RYAN HOLIDAY

Trying to achieve multiple tasks at one time may feel like we’re accomplishing plenty when we’re busy, like trying to read your lecture notes while catching up with the news on TV. But what we’re actually doing is switch-tasking instead—going from one task to another in rapid succession. You ofte...

Watching the news makes us feel like we’re doing something when we’re not.

We feel bad ignoring the bad stuff that happens in the world. So we keep watching:  Because watching disasters unfold, even while we do nothing, at least feels a little more compassionate than switching off.

Many of us fall into the trap of thinking that if we’re busy doing something, we’re being productive. 

But “doing” is sometimes just a form of procrastinating.