My recent content has been about focus. I feel like, collectively, as a species, our increasing inability to focus on anything for more than a few minutes or even seconds is a colossal culprit contributing to our mental struggles. It’s easy to blame “the phone” or social media for this tendency. But as Johann Hari lays out in Stolen Focus, the problem is more complicated than that. I’ve enjoyed all of his previous books, and this latest one is also a great read. Considering the depth of this problem in our current society, I found it highly relevant and timely.
#BeNotDumb
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It's funny, I was recently reflecting on focus too. Huberman talked about focus in a different light when he was a guest on Modern Wisdom, explaining how the recent Harry Potter play with interactive books is a good analogy to how the brain works. Focus isn't necessarily being completely consumed on one thing, but rather keeping the context of your thoughts loosely bound to a specific topic. He says you want your brain to recall historical relevancy and other key connections that are linked to the "focal" point you have designated. Makes me think there is a spectrum of focus to consider, that is, at what range are you putting guardrails on your thoughts to stay aligned to your original intent.
Then it comes down to having the conscious awareness of what you've set those guardrails to be, and knowing when you hit them. Otherwise you'll never be able to course correct your focus.
It's funny, I was recently reflecting on focus too. Huberman talked about focus in a different light when he was a guest on Modern Wisdom, explaining how the recent Harry Potter play with interactive books is a good analogy to how the brain works. Focus isn't necessarily being completely consumed on one thing, but rather keeping the context of your thoughts loosely bound to a specific topic. He says you want your brain to recall historical relevancy and other key connections that are linked to the "focal" point you have designated. Makes me think there is a spectrum of focus to consider, that is, at what range are you putting guardrails on your thoughts to stay aligned to your original intent.
Then it comes down to having the conscious awareness of what you've set those guardrails to be, and knowing when you hit them. Otherwise you'll never be able to course correct your focus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoutTY8XHSc&t=6676s (clip: Are phones ruining our focus)
Regardless, to get any legitimate work done, you have to stay focused for a long period of time. And that's way harder to do these days!