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Your post makes me wonder whether news-&-opinion audio podcasts also can hurt oneās focus, given that they can bounce in minutes from one news story to the next. Or, is it the visual component of videos that makes them much better than audio-only sources at hurting focus?
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When I read the study, it was more centered around the visual context. Something is happening in the brain that makes this more damaging than audio alone.
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Yeah I feel the same way about podcasts to be honest, I know they are offered as a ātoolā on dumbphones such as the light phone 2 and 3 and you can sideload calmcast onto the Kompakt, but I often feel they are a distraction and I end up taking them off the phone. I feel like even on the phone like the Kompakt if your day is walking around or being on the bus where ever constantly listenting to music or podcasts with ear buds in your ears are you really present? We always need to be distracting ourselves from boredom and now we convince ourselves listening to music or a podcast is not wasting time, but I have really tried to unplug completely and keep my Kompakt as distraction free as possible. I had a e-reader on it but then realized okay I am at the Drās office now staring at my phone like everyone else and yes I guess I am reading but I am forcing myself to be bored and present. So as of now I donāt have calmcast on my kompakt and I do feel like it has improved my focus to be honest
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I formerly was a fan of listening to podcasts and audiobooks while on a walk or run. Now, though, I like the situational awareness ā especially on city streets but even on suburban streets and on walking paths ā that walking or running without headphones/earbuds gives me. I now like to listen to podcasts and audiobooks and radio broadcasts while resting at home, where I can give them my full attention.
I formerly convinced myself that listening to something while running was a way to be more efficient. Now I prefer to absorb the sights and sounds around me during my runs ā the birds, the traffic, and the people walking like zombies to their jobs as they stare at their smartphones.
Because my flip-phone makes podcast and audiobook listening difficult, I use a SIM-less cellphone for podcasts and audiobooks. I look forward to getting a Kompakt again, so that I can simplify my electronics to ONE cellphone ā but with the now-ingrained habit of isolating these listening activities to rest at home and NOT using them as a boredom-killer.
Three and a half years of flip-phone use has trained me NOT to pick up a cellphone when I start to feel bored. Instead, I sometimes try to observe that sense of boredom and to ask myself why I might be feeling it. Or, more often, I simply overcome that sense of boredom by paying attention to the people and things around me.
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Doesnāt break my focus but sucks precious time away from me lol
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As for me, I havenāt waited for short videos, endless scrolling and social media to lose my focus even though it did make everything worse.
In the late 90s and early 2000, I was already addicted to hitting āF5ā constantly and impulsively checking stuff, re-assessing my subscriptions etc.
I am trying to force myself to read very long articles and books. In the end, I feel SO MUCH more enlightened ā any notification about a new video is a new temptation to fight which compromises 50 times my focus during a single article 
The problem isā¦ I noticed it got really difficult not to skip lines / to really understand what I read (even in a regular book). And my eyes have been significantly damaged by decades of point-blank CRTs & LCDs.
It is so ironical Iāve been constantly thinking for 25 years it was more constructive to only read with maximum focus a couple of articles in my favourite newspaper (Le Monde Diplomatique) or a single book (!) ā but Iāve kept zapping between dozens andā¦ with almost NO actually memorization at all - inducing tons of stress.
So wellā¦ For the time being : no sideloading !!
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@kirkmahoneyphd
I think Iām way ahead of you 
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