Shining New Thing

Notes

Claim

The shining new thing is when we are easily Distracted by new things, like a new productivity tool, a new gadget or even a new mental model.

Explanation

Often these things are just forms of distraction, or potentially even a Deferring happiness to future goals creates present suffering, when we say things like "when I'll have the right tool I'll finally be able to get it done".

It is even self inflicted, when every time we see a new gadget we get Fear of missing out fuels anxiety about opportunities we cannot take if we won't use it.

Why it matters

Instead, we should remember the advantages of less is more, that by focusing on what we have, rather than what we supposably miss, is better for our productivity and wellbeing.

The perfect tool doesn't exist, so it's more important to stick with what we have and make the most of it, instead of abandoning it too early before we can reap it's benefits.

Examples

Supporters

Opposers

Novelty itself isn't purely a vice though — Novelty breaks autopilot and sharpens focus argues that a new stimulus breaks our autopilot and sharpens attention, at least momentarily. The distraction only becomes a problem once it's chased on repeat, cutting off any depth before it has a chance to build.

Open questions

Visual