2017 to 2019 were probably my most intellectually productive years. I had deleted all my social media accounts and kept my phone on “Do Not Disturb” indefinitely. I was basically unreachable.
During that time, I read over 150 books. I finished Nassim Taleb’s Incerto series, and read works by Yuval Harari, Jared Diamond, Robert Sapolsky, and many others.
I was working as a freelance WordPress designer back then, which gave me the freedom to work on my own time—without anyone interrupting me.
I want to return to that kind of focus. But now that I have more responsibilities, I can’t keep my phone on silent forever. Still, I can log off all my personal social media accounts indefinitely—and remove another source of distraction.
I enjoy deep work. When I focus on something with intention and no distractions, I enter a flow state. That’s when I’m most productive—and honestly, happiest.