Laozi
Technology & Attention · 165 problems
Every problem Laozi works on — read any of them free, and start a conversation that becomes your plan. See also Laozi’s page.
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Problems (109)
- How do I build a week with real space in it?
- How do I build an information diet I actually chose?
- How do I force less and still get things done?
- How do I tell people what I want if I get seriously ill?
- How do I work out what enough is — and stop there?
- I Have No Will or Plan — Where Do I Even Start?
- If something happened to me, who could get into my accounts?
- Is my commute really wasted time?
- Is my insurance still protecting the life I actually live?
- Notifications have shredded your attention
- Social media leaves you feeling worse every time
- The internet has made you meaner and more reactive
- Why Can't I Just Look Out the Window Anymore?
- Why can't I just read the article I opened?
- Why Can't I Just Watch One Thing Anymore?
- Why can't I remember the meeting I was just in?
- Why can't I stand silence, even in the shower?
- Why can't I think clearly in all this noise?
- Why do 40 open tabs make me feel like I'm drowning?
- Why do I always end up on my phone during walks?
- Why do I fill every commute with noise instead of silence?
- Why do I finish things but never feel done?
- Why do I grab my phone the moment it's quiet?
- Why do I grab my phone the second I don't know something?
- Why do I have 200 apps but only use 15?
- Why do I have 40 tabs open and finish nothing?
- Why do I keep buying bins instead of owning less?
- Why do I keep paying for apps I never open?
- Why do I keep putting off the will, the doctor, the hard talk?
- Why do I keep saying 'I'll do the will' instead of doing it?
- Why do I keep telling people how tired I am?
- Why do I keep things I might never use?
- Why do I keep things I never use?
- Why do I know so much and still do nothing?
- Why do I own so many clothes but wear the same few?
- Why do I own so much I never read, watch, or use?
- Why do I pile sound on sound and still feel empty?
- Why do I reach for my phone before I even open my eyes?
- Why do I save everything and read none of it?
- Why do I save everything but read nothing?
- Why do I save so much and never read any of it?
- Why do I say I'm busy before I even check?
- Why do I scroll while on the phone with people I love?
- Why do I text when I should just call?
- Why do podcasts leave me feeling full but not fed?
- Why does my best thinking happen in the shower, not at my desk?
- Why does my follower count control my mood?
- Why does my hand reach for the phone before my mind decides?
- Why does my mood get set by other people before I even wake up?
- Why does my news always come pre-chewed by someone else?
- Why does my phone keep interrupting me all day?
- Why does my saved-articles list make me feel guilty?
- Why Haven't I Booked the Test I Know I Need?
- Why haven't I fixed my outdated emergency contacts?
- Why is my phone still on the table even when I'm not using it?
- You always feel you should be doing something else
- You can't be alone with your own thoughts
- You can't focus long enough to finish anything
- You can't get through a meal without your phone
- You can't just wait anymore without filling it
- You can't quit a game or app that has you hooked
- You can't stop doomscrolling even when it makes you miserable
- You can't switch off from work
- You can't tell what you want from what the feed feeds you
- You chase productivity hacks but never feel productive enough
- You check your phone constantly even when nothing's there
- You complain about being busy, but you're secretly proud of it
- You experience things through your phone, not directly
- You feel anxious when you're away from your phone
- You feel behind on everything, though the tools promised the opposite
- You feel disconnected from nature and the physical world
- You feel FOMO — always afraid you're missing out
- You feel life is speeding up and you can't keep pace
- You feel like your phone is running your life
- You feel scattered and can't think clearly
- You feel technology has stolen your presence with the people you love
- You feel you have to be reachable always, and it's crushing you
- You feel you should quit social media but you're afraid to
- You feel you're always performing your life instead of living it
- You feel your attention is for sale and you're always the product
- You feel your child prefers the tablet to you
- You feel your phone use is a way to avoid your real life
- You keep optimizing your life and it feels emptier
- You measure your day by output and never let yourself rest
- You multitask constantly and do everything half-well
- You photograph everything instead of living it
- You reach for the screen whenever you feel uncomfortable
- You reach for your phone in front of your kids and regret it
- You reach for your phone the second you wake up
- You start every day reactive, answering everyone else's demands
- You wake in the night and scroll instead of sleeping
- You want to be present but your mind is always elsewhere
- You want to reclaim your attention on purpose
- You want to use technology well but don't know where to begin
- You waste hours and don't know where the time went
- You're addicted to being busy and always-on
- You're addicted to novelty and can't sit with the familiar
- You're always half-present, never fully anywhere
- You're hooked on the hit of likes and notifications
- You're numb from too much news and information
- You've forgotten how to be bored, and lost what it gave you
- You've lost the ability to read deeply
- Your brain feels scattered and foggy
- Your creativity has dried up under the constant input
- Your hand reaches for your phone before you decide to
- Your kids are on screens and you don't know how to lead well
- Your memory has gotten worse from outsourcing everything to your device
- Your mind bolts the moment things get hard
- Your relationship happens through screens even in the same room
Group sessions (56)
For couples, families, teams, and more — worked through together in a shared group account.
- How do I tell the people I love what I'd want if I got sick?Group
- How do we get the phone off the table at dinner?Group
- Our insurance hasn't been checked in years — where do we start?Group
- What do I do with the hours I lose commuting?Group
- What if I can't decide for myself, and I've written nothing down?Group
- When a couple wants to be present with each other againCouple
- When a family wants to reclaim their attention from screensFamily
- When a group wants to build deep attention togetherGroup
- When a group wants to reclaim their time from the screen togetherGroup
- When a household wants screen-free spaces and timesHousehold
- When a household wants to bring nature and the real world back inHousehold
- When a team wants to end the always-on cultureTeam
- When friends want to be device-free when togetherFriends
- When friends want to gather in person again, not only onlineFriends
- When parents want to lead their kids well on screensParents
- Where did the day go? None of us can say.Group
- Why Am I in the Meeting but Not Really In It?Group
- Why can't I just move my phone off my desk?Group
- Why Can't I Watch One Thing Without Scrolling?Group
- Why can't our team think deeply in a noisy workplace?Group
- Why did four hours a day disappear and I never noticed?Group
- Why did we fill every quiet moment with sound?Group
- Why do I fill every commute with noise?Group
- Why do I have 30 tabs open and nothing finished?Group
- Why do I keep announcing how tired I am at work?Group
- Why do I keep grabbing my phone during meals?Group
- Why do I let my follower count decide how I feel?Group
- Why do I open one article and end up three links away?Group
- Why do I reach for my phone before my eyes even open?Group
- Why do I save so much and read so little?Group
- Why do I say 'I'm busy' before I even check my calendar?Group
- Why do I scroll while talking to people I love?Group
- Why do my open tabs and saved articles make me feel behind?Group
- Why do news alerts leave us all scattered instead of informed?Group
- Why do podcasts leave me full but never fed?Group
- Why do podcasts leave me neither rested nor taught?Group
- Why do we all reach for our phones the second we don't know something?Group
- Why do we finish things but never feel finished?Group
- Why do we keep buying bins instead of owning less together?Group
- Why do we keep buying books and courses we never open?Group
- Why do we keep clothes we never wear?Group
- Why do we keep saving things we never read?Group
- Why do we keep saying 'we will' and never do it?Group
- Why do we keep things 'just in case'?Group
- Why do we own so much stuff we never use?Group
- Why do we stack two sounds and hear neither?Group
- Why do we still pay for apps we never open?Group
- Why do we text hard things instead of calling?Group
- Why does knowing more not change what I do?Group
- Why does my best thinking come in the shower, not at my desk?Group
- Why does my hand reach for my phone before I decide to?Group
- Why does my phone talk more than we do?Group
- Why does my quiet walk always turn into another screen?Group
- Why does our tech pile up faster than we can clear it?Group
- Why does picking what to watch take longer than watching it?Group
- Why haven't I booked the test I keep meaning to get?Group