TikTok Brain, Tablet-Babies and The Pomodoro Technique — How to Escape the Mind-Numbing Always Happy Trap
Short-form videos distract and numb us down, acting like a mind-altering drug that decreases our attention span to that of a goldfish. The good news: We can do something about it. Immediately.
To win in the social media game, we can follow a simple principle: Always produce more than you consume. This way, you achieve a net positive. Make it yours. Work with it, not against it, and don’t let the technology control you. But how can we do that when our brain is wasting away on Netflix, TikTok, and Doom Scrolling?
We live in a world of constant overstimulation that is numbing us down and dulling our emotional expression. Short form videos play a specific role in this. It doesn’t matter if it’s Instagram Reels, Youtube Shorts or TikTok. All this short form content hits us with quick dopamine spikes that fade away quickly and make us ask for more. It’s highly addictive. And it messes with our minds, decreasing attention spans to those of goldfish.
They call it ‘TikTok brain’ and it is a bigger problem than you might think it is.
All these highly addictive tools distract us from our creative human potential, which we need for problem-solving.
They remind me of the mood-altering, hallucinogenic drug SOMA that's used to keep the population docile and content in Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel Brave New World. In the novel, SOMA is a drug used to escape from reality, to avoid confronting difficult situations, and to maintain a state of happiness at all times. It's distributed by the government as a means of control, and it's an integral part of the society's culture
The happiness it creates is not real. It’s artificial. And when people are running out of their drug — the quick dopamine hits — the lows hit them even harder.
Soma is a powerful symbol of the danger of using drugs — or drug like devices — to escape from reality.
As hard as it may be, confronting the challenges of life head-on saves our lives.
Just imagine you are flying a plane, and mid-flight, a red alert light goes on to warn you that there are problems with the engine. However, you can't handle this bad news at this moment and decide to cover the little red lamp with duct tape. Phew, now you can't see it and feel better for now. But how good is that going to do you in the long run? We can certainly agree that it would be better to address the issue early and land the plane before it is too late, right?
And circling back to the artificial happiness and numbing our pain with drug like technology: Do you think it is possible to appreciate the highs in life without knowing the lows? Just think about it for yourself.
In my experience, the answer is no. We shape our future by realizing what we don’t want and go in the direction of what we do want instead. Without the unwanted, we hardly know what we do want in life. We can argue about how stupid that is, but it’s just a fact of living life, and of human nature.
CocoMelon and the Tablet-Babies — Be Happy. Faster.
An even more concerning phenomenon came to the public’s attention when a heated debate ignited around the addictiveness of CoComelon, a popular Netflix show for children.
Parents expressing concerns their kids being addicted to the show, may have a valid worry, explains a TikTok video by @thecircusbrain.
The video highlights how the fast-paced nature of CoComelon, with scenes changing every one to two seconds, can be likened to overstimulating children's brains, leading to addictive viewing behavior.
With 4.2 million views, the TikTok observation sparks worry among parents about the potential impact on children's attention spans and draws parallels between the show's influence and drug-like stimulation.
They call this phenomenon 'tablet babies' because it makes these very little kids whose brains are still forming already glued to the tablets their parents place in front of them. And psychologists agree with the concerns. They claim the show is not only overstimulating, but it’s also likely to cause behavioral issues and attention disorders.
“CoComelon is so hyper-stimulating that it acts as a drug, a stimulant. The brain receives a hit of dopamine from screen time, and it seems that the stronger the ‘drug’, the stronger the ‘hit’,” explains Jerrica Sannes, an early childhood development expert, in an interview with the New York Post.
The counterargument from parents defending the show leaves me even more speechless: 'We also have a short memory span.’
Wait, what? The parents have TikTok-brain, and that’s why they let their toddlers watch CoComelon? They can’t get themselves to be present with their kids long enough to see how detrimental it is? And they think that’s a counter argument that dismisses all concerns? If the experts are describing the effect the show has on the children’s brain correctly, that’s almost like giving meth to your baby.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Everyone can cure their TikTok-brain. It takes focus and intention, but it is absolutely doable.
Now, how can we do that, step out of the TikTok brain and become creators instead of a consumers?
There are of course many aspects to that, but today I would like to introduce you to a simple, yet effective technique to train the brain to stay focused:
The Pomodoro Technique — Little Crafting Sprints
The Pomodoro Technique was invented by the Italian student Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s to overcome his challenges in staying focused on his studies. He came up with the idea to commit to 10 minutes of concentrated learning using a tomato-shaped kitchen timer, giving birth to the Pomodoro Technique.
I particularly like the simplicity of his technique.
It not only helps with TikTok-Brain. You might not suffer from this particular attention-span-decreasing phenomenon. But if you try to create something original, there can be other resistance. Like the little voices in your head telling you that this is not good enough, no one will like it, it’s pointless to even try, and other attempts of keeping you from creating what you want to bring into this world.
In a world of instant gratification, long-term goals and growth are often hit with tremendous resistance. Internally as well as externally. Yet, we must go where the resistance is.
The Pomodoro technique helps us to do just that.
So, here’s the simple 5 step Pomodoro structure:
Pick a task (do the most difficult task first: they also call that ‘eat that frog’, meaning, if eating a frog is the most difficult thing you have to do on a given day, do it first thing in the morning).
Set a timer (you can even start with 5 minutes if TikTok brain or your inner critic doesn’t allow you more and work your way up to 25 minutes). During this time, you cannot deviate from your task, check your emails, or scroll through your social media feed. Switch all distractions off. You can only do your task, have a sip of your coffee or tea, or stare into the air.
Work on your task until the timer goes off.
Take a 5 minute break. Do some exercises, like pushups, for example, if you like; they increase the blood flow to your brain.
If you are able to do many Pomodoros in a row, take a longer 25-30 minute break after every 4 Pomodoros.
But don’t exhaust yourself by doing too many Pomodoros at the beginning; that can lead to burnout in the long run. It’s totally ok to start with one Pomodoro a day. You may also want to give yourself a little reward when you are done with your task. Even if it’s just patting yourself on the back, saying: 'I’ve done it.'
Doing the task in the same place—like sitting down at your desk or another location where you are undisturbed—is also helpful. It trains your whole body to focus when you sit down. Get up afterward to signal that the working time is over.
The time restriction helps the brain perceive whatever you have to do as a manageable task. If you have bigger tasks, break them down into smaller ones. And always remember that things take much longer than we think. Don’t beat yourself up if they do.
Consistency is more important than perfection here.
Do sprints on an important task every day.
If you don’t give up, you cannot fail.
To the life you want to live.
Picture created by Ursula Eysin with midjourneyai.ai
🎯Do you want to discover what you don't want and what you do want instead, before you begin conquering TikTok brain and working on your most important tasks—the things you've wanted to bring into this world for a long time but couldn't get yourself to do?
🙌I have a process for that. It’s called future scenario thinking. Toss me an email for more: office (at) redswan.at
The world needs you.
We need your creativity.
Your full potential.
Don't deprive us of it.
I’m happy to hear from you, my friends. ♥️