How Not To Focus
Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO and indicted con man: “I’m infamous for playing League of Legends during phone calls.”
You don’t say, Sam?
The disgraced CEO of bankrupt cryptocurrency enterprise FTX is infamous for a lot more than playing video games–during meetings with investors, media interviews, and team planning sessions.
But before the dramatic collapse of FTX, Bankman-Fried offered this explanation for his habit:
“I think I have tons of RAM, and a relatively small hard drive.”
He theorizes that he keeps most of his mental data in working memory; if he stops thinking about something, he won’t remember it. He plays League of Legends, he says, to help himself relax.
Which might be a good thing if he were actually relaxing. Relaxation helps your mind consolidate memory, and solve problems.
Many people with ADHD use things like brown noise and fidget spinners to help their brains focus on a task.
BUT: we only have so much mental bandwidth.
And when you’re filling up that bandwidth with extra stimulation that drains your decision making capacity, you’re playing with fire.
QED.
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
The Eccentric Genius Habitat Intervention
Your space, your nervous system.
Most of us were never taught how our bodies actually experience a room–the light, the sound, the layout, the smell–and what happens when those things work against us instead of for us.
This free seven-day course is a gentle introduction to sensory design. Each day brings one exercise–noticing what you feel, photographing what you’ve been editing out, dreaming about what you actually want. The exercises are all optional, and you can go as deep as you like.
By the end, you’ll understand more about why certain rooms drain you, what your body knows about your home, and how to start shifting without stressing out.
Sign up below. Your first email arrives within the hour.
Practical Sanctuary, sensory interior design, specializes in interior design for highly sensitive people.
We help you create spaces which are:
