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In the Middle of Digital Noise: Protecting Your Attention in the City

Seen from outside, modern cities offer glass towers and comfortable spaces. But people in the city live inside a dense digital stream of thousands of notifications, endless emails and instant requests every day. Protecting our attention within this stream has become everyday work for many of us.

Not losing your own centre in this stream may depend less on working harder and more on caring for your attention. Whatever work we do, for many of us the real tiredness isn't physical; it is the constant splitting of our attention.

Starting the Day Offline

Spending the first hour of the day “offline” can be a calm space you keep for yourself before handing your attention over to other people's agendas.

Responding by Choice

Replying instantly to every email or message doesn't have to be a measure of success. Choosing what to respond to, and what can wait for now, is a simple way to protect your attention.

Boholia doesn't suggest cutting yourself off from the digital world completely. It invites you to open small spaces of silence for yourself, even in the middle of the stream.