5 Reasons Why Social Media is Killing Your Most Important Skill

"One more YouTube video and I promise I will go to bed!"You've been here before. I know you're capable of exercising discipline. But the odds are not in your favor. The creators of social media want you to use their platform as much as possible for more profit. You're up against powerful search algorithms and years of behavioral research. Social media at first glance seems like a harmless pastime. But have you wondered how it affects your focus? Your ability to concentrate is the most important skill in League. It separates the naïve amateurs from the dedicated competitors. And anything that diminishes this ability should worry you. Social media is killing your focus.Multitasking is a MythWith the rise of technology, it's too easy to multitask. You're checking Instagram while taking notes in class. You're scrolling through Reddit at the office (hello there). Society often encourages you to juggle entertainment and work. This advice, while far too common, is bad . First, the term itself is misleading. In 1965 IBM coined multitask to describe the capabilities of their recent model. Computers can only perform one task at a time. Because they switch between tasks at incredible speeds, it looks like multitasking. Computers with more than one CPU can multitask. When concentrating on a task, humans can only use one brain. The better word here is task-switching, and task-switching comes at a heavy price. Research on task-switching shows that 'multitasking' can reduce your productivity by 40%. During task-switching, you're engaging the ventral striatum, your brain's reward system. During deep focus, you're engaging the hippocampus, your brain's high-level learning center. The phrase "use it or lose it" is relevant to this topic. The more you task-switch, the more you're using the ventral striatum instead of the hippocampus. Over time, task-switching can make it difficult to focus when it matters. To summarize, alt-tabbing during game to check Discord is catastrophic to your decision making.That Notification?—It's a TrapSuppose you're playing a promos game. Your team is performing well, and if you play your cards right, this game is free. Out of nowhere, your iPhone vibrates on your desk. You take a quick glance and notice your friend's message: "Hey, are you free tonight". The floodgates open. This question plants a seed in your mind. Does he want to hang out? Are we grabbing food? What should we eat? McDonalds! Instead of focusing on your promos, you're thinking of eating Big Macs. Your friend's question created an open loop, a cliffhanger. Unless you close the loop by answering his question, the loop will linger in your thoughts like an unfinished school assignment. Even if you answer his question, the conversation will continue and spawn more distractions. Some experts describe this itch as attention residue. It's why task-switching is dangerous. The worse part is that notifications are addictive. On the other side of that badge icon or new message, your brain expects social reward.Cheating on YourselfMost people consume social media during idle time. Waiting in line for coffee, using the washroom, riding public transportation. You're bored or tired during this time and need to entertain yourself. Social media is the perfect solution. But the urge to cure your boredom or discomfort with social media is a bad habit. Every time you encounter similar feelings, they act as a cue to reach for your phone. In return, you're bombarded with funny cat videos and quality memes. Dopamine. Now, suppose you're playing a Ranked Game. Their Hecarim ganks your lane once again, and you're death timer is 30 seconds. In these 30 seconds, you can check the enemy's items, think about upcoming objectives, and regain composure. Instead? You alt-tab and watch your favorite streamer. Streamers do this all the time when interacting with Twitch chat. That 30-second break is stopping you from training your focus for longer games. Fast-forward 50 minutes into the game. One tiny mistake can cost everything. Because you're tired and impatient, you throw everything. League requires your full attention all the time. Improving your concentration isn't supposed to be fun or comfortable. It's hard work. But riding out these feelings is essential to growing as a player. Could you imagine how pros feel during game 5?A Waste of 365 HoursYou spend a few minutes here or there checking social media. These minutes tally up to a large sum over the course of a day. This year people spent 82 minutes on social networks this year. Suppose you're cautious and round this number down to 1 hour. This amount still doesn't factor the additional wasted time due to task-switching. What could you do instead? Pay more attention to the task at hand? Study Dopa's famous Orianna? Improve your CS in Practice Tool? The opportunity cost is too high. Here's a shower thought: do you feel energized or drained after using social media? Aside from using social media while playing League, it adds unnecessary noise to your life. Your goal is to cultivate focus from the ground up.The Curtain CallSocial media conditions you for external validation and comparison. These platforms revolve around highlight reels and an empty race for the most likes. Part of growing as a League player and as a person is focusing on yourself. Your life is limited. Why squander it on watching others live? Even inside the League community, you might feel down because someone reached Gold and you didn't. Or you might feel better about yourself knowing you're better than your Bronze friend. Neither will lead you to your best self. Aim for excellence, not glory. Put the phone down. Live this moment. via /r/summonerschool https://ift.tt/38BygfY