057 proof of focus

Internet addiction is an equally beautiful and terrifying thing.

On the one hand it’s a trait a lot of people in the crypto universe share and that common way of being in the world brings folks together across different backgrounds. On the other hand, being so hyperconnected can wreck your mental health and attention span so much that you can’t focus on anything other than doomscrolling.

So, what is the solution here? How do we stay online but reclaim some ability to concentrate on meaningful activities, whether that is work or play? I think the answer has more to do with sticks than carrots and that is what we’re trying to explore with Proof of Focus.

This concept works in several steps.

First, select behaviors you want to avoid (and for a specific window of time). For example, checking TikTok on your phone over the next 3 hours. Second, stake ETH as collateral for the purity of your attention. Let’s say 0.1 ETH here because you have an important memo you need to write for work. Third, if you participate in any of the behaviors on your blacklist during the specified window, that staked ETH is slashed. Check TikTok? Say goodbye to the ETH.

What this offers people is a mechanism for putting digital skin in the game. Do you really want to concentrate? Then bet on yourself. When you’re tempted to break your workflow and go check social media a ‘Proof of Focus’ stake would create an actual cost to that interruption, and the hope is that would be enough to keep you (more) on task.