tostadora

Try mynoise.net

Great for blocking outside noise and concentrating.

The Michener essay is a great read. Thank you for the link.

It has made me think about a problem, though: how to select that huge task in which to pour your energy. For him, it was his novels; but being in a 9 to 5 office job like I am, I'm wondering what are my options.

I'm almost in the same area as you. I have a TV and I use it very sparingly. The difference with smartphones is that the smartphone's applications are engineered to be addictive, which is not the case of TV. There's another important difference between the two: you don't carry your TV all the time with you.

People are usually able to control their impulses. But controlling an impulse is not free: it consumes energy and willpower; it's a fight. I think people getting rid of their smartphones are making that move: getting rid of the struggle against their impulses so they can use the saved energy in other things.

This guy is building a cathedral on his own:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justo_Gallego_Mart%C3%ADnez