There are two ways to think of this topic. One is to think of it as a product category, a kind of device that is sold as "distraction free." Let's talk about that one first. I am on record as believing that in most every case “[[New stuff is a scam]],“ and that is my main problem with the consumer category of “distraction free” stuff. It’s a marketing narrative that insists that: 1) Your problem (whatever that problem is supposed to be) is probably from having the wrong stuff. 2) Your problem (again, any problem. Plaque psoriasis, halitosis, whatever) would be fixed if you bought the right stuff. 3) Luckily for you I have the right stuff right here at a [remarkable](https://remarkable.com/) premium. This marketing narrative is heavily reliant on the mother narrative, "[[Big Tech is ruining your life]]." For whatever reason this distraction free, organic, grass fed, and microplastic free tech always seems to cost pretty much what Apple is charging for the most comparable device, even though these startups are definitely not Apple, with regards to engineering ability. Distraction free tech isn't for the masses, it's expensive. Yer nan gets an iPhone SE, your brother in law probably has a Samsung Galaxy A-series phone, but *you* mate, *you intelligent defender of your precious ability to focus, you bought a Light Phone.* For $700. Cash. Working people seldom have money to burn on a phone that actively fights you when you need directions to the Mediterranean place your friends are meeting up at. So, it turns out distraction free tech is a marker of class as well. Chalk another one up for "[[Everything is Class]]." So it’s expensive, it’s limited on purpose, and I think it’s capitalizing on a [[moral panic]]. The last one is the kicker for me. I don’t know that it meets the strict criteria for one (see link for examples) but it smells like one to me. It's good business to tell your customer that the shame they feel over the productivity lost to their habit of scrolling social media or a newsfeed or whatever is *not their fault.* It's the tech giant's fault. They did this to you. Buy *my* phone instead. --- The second way of thinking of this phrase, "distraction free computing," is more generic. The narrative we talked about above relies on thinking of the widgets sold by Apple or Google as evil in their essence. Like The One Ring of Power, any attempt to wield it for good will be perverted by the truest true thing at it's heart, the fact that it wishes for your destruction. You could not possibly hope to, you know, adjust the settings on the phone you already own and achieve an adequate result. Buy my phone instead. No, the second way of thinking of distraction free computing is to instead think of systems, software, and practices that can reduce the harm felt by many people when they use things on their default settings. Turning off notifications on certain apps is an expressing of distraction free computing. Using the tools on your phone to disallow using TikTok after 10 in the evening is distraction free computing. Goodness, switching to Linux because you don't want to see ads for candy crush in your start menu is distraction free computing. In many ways I am as happy with this kind of thinking as I am unhappy with the first. This is mostly because empowering normal people to think critically about the tools in their lives and how it would serve them to adjust this setting or tweak this parameter gives people ownership over their computation toolset. Indulging in a narrative like "you silly goofball could not possibly outsmart Google, who wants to use your phone like a trojan horse to steal money from you by mind hacking you in to buying a titanium fidget spinner" infantilizes people while simultaneously elevating the tech giants to god-like power. These are the same people who thought you'd want to go to work as an accountant by strapping a VR headset to your face. Let's get real for a moment. These are not the sort of people we need to be ascribing omnipotence to. So, I'd encourage anyone who feels like buying a distraction-free gadget to 1) Examine the tools available on the devices you already own 2) Enable any modes or timers or whatevers that seem like they might be helpful 3) **Leave those settings enabled for at least two weeks** 4) Sit down and make the modifications you think are appropriate, after having lived with the system you created for a while. Rinse and Repeat.