Eudaimonia, Digital Distractions, and Practicing

​As adults we understand that digital distractions do not promote, support, or maintain eudaimonia or human flourishing. Prescriptions for promoting self-regulation are beyond the scope of this writer, however each of us, in our own ways, must consider this problem, if we are going to free up time to practice and reach our goals of learning the piano. Let me share some strategies I employ.  

I accept that to develop as a musician will require me to say no to many kinds of distractions, digital and otherwise.  Also, I have also come to peace with the fact that learning to play is a process that has peaks and valleys.  

With that out of the way here is my strategy. 

1. Each August I plan my year in advance. I block out family time, personal time, holiday time, and practice time on the calendar and then I book in my students. How many students I accept is constrained by these boundaries.  This is the major thing I do. I restrict the time available to be distracted. 
2. I try to keep my stress level at a manageable level. When my stress goes up distractions will rush in and swamp my best intentions. 

Happy Practicing.    

David 

References  Eudaimonia | Definition & Facts | Britannica 

Further reading and listening 

1. Newport, C. (2022, November 18). Deep questions podcast by Cal Newport. The Deep Life by Cal Newport. https://www.thedeeplife.com/listen/  Digital distractions Podcast. Newport is a professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University. He has chronicled his journey earning tenure, publishing academic papers, raising a family, staying married, and writing a string of best sellers on digital distraction.  

2. Yufei Qiu, Xueyang Zhao, Jiali Liu, Zhaoyang Li, Man Wu, Lixin Qiu, Zhenfang Xiong, Xiaopan Wang, Fen Yang, Understanding the relationship between smartphone distraction, social withdrawal, digital stress, and depression among college students: A cross-sectional study in Wuhan, China, Heliyon, Volume 10, Issue 15, 2024, e35465, ISSN 2405-8440,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35465.   (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240584402411496X) 

Abstract: Background 
Smartphone distraction considerably affects the depression level of college students. These two variables are highly associated with social withdrawal and digital distress. However, the underlying mechanisms of how social withdrawal and digital stress were involved in the relationship between smartphone distraction and depression remain unclear. 

Methods 
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in seven colleges of Wuhan, Hubei Province, from September to November 2021. Participants were selected using convenience sampling. Smartphone distraction, social withdrawal, digital stress, and depression level were assessed using the Smartphone Distraction Scale (SDS), 25-item Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25), Multidimensional Digital Stress Scale (DSS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), respectively. All scales demonstrated good reliability in this study, the reliability of each scale was 0.920, 0.884, 0.959, and 0.942. 

Results 
The final analysis included 1184 students (692 males and 492 females), aged between 17 and 37 years. Participants were from various academic disciplines, including medical and non-medical. The findings revealed that smartphone distraction had a significant direct effect on depression (c = 0.073, 95 % CI: 0.037 to 0.108, p < 0.001) and three significant indirect mediation effects: (1) social withdrawal (B = 0.083, 95 % CI: 0.066 to 0.101, p < 0.001), accounting for 27.76 % of the total effect; (2) digital stress (B = 0.109, 95 % CI: 0.088 to 0.132, p < 0.001), accounting for 36.45 % of the total effect; and (3) the chain mediating roles of social withdrawal and digital stress (B = 0.034, 95 % CI: 0.026 to 0.043, p < 0.001), accounting for 11.37 % of the total effect. The total mediating effect was 75.59 %. 

Limitations  This study is based on cross-sectional data, which limits the causality inference.  Conclusions  These findings suggest that educational institutions should identify college students with excessive smartphone use early and provide timely interventions to minimize negative outcomes. It is also significant to reduce the risk of social withdrawal and digital stress to maintain the physical and mental health development of college students. 

Keywords: Smartphone distraction; Depression; Social withdrawal; Digital stress; Chain mediating model