Personal Development For Distracted People

  “Wealth consists in not having great possessions, but in having few wants.”  — Epictetus Epictetus, who owned virtually nothing, understood abundance better than most of history’s wealthiest individuals. His insight about wealth applies directly to our relationship with information and digital stimulation. Research shows that as many as 5-10% of Americans meet criteria for social media addiction, characterised by compulsive use despite negative consequences. The Stoics would recognise this as a failure to distinguish between natural and vain desires. The Tyranny of More Seneca wrote extensively about the futility of seeking happiness through accumulation. In “Letters from a Stoic,” he observed how the wealthy often become slaves to their possessions. Social media platforms deliberately create what researchers call “hyper-connectivity,” keeping users constantly accessible and making them dependent on continuous digital stimulation. This represents exactly what Seneca warned a...

“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: ‘I have to go to work—as a human being.”  — Marcus Aurelius The Stoics viewed attention not as a resource to be managed, but as a moral capacity to be developed. For Marcus Aurelius, the ability to focus on one’s duties and maintain perspective represented fundamental human virtue. Modern research confirms that the strength of our goals determines our ability to maintain focus in the face of both internal and external distractions, validating the Stoic insight that clarity of purpose naturally creates sustained attention.

“How much trouble he avoids who does not look to see what his neighbour says or does.”  — Marcus Aurelius The ancient Stoics understood something that modern neuroscience confirms: anger is a choice, not an inevitable response to provocation. Research demonstrates an undeniable link between social media use, negative mental health, and low self-esteem, particularly when platforms amplify outrage and inflammatory content to maximise engagement.

  “Wealth consists in not having great possessions, but in having few wants.” — Epictetus Epictetus, born into slavery and later freed, understood better than perhaps any philosopher the distinction between what we can and cannot control. His teachings become remarkably relevant when applied to our relationship with technology, which often enslaves us more subtly but no less effectively than his original circumstances.

“Nothing will ever please you if you start looking for what you have lost.”  — Seneca Seneca wrote extensively about time’s true value, arguing that we aren’t given a short life—we waste the life we’re given. His insights in “On the Shortness of Life” read like a diagnosis of our contemporary condition, where the average person spends several hours daily fragmenting their attention across multiple platforms. Research reveals that media multitasking interferes with attention and working memory, negatively affecting academic performance, recall, and reading comprehension. Seneca would recognise this as the natural consequence of what he called vita occupata—the occupied life that mistakes motion for progress.