So I made something simple you can look at (and simultaneously meditate) for 1 minute to improve focus for your next task :) Let me know if it works for you
Many people give up on learning to meditation because they cannot clear their mind for X minutes straight. Their mind runs away, and they must bring it back to focus. They see this as failure.
Yet, this is exactly what is expected. How else to learn the invaluable skill of refocusing after distraction. If staring at a circle was so stimulating you never got distracted, then you would have no chance to build your focus muscles.
Note: this comment is mostly about the first steps into meditation. I learned this idea from Shinzo Young.
This is what we say to our students. It'll run away. Just bring it back. It's OK.
The tool is great, BTW. Congrats. My only small gripe is the pulsation is too fast (for me). My relaxed breathe is 5 seconds inhale, 5 seconds exhale.
Yes, this is a real block for lots of people. When I was teaching my children to meditate, I tried to head this off a bit by telling them "you'll probably find that your headvoice will keep chattering away at first. Let it. Don't really fight it. Just acknowledge without judgment, clear your mind again, and keep meditating. Your mind will grow quieter on its own as you practice more."
I decided to start going to a therapist for some issues I've encountered over the years. He took my background information and immediately dove into an entire diatribe about meditation. Without addressing a single thing I actually said. The thing is, I've attempted meditation over the years. Not only had I already read all of his recommended source material AND watched the videos he recommended, but I knew other sources that I rattled off to him as well, including entire books on controlled breathing. I spent 2 years with it and never got anywhere.
It does not work for me and I'm not putting myself through it again. I've got three or four separate trains of thought going on at all times. It's impossible to put a cork in all of them, it isn't helpful, and it's about as useful as prayer is to an atheist.
Asking someone who has been abused as a child to instead stare into the abyss is a cop-out. Meditation as a solution to depression and anxiety doesn't bring me calm. It makes me angry.
The way I get through it is to remind myself that the only reason to avoid doing anything is fear of death, and I know for sure that sitting here for 1 minute will not kill me, therefore I have no reason not to force myself to just do it.
Aim to make it all the way to 6 seconds. Tell yourself this is a major accomplishment for you - a 100% improvement.
Then you need to take a break, have something to eat. Stretch your muscles, do some shadow boxing and see how far you can make it beyond 12 seconds.
Scream inside your head, YES I'VE MADE IT!
The other thought processes deserve to be mocked like this.
It's disconcerting because its not how I naturally breathe.
It's one of extensions that makes you instantly regret you didn't install it earlier.
Culture gripe; I wish more creators got to the meat first, and added the long drawn out explanations later. I know why they don't (views == $$), but for real. I don't need your life story, just tell me how many onions I need to buy for the recipe.
No, in the current Youtube ecosystem it's "watchtime == $$". Maybe you meant that anyway, because it matches your actual comment way better.
Incredibly skeptical that it could work, but repeating it 5-10 times in a row significantly calms me and fills me with a warm relaxed feeling for at least 10-15 minutes.
From what I've noticed, more than two inhales is fine, it still works. It just shouldn't be an uncomfortable amount of air in the lungs.
I've also noticed that my dog does this when he's about to go to sleep.
Every single time I could not help but hallucinate gigantic infrastructure from the tiniest speck of dust, and I further digressed into blaming my stupid self for being unable to perform such a simple task.
It felt hopeless.
I felt hopeless.
But I kept at it, a day at a time. A moment at a time. I accepted that failure is part of the process. I let go of blame. Oh, here's a thought, oh well, I lost focus; well so be it, let the thought float, a soap bubble drifting wherever it fancies, I could physically feel it wandering around my head while I went back towards the goal, if only for just a little bit, if only for just a little while.
And then, one day, the magic happened. The stray thought vanished, the bubble faded away. I did notice the thought popping up as usual, I did take note of its presence, but I did not notice its later absence. I was there, in the moment, but I did not notice being there in the moment. I only noticed that retrospectively.
I had let go.
I had let go on my mind, but also, and perhaps more critically I had let go of the illness. I am not ill. I am different. This is who I am. This is me. There are others like me.
It does not work at first with ADHD, but long term it does work, and it's a fantastic tool for one to manage ADHD without medication. It's training, like so many other things, one can't reasonably expect to be good at it overnight. And with continued training it gets easier.
Mind you it's not a silver bullet, but now I have one more tool up my sleeve in that endless struggle.
https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/adhd-mindfulness-meditation-y...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4694553/
https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/adhd-meditation#get-c...
Also, you could think about extending to box breathing.
Secondly... My distrust of the internet did not let me complete this as it told me a jump scare was guaranteed to happen eventually.
That phrasing, "wouldn't let me complete this", is a self-defeating way to talk to yourself.
Switching it up a bit can make a significant difference, for example: "That first try was a struggle, it might take some practice for me to improve".
--
In case you or other HN friends are curious and find this technique intriguing, it stems from the philosophy suggesting healthy thinking can reduce distress and promote well-being. The field of study is called Cognitive (or Dialectical) Behavioral Therapy, aka CBT / DBT. Millions of people have found it an effective framework and strategy to permanently improve the way we speak to ourselves and relate to the world.
Here's the book I liked most (but there is an ocean of them):
DBT Skills Training Manual by Marsha Linehan
https://www.amazon.com/DBT%C2%AE-Skills-Training-Manual-Seco...
While you're alive, you might as well live your best life.
Sincerely, your buddy Metadat
p.s. sorry for the medium-length text wall, I didn't realize this would take be more than a sentence, but after initially posting only the first sentence, it was downvoted and it was apparent some explanation would be more helpful.
https://www.skylandtrail.org/4-differences-between-cbt-and-d...
DBT originally stems from therapies for Borderline Personality Disorder. While it has applications beyond that for things like anxiety and bipolar management, it may or may not be the right answer for people who don't struggle with negative impulses or behaviors.
I'd probably start with sources on more general CBT for someone just needing a nudge or who is more depressive than impulsive.
- Your text on that background colour does not provide enough contrast, my guess is that it won't pass WCAG AA requirements
- Keyboard navigation using Tab causes focus to jump down the page's content, skipping its navigation and CTA links
You can use extensions such as "axe DevTools" and "Accessibility Insights for Web" to run some quick automated tests to uncover more issues.
I can't wait to stare at this thing !!!!
The vast majority of things he talks about, if beneficial at all, are at the margins and people stand to gain far more from doing things like exercising and eating vegetables more.
Edit: Alan Flanagan has spoken on the Huberman paradox in detail: - https://www.instagram.com/p/CkLPU7BMiIN/ - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Bgc3uGu0uoI
It's always met with something that sounds like: buT tHe handsome NEuroSciENtiSt sAid !!!
From what I can tell, Huberman is a neuroscience Ph.D. whereas Flanagan is one in nutritional science is that right? If so, by credentials alone, Huberman seems like a better reference in matters of the nervous system.
Note that I have no horse in this race, I'm really just curious!
A suggestion: the pulse animation would look much better with ease-in / ease-out animation curves instead of the harsh linear curve it's currently using. EaseInOutSine from this cheat sheet would do fine: https://easings.net/
Under 2 kB total. HTML, mostly CSS and literally two lines of JS only for restarting the animation.
[0] https://myfonj.github.io/sandbox.html#%3C!doctype%20html%3E%...
Two minor requests:
- Ability to hide the timer at the bottom completely (one less distraction for my brain)
- Dark mode (or maybe selectable colors?) -- I think it could be useful right before going to bed, clear my mind out etc.
Ideally, both could be saved to local storage so the settings persist.
I do think there's something that happens after a short period of intentional focus, where you cross a "barrier" into a state of mind that is more conducive to long-term focus. But there's definitely sometimes real resistance to crossing that barrier.
That's how it feels for me anyways though.
Cool site though. How long does the "mental boost" last for? I.e. 1 min of focus for x amount of boost?
I think increasingly that major portions of humanity are.. well, insane, to be frank. Perhaps its me thats the crazy one? ;-)
The software does have a purpose. Launching the software requires two specific acts of intention. First to open the software, and second to affirm our intention and click the start button.
Then the intention is realized by sticking with the exercise for the duration of the timer.
Since the very purpose of the software is to change the way an individual is currently relating to their own mindset, these can all be quite useful tools towards that end.
--
Obviously, not Everone's cup of tea. Perhaps specifically not yours. but then you said "there's no need for this software" and not "I don't need this software". A personal preference doesn't imply a universal truth.
If you find that last statement to be outlandish, please take a look at these resources.
https://neuroclastic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Thin-sli...
Based on these studies, ADHD manifests as deficits of goal-directed attention, such as reduced ability to suppress saccades, less accurate saccades to target location, and difficulties in maintaining fixation on a target object.
My cat would sometimes sit close and directly facing the wall, eyes open, for many minutes at a time.
(Felt like too much UI for me so I dropped it.)
I'm a bit jaded from the internet so I couldn't relax. I was waiting for something to jump out or a big eyeball or something.
the white and black contrast was nice... though it started to mess with my eyes as I stared. maybe awkward for light/strobe sensitive folks?
How can that be useful for people who are following the instructions? (Very strange.)
Feedback: mostly I need to do this at work currently, which means I am going to retreat to a quiet place and grab my phone.
Phone Screens going to sleep and the thing being interrupted by tapping anywhere on the screen are not compatible. Not sure if other people face this issue, but for me tapping anywhere on the screen in order to not make the phone go to sleep should not interrupt or restart this meditation. A small X in a corner would be better.
Nit: The scrolling on your site is horrible broken on mobile. Keeps rubber banding and bouncing around.
i'm maybe 12, and thinking of all sorts of things as i sat proudly waiting for an image of me to come back.
after 15 odd seconds, i was shown a picture of a laughing primate. who was neither me or human.
staring at this circle, i thought i was gonna get pranked again
(As opposed to all the other opinions he seems to love to opine)
Can you focus hours playing a good game? Yes? Then why is this game innately making you focus and your task isn’t? Maybe it can be looked at differently? Can it be fixed?
I keep trying to think if there is some way I can trick my brain into thinking things are always interesting and novel so that I can reliably get into a flow state and feel happier about what I'm doing.
Tangentially, I would love to have something like this in which I can "program" my own breathwork routines (reps and sets including breath holds). Been trying various apps, but haven't yet found one that ticks all my boxes. (Tips welcome.)
It's open source, runs on iOS and Android and has aboslutely no clutter.
I got so annoyed I was about to make my own damn app, but now I don't have to.
It's just a css animation
I can't say it improved my focus but I did appreciate the 30s of calm. Good work!
The technique it implements is called resonance breathing AKA resonance frequency breathing: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8924557/
If you've wanted to try meditation but haven't made time, try 3 minutes in that app and work up to 5-10. 5 minutes is enough to measure a difference in HRV.
I'm generally not disturbed by my noisy visual field, but this.. Giant halo around the breathing dot, as the contrast faded in and out the roundness started to disintegrate and as it changed size while fading to grey it started straight up breaking into geometric patterns, like the geometry was chopped up around the edges.
I have no problem looking into nothingness for a long time (I can stare at ceilings until the lines disappear, or into the sky until the clouds seem to meld away)..
Given how this was probably not intended to be a visual illusion, it did a great job of it! :D
I wonder if this lets you measure the average attention span of visitors? I'd be curious to see the impact on the average of the various platforms where this is shared.
I have a fun test where I blank my mind and look at the seconds on a clock. This is great to see how fucked up your state of mind is. Ideally there are no automated bodily processes that override that what you intend to do on the short term. That you should sleep eat drink, go to the toilet and stretch your legs is obvious. It's worth fighting those processes a little bit but unless you have a sensible excuse (like losing weight or driving a car) there is no need to meddle with them. Short term distractions from within should be suppressed when trying to get something done but also embraced when you are not.
I love the idea that narrowing your field of view makes you more focused and do work with less effort and faster. I do think easier is not always your friend. A fancy bicycle that takes less effort and shortens your trip does make the trip less of an exercise. Maybe you should widen your vision before easy tasks.
as a focus tool or means of understanding the self - anyone that hasn’t tried to just sit or lay quietly, for the sake of doing so, ought to. it isn’t hard, it isn’t easy, it just isn’t something modern society really seems to encourage, let alone understand. you might find you feel different once you are done than from when you began. that might be a good thing.
Few things I'd consider:
1. Make it to not stop when the time's out. New users will wonder if a minute passed and see 0:00, happy. Regular users will know the trick and will learn to spend as much time as they need around a minute, instead of feeling interrupted. Some will be angry, they failed anyway.
2. Make the "dot" smaller and blurry to avoid sharp halo.
3. Fade-in unintrusive "vvv" under 0:00 to suggest scrolling down for a random short advice/info. What was expected, how to deal next time, and so on. Educational and praising component.
4. Dark mode for those who can't browser extensions.
5. Click on a circle is probably barely discoverable due to the nature of the process. I'd push it down to #3.
Otherwise it seems it could be effective.
What unexpected positivity in the comments! And when I read this I feel somewhat more connected to you others. It’s not just text that was already plastered here. It is someone’s written thoughts.
> And blood-black nothingness began to spin... a system of cells interlinked within cells interlinked within cells interlinked within one stem... and dreadfully distinct against the dark, a tall white fountain played.
- This is great to link to breathing
- After reading multiple breathing books (Breath by James Nester, Outlive by Peter Attia, Oxygen Advantage, etc.), there's a lot of evidence to breath slower. Specifically, 5.5 seconds in, and 5.5 seconds out, make the dot match or be closer to matching that rate could actually cause a lot of physical benefit by people matching with it
- Alternative if you don't want that, make it a control setting so someone (like myself) can do it.
Application error: a client-side exception has occurred (see the browser console for more information).
main-b85113564a892656.js:1 DOMException: Failed to execute 'removeChild' on 'Node': The node to be removed is not a child of this node.
I’ve used this one and it’s pretty good also. Trataka meditation with Dr. K, a gamer->monk->doctor.
I came here looking for the paper or research that proves this. Do you have a source?
There was a bit of jumpscare for me at the end though: when the circle jumps back to being a button again. May I suggest adding a slower deflation?
There is a type of breathing recommended for calming the body which is something like 4 seconds in, hold 4 seconds, 4 seconds out, wait 4 seconds, repeat.
the aim would be to be focused for 1 min
Initial feedback:
That circle is gargantuan, focusing on it takes no significant mental bandwidth. Yes, that's the point of meditation, but if you challenge people a bit, it makes it easier for them to stay focused, especially for beginners. (Or maybe it's a mobile page and I just shouldn't watch it on my desktop monitor?)
Like the pulse in general, but maybe a bit too fast. Absolutely hate the coloring - black is having a mood impact, and washed out grey is just meh. That's probably a personal reaction, but worth keeping in mind if you want to build on it.
Having a clearer indication of time left might be helpful for people beginning to meditate. (If I'd built it, I'd progressively make the focus object vanish until it's gone at the end, but, again, that might be personal preference.)
