Christian Schaaf's Blog + Portfolio

Author: cschaaf933

  • Mastering the Art of Simple Writing

    Mastering the Art of Simple Writing

    Have you ever felt lost and confused in a sea of words, trying to decipher complicated sentences? Writing that’s both clear and inviting takes practice. This week, I took a dive into William Zinsser’s On Writing Well, uncovering techniques that transform cluttered text into meaningful, easy-to-follow prose. Here’s a look at two lessons I am going to adopt to write understandable and easily digestible blogs.

    1. Simplicity is Key
    2. Creating Structure

    Simplicity is Key

    In the past, I thought that using complex vocabulary would make my writing more sophisticated and professional. However, Zinsser argues that simplicity is the true indicator of strong writing. Cluttered words and over-complicated phrasing can easily obscure meaning. The goal should be to make your writing as easy as possible for readers to understand, making it feel like a smooth transaction between writer and reader.

    Zinsser emphasizes that clear writing requires cutting out unnecessary words, jargon, and any complex language that might confuse readers. Simplicity requires discipline, and often the final, concise product is the result of several rounds of revision. When I began working as a school’s Communications Specialist a few years ago, I experienced this firsthand. In the first website article I was asked to write, I leaned toward formal language and complex vocabulary, the style of prose that I would use throughout my college essays. My boss pointed out that simplifying my sentences would make the article more accessible to our audience. It was a lesson that stuck with me: the clearer my writing, the more powerful it becomes for the reader.

    Creating Structure

    We’ve all skimmed past a big block of text, right? I know I have. A wall of advanced words can feel overwhelming. Structure invites readers in, breaking down ideas into digestible pieces. As the article “16 Blog Rules” suggests, using headers, lists, short paragraphs, and readable font sizes is essential for online writing. This visual structure not only enhances the reader’s experience but also makes it easier to find specific information.

    The “AU Style Guide” notes that structured writing also improves search engine optimization, increasing the chances of your article reaching a wider audience. With structured, easy-to-read writing, readers are more likely to stay engaged and ultimately get the most out of what you have written.

    Final Thoughts

    Incorporating clarity, simplicity, and structure is essential to create effective communication pieces. I hope these tips make this blog post both enjoyable and easy to read. Let me know, did you find it easy to navigate and understand? Fine-tuning my writing is a work in progress. Remember, simplicity is the way to go!

  • Under the Algorithm’s Spell: Breaking Free from Social Media’s Grasp

    Under the Algorithm’s Spell: Breaking Free from Social Media’s Grasp

    Do the negative aspects of social media outweigh the positives?

    I was late to the social media game, mainly because my parents encouraged me to stay off the platforms in high school. Looking back, I’m actually thankful they did. It wasn’t until the summer after graduation that I created my first social media account—a rare occurrence in today’s world. The reason? To stay in touch with high school friends as we went to college.

    Since then, I’ve found myself falling into the same social media traps that millions of people experience. During the pandemic, I joined TikTok and quickly found myself scrolling endlessly. Platforms like TikTok are designed to keep us hooked, and the more time we spend on the app, the more we engage with its content.

    The “Foundations of Humane Technology” course from the Center for Humane Technology sheds light on this. It defines “persuasive technologies” as scientifically tested design strategies that manipulate our behavior toward a specific goal, such as spending more time on a website or app. TikTok’s algorithm tracks the content you interact with—videos you like, recent searches—and then curates a feed to keep you scrolling. This might sound harmless, but it’s all part of a larger strategy to maximize user engagement, even if it means hijacking our attention.

    The more I learn about inhumane technology, the more I realize how platforms are intentionally designed to capture and hold my attention. TikTok, for example, delivers an endless stream of content it knows we’ll enjoy – not just to entertain, but to keep us scrolling. It’s a time trap we fall into without even realizing it.

    That being said, there is one feature on TikTok that hints at a step in the right direction—an occasional pop-up that encourages users to take a break after extended periods of scrolling. It’s a nice gesture toward promoting mental health, but from my experience, it doesn’t appear until hours of usage. By then, has the app already achieved its goal of keeping me engaged for as long as possible?

    Overall, I believe technology, especially social media, takes advantage of users to serve its own purposes. Yet, there’s a shift happening. According to the Center for Humane Technology, harmful technologies are no longer getting a free pass. More people are recognizing the value of their attention and pushing back against these manipulative designs.

    The question remains: How long will it take for significant change? While we wait for stronger regulations, we have to take matters into our own hands—setting screen limits, finding other ways to connect with loved ones, and spending more time outdoors. In this fast-paced digital world, taking care of our mental health and protecting our attention has never been more important.

  • Taming the Chaos: How I Find Structure in a Fast-Paced World

    Taming the Chaos: How I Find Structure in a Fast-Paced World

    Does anyone else feel like getting organized is impossible? Like as soon as you finish one task, another one pops up, leaving you feeling like you can never catch a break? Getting organized is tough—sometimes the hardest part is just figuring out where to start. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to lose track of everything—work projects, personal tasks, school assignments. Most of the time, I rely on the old-school method of jotting down tasks in a notebook, especially for work and school. At work, I keep a daily list and check off each task when completed, which always feels satisfying. I did the same during my undergraduate years.

    Recently, I was introduced to digital project management systems, tools designed to plan and organize projects more efficiently. As a visual learner, I knew I wanted a system that would not only help me stay organized but also present my projects in a creative, visually appealing way. After exploring options like Asana, Podio, and Trello, I decided to go with Trello. It stood out because of its customizable visual interface—who doesn’t love fun colors and images?

    When I set up my Trello board, I used a simple structure with three sections: To-Do, Doing, and Done. This method allows me to see what I’ve already accomplished, focus on the most pressing tasks, and plan for the future. This structure keeps me from feeling overwhelmed, as it helps me focus on one task at a time. Instead of jumping between multiple projects and draining my mental energy, something Johann Hari discusses in Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How to Think Deeply Again, I tackle each task one by one.

    Because I’m a designer and love working with color, I customized my Trello board using my favorite colors to visually break up each section. For the background, I chose an image of the Northern Lights, which speaks to my love for nature and the outdoors. Incorporating these elements made the system feel more personal and enjoyable to use. So far, I’ve set up my board to organize my school tasks, but I plan to expand it to include both work and personal projects as well.

    I’m also applying a key piece of advice from Jennifer Whitt, Director of ProjectManager.com, who talks about the importance of collaboration at every stage of a project, from brainstorming to execution. Once I expand my Trello board to include work-related tasks, I plan to share it with my boss and co-workers so they can stay updated on my current workload. This way, as a team, we can hopefully stay organized and complete our work in a more efficient way.

    Getting organized is the hard part, but once everything is in place, it makes a world of difference. This is a great beginning step, and I’m excited to continue to explore other ways to organize my daily tasks.

  • From FOMO to Focus: How I’m Learning to Manage Stress

    From FOMO to Focus: How I’m Learning to Manage Stress

    Stress is everywhere. In a society that often glorifies constant productivity, appearances, and staying busy, it can feel impossible to slow down and enjoy the moment. With technology feeding us a constant stream of information, reducing stress can be a real challenge. Personally, I struggle with putting my phone down, afraid of missing out — the FOMO is real. So, the question becomes: how can we effectively manage stress in today’s world?

    Johann Hari, in Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How to Think Deeply Again, discusses his own battle with stress and how disconnecting in Provincetown helped him regain control of it. He talks about how our surroundings and the people in our lives can significantly impact our stress levels. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, in her research and work in pediatrics, emphasizes the importance of feeling safe to focus effectively. She explains that in secure environments, our minds can switch off distractions and dive deeply into a single task. Similarly, Dr. Jon Jureidini, a child psychiatrist in Adelaide, Australia, states that our minds can only relax when we feel safe. When we sense danger, even subconsciously, our minds become hypervigilant, always on the lookout for potential threats.

    I can relate to this as I think back to my own childhood. When I was younger, I could easily spend hours completely focused on one thing—whether it was drawing an entire neighborhood in my driveway with chalk, complete with intersections and unique house designs, or building a town out of blocks. My mom used to say that during the holidays, it would take me days to open all my gifts. I’d open one present and play with it for hours before even thinking about the next one. That level of focus was possible because my environment was free from stress.

    As an adult, things are different. Juggling multiple responsibilities—working full-time, attending grad school part-time, managing finances, maintaining relationships—takes a toll. It’s no wonder my attention span has decreased; there’s just more to handle now. I could focus so well on drawing those neighborhoods in my driveway because I didn’t have the stress that comes with adult life.

    So, how do we manage stress as adults? In my experience, it’s much harder than it was when we were kids with fewer responsibilities. I’ve learned that when we’re in a safe, comfortable environment, we can try to adopt Dr. Harris’s approach: focus on one thing at a time. When I manage to do this, it works most of the time. It can still be difficult to stay focused on just one task. In those moments, I believe we should try to control the distractions within our reach. Put the phone, the watch, the other technology aside, and give yourself permission to be fully present with whatever you’re working on. When we do that, our stress levels might just take a dip.

  • Doom Scrolling to Strolling: My TikTok Detox

    Doom Scrolling to Strolling: My TikTok Detox

    Giving up something in your daily routine is always a challenge. We’re creatures of habit, and, let’s be honest, change is tough. In a world that’s increasingly digital, we rely on our screens for connection, entertainment, and distraction. I know I do. So, this week, I gave up my favorite social media platform: TikTok.

    Before diving into the experiment, I did what no one ever wants to do: look at their screen time. TikTok was my most-used app—by far. I wasn’t surprised. I love the creativity that TikTok brings to my feed—new recipes, travel inspiration, incredible artwork. But, like many of us, I’ve fallen victim to the infamous “doom scrolling.” What starts as 15 minutes can quickly turn into two hours of endless swiping. I thought to myself, “can I actually give up TikTok…and survive?”

    For a week, I tracked two types of data: behavioral and emotional. On the behavioral side, I focused on how many times I reached for my phone, how long I spent on it, which apps I opened, and what I did to replace TikTok. Emotionally, I tracked how I felt each day, how productive I was, and whether I felt more present in my daily life.

    Before starting the experiment, I reviewed my last three weeks of phone usage. In total, I spent 80 hours on social media—about 26-27 hours per week. TikTok accounted for 42 of those hours, averaging 14 hours a week. I was captivated by TikTok like a bug is drawn to light, but this was a wake-up call. I couldn’t justify saying, “I don’t have time to do that” anymore since I spent so much of my time on TikTok.

    Inspired by Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec’s “Dear Data” project, I decided to approach my experiment in a similar way—tracking the data and then illustrating it with hand-drawn visuals.

    The first two days were the hardest. I kept reaching for my phone and accidentally tapping the TikTok icon out of habit. I also found myself using Instagram as a replacement for TikTok, but even that didn’t last long. By Thursday, I didn’t feel the need to check TikTok at all. I filled my time with walks during lunch and going to bed earlier.

    By the end of the week, my phone usage had dropped significantly, and I was mostly using just Spotify. Without the constant comparison that comes with social media, my self-esteem improved. I was more focused at work and felt less distracted by notifications. I wasn’t losing time to what Hari describes as the “switch cost effect” in Stolen Focus. Instead, I felt genuinely happier because I was more productive and present.

    Moving forward, I plan to continue this progress by setting social media time limits and taking my watch off during the day to avoid distractions. After completing this experiment, I now know that I can still function with less social media.

    The question is, can you survive a TikTok detox?

  • Mind-Wandering: Running Away from Societal Pressures

    Mind-Wandering: Running Away from Societal Pressures

    Have you ever worked on a task, however miniscule or large it may be, and felt overwhelmed because the solution wasn’t clear? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. I’ve been there too. The old me would hyperfocus on finding a solution immediately, growing frustrated when it wasn’t within reach. Now, even though I sometimes succumb to this irritation, I try to approach it differently.

    In Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again, Johann Hari introduces the concept of mind-wandering, a practice modern society often dismisses as ineffective. We’re constantly told to be productive, so why would we “waste” time letting our minds drift? With the internet at our fingertips constantly bombarding us with information, the idea of slowing down feels counterproductive. But maybe, there’s a hidden benefit to mind wandering.

    Professors Nathan Spreng and Jonathan Smallwood, along with Samuel Murray, Nathan Liang, Nicholaus Brosowky, and Paul Seli in What Are The Benefits of Mind Wandering to Creativity?, have all explored the potential advantages of mind-wandering. Their studies suggest that allowing your mind to wander can help you organize personal goals, tap into creativity, and make better long-term decisions. They also highlight how the environment affects the quality of mind-wandering—while a stressful setting may lead to negative results, a calm, peaceful space can lead to breakthroughs in inspiration and solution.

    I was surprised when I first encountered this idea. Society often teaches us that being productive means staying laser focused, digesting endless streams of information, and avoiding distraction. I had always viewed mind-wandering as an unproductive, off-task mental process. But then I asked myself, have I ever experienced this kind of wandering before?

    The answer is yes. When I was younger, after spending hours on schoolwork and growing frustrated, my parents would say, “Christian, take a break. Go outside and clear your mind.” I didn’t realize it then, but that simple advice helped me unlock the mental clarity I needed.

    As an adult, the one activity that consistently allows me to experience mind-wandering is running. When I run, I enter what Hari calls a “flow state.” I feel alive, present, and free. The world slows down. I hear the birds’ songs, admire the flora and fauna I run past, feel the rhythm of my feet hitting the pavement, and appreciate the everchanging architecture around me. My mind drifts—freely, effortlessly—and in these moments, solutions to life’s problems often appear.

    It’s in this tranquil setting that my mind can wander without pressure, and as the research suggests, the benefits are profound. Like Hari’s mind-opening experience in Provincetown, my thoughts become clearer, my creativity heightens, and I find peace.

    So maybe Hari and the experts are right—slowing down and allowing our minds to wander isn’t unproductive. In fact, it may be the key to solving the complex problems we face in life.

  • The Art of Monotasking: Is It Possible to Achieve Flow in the Workplace?

    The Art of Monotasking: Is It Possible to Achieve Flow in the Workplace?

    In June 2022, fresh out of college, I embarked on a new chapter as the Communications Specialist at a K-12 school. My role involves many responsibilities, including website and social media management, promoting fundraisers, graphic design, photography, and overseeing overall school communications. Initially, I had it easy – the quiet summer months felt serene, with only the hum of lawn mowers breaking the silence. I hadn’t yet grasped the whirlwind to come.

    The first day of the school year was one I will remember. Nervous excitement buzzed through campus as students and teachers returned to school. With new faces came new responsibilities. I went from handling one or two tasks to juggling multiple projects simultaneously. My brain spun faster than an Olympic figure skater, like a tsunami of information crashing into my office. In an instant, I shifted from monotasking to multitasking.

    I am currently reading Johann Hari’s novel Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How to Think Deeply Again. Throughout his research, Hari discusses the fascinating findings of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Mihaly introduces the concept of a “flow,” a state of deep absorption where you lose all sense of self. To achieve flow, you must set a defined, meaningful goal that can only be achieved through monotasking. Our focus is easily stolen by external stimuli that eradicate this tranquil feeling. In a society that is described as the “Great Acceleration” by British writer Robert Colville, reaching flow feels increasingly elusive. We want instant results and crave surface-level answers, leaving little room for deep conversation and thought.

    This raises the question: Is it possible to achieve flow in a professional setting? Have I reached this “flow state” in my workplace? The honest answer: I’m still working on it. Hari suggests that even though the path to flow is multilayered and takes time, we can start by controlling what is within our reach on a personal level. Can I control when teachers ask me to create a last-minute flyer? No. Can I control when a colleague assigns me a large project when I have other assignments to complete? No. But I can limit distractions, reducing what MIT Professor Earl Miller describes as the “switch cost effect.” Humans have limited cognitive capacity – we can only absorb so much information. By putting away my phone and silencing notifications, I can carve out mental space to deeply focus in my work setting.

    I have learned that achieving flow is a continuous, long journey with highs and lows. Reaching flow is about focusing on what we can control, embracing monotasking by prioritizing projects and tackling each task one at a time. For me, finding this “flow state” is an ongoing undertaking, but each step I take to diminish distractions is progress in the right direction.