On a recent call with a coaching student my student outlined a pretty big problem he was having...
He couldn't write for longer than 60 minutes without getting distracted.
As a result he was struggling to keep up with client work and find time to study.
After diving into the problem, we quickly found the cause:
He was spending more than 3 hours a day on social media.
While this sounds harmless, it's more problematic than you may think.
Modern algorithms are designed to give you a huge dopamine kick.
Over time, this has been proven to:
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
And the worst part is, it's a catch 22 for copywriters.
We need to spend time doing research on social media.
There's literally no way around it.
However, at the same time we risk being sucked into an algorithm that will decrease our functionality.
And the problem is getting worse.
According to the latest research, the average American checks their phone 352 times a day.
They now spend more time looking at their phone than they do being present with loved ones.
And this is impacting children too.
Two thirds of children now spend over 4 hours a day on their smartphone.
Which means their attention span will be fried before it even had a chance to develop.
Now, you might be asking, what does this have to do with copywriting?
It has two implications.
Firstly, copywriters who can actually sit down and write will be the ones that succeed in the future.
If you allow social media to fry your dopamine receptors you're going to struggle to focus.
If you can't focus, you won't be able to write for long periods.
And if you can't write, you're ultimately not going to be able to meet client demands.
Secondly, it means the way you write copy is also going to change.
With attention spans getting shorter, your copy is going to need to be sharper than ever.
Short form is going to become the norm and though long form will remain valuable, it'll be less appealing to mainstream markets.
While this all sounds pretty negative, you could also see it as an opportunity.
You see, focus is now a superpower.
If you can write for 90 minutes 3+ times a day you're going to quickly stand out.
And as the bar continues to lower, the opportunity for you to rise to the top 5% increases.
All you need to do is write for 3+ hours a day.
It sounds simple in theory, but the reality is this is going to become a big problem for many people.
So, the next time you catch yourself mindlessly scrolling remember:
That short term dopamine could be killing your long term progress.
Instead:
You're never going to look back at life and think "I wish I spent more time looking at a screen"
Have a great week.
Copy "fight the algo" Mav
