, ride bikes for hours, swap football cards, trade snacks, get lost in bushes that became castles, spaceships, or enemy territory. Your focus was total. You weren’t distracted—you were immersed.

If someone had told us back then that one day people would carry tiny glass boxes in their pockets that could access all human knowledge, most of us would’ve said:

“ I’d use it to find my way without getting lost—no more paper maps. I’d finish my homework while playing a cool online game with my friends. And I’d prepare for any job interview with confidence, knowing I had the answers in my pocket and a future within reach.”

And yet… here we are.
Checking Instagram while watching Netflix, replying to emails while on Zoom, getting lost in TikTok rabbit holes—and wondering why we can’t focus anymore.

From Dopamine to Distraction

In the early 2000s, technology sped up.
Then it exploded.

Every emoji, like, and swipe infected our brain’s reward system. Dopamine, once a chemical that rewarded meaningful milestones (like finishing a race or creating something remarkable), became instant, cheap and addictive.

Social media took this to a new level.
It made comparison constant.
It made boredom unbearable.
It made scrolling more normal than breathing.

And for the younger generation?
Dopamine hits arrive before they can develop focus. They’re wired to chase what’s next, not what’s now.

The Cost of Constant Distraction

One of my clients—a smart, driven manager—came to me frustrated.

He said:

“I used to be the top performer. Now, I’m drowning in tasks. I can’t even finish a sentence without checking Slack or emails. My manager’s losing patience—and honestly? So am I.”

We went deep and touched uncomfortable territories.

Turns out, his day was a battlefield of interruptions:
Slack, Teams, emails, pop-up notifications, phone alerts, news feeds, back-to-back meetings.

We built a simple strategy:

• Deep Work Blocks (no tech, no multitasking)

• Focus sprints followed by short breaks

• One screen rule—no phone while on laptop

• Mindfulness check-ins to train awareness

Within weeks, his output doubled. His confidence returned. And so did something he hadn’t felt in months:

Flow.

That state of mind where you’re fully immersed. Focused. Free.

So let me ask you:

• What would your day look like without technology?
• What kind of mental space would open up if you shut the door on distraction?
• What’s one focus ritual you could reclaim this week to regain clarity?

Because in the end, distraction is destruction—
not just of time, but of dreams, attention, and even identity.

Choose your attention and presence.

Love,
Laszlo