Rather ironic: I was in the process of moving all Android apps to a second user to be able to stop all apps (and just not DnD, because I'll know I may have some messages waiting for me after disabling DnD) when I got distracted by HN (just one tiny minute).

Another thing I'm testing is having VPN OFF with its kill-switch ON.

As much as I love and embrace LLMs, they are clearly eliminating all flow state that was previously inevitable when coding something

Sounds like the answer may be simpler than it seems. You could just be tired. You said you’ve been balancing a lot for years and years. Take some time to just focus on yourself.

Meditate, go on walks, wake up earlier, always have breakfast, and for the love of all that is good, get enough sleep.

I'm using an app called Focusmate (no affiliation) on a daily basis - scheduling 5-6 hour sessions per day.

You talk to a stranger for a few seconds, say what you're working on, and after 50 minutes you say goodbye. They stay on the video throughout the session, but muted.

It helps me focus because I always think "it's only 50 minutes".

Also, I recently deleted Instagram and it made a huge impact.

This is a real problem, a long time in the making. Over fifty years ago advertising started to affect the way people thought: I argue that they trained people to not be content with a classic simple life. Fast forward to the best tech focused on messing with people's attention. I like Center for Humane Technology for discussions of tech that is designed to help people, not control them.

> Unfortunately it’s not possible anymore because people in Iran cannot have a stable internet connection nowadays

Even the fellas in Iran are struggling with staying focused..

I feel quite the same (struggle basically) as the OP.

My “stack” is self-control for blocking social and Gmail access.

And now I built QuiteCode to focus on deep coding and learning on a more mindful way.

https://gethopp.github.io/quite-code/

Pretty much the reason why I reset my X password, sent that to a friend then used HN for my tech news fix instead.

On HN eventually there isn't much interesting stuff on the front page, on X it pulls you in with great effectiveness

It seems like I have challenges with both extremes, I can get pulled into my work and not look up again for 10 hours. But with virtually everything else, I have no energy to see it through. It is rare for me to watch a movie from start to finish. I used to be able to shut off my brain.