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Overheard a librarian say 'quiet hours aren't for silence, they're for focus'
I was at the downtown library in Portland last Saturday picking up holds. A librarian was explaining to a visitor that their morning quiet hours from 9 to 11 are meant to help people concentrate, not just keep noise down. That hit me hard because I've been treating my home work hours like I need total silence, when really I just need to cut out distractions like my phone and social media tabs. Has anyone else tried reframing their quiet time as a focus period instead of a silence period?
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luna2612h ago
That librarian's way of putting it really sticks with you, doesn't it? Made me wonder how many of us are chasing total quiet when what we actually need is to block out the digital noise. Have you tried anything specific to cut down on those phone-and-tab distractions during your focus time, or are you still figuring out what works?
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matthewking22h ago
And that makes a lot of sense when you think about it because silence can be just as distracting sometimes. I've got a neighbor who mows his lawn at 7am and I used to get mad but now I just put on some instrumental music and get my work done. The phone and social media are way worse than any background noise anyway.
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