Synopsis Stolen Focus (2022) begins with author Johann Hari experiencing a common problem: his attention span is diminishing. He can’t seem to focus on much outside of Twitter and online news. Over three years, Hari tries to identify the root causes of this problem. He uncovers a collective attention crisis that’s affecting the entire globe. From social media to the culture of productivity, Hari identifies the culprits behind our stolen focus – and wonders if, and how, we can claim it back. Who is it for? • Anyone who feels like they just can’t concentrate the way they used to • Multitaskers with brimming to-do lists who still feel like they get little done • Anyone scrolling through social media while they’re reading this! What’s in it for me? The tale of how we lost the ability to focus – and how we can get it back. We’ve all been there. You sit down, ready for work, and you get a text. As you're texting back, a news alert appears – so you shift over to read what’s happening. But as you’re halfway through reading the headline, you get another ping: someone’s liked the photo that you posted last night. And after checking who it was, you realize they’ve also posted new photos . . . is that a new partner?! As you start swiping through the images, a Slack notification chimes. Wait, what were you doing again? Oh, right: work. If you’re wondering what’s happened to your capacity for concentration, you’re not alone. Collectively, our attention spans seem to be dwindling at an alarming rate. And every year, there are more and more distractions and interruptions added to the pile. Sadly, that’s not a coincidence. From Silicon Valley to the structure of the contemporary workplace, forces beyond our control are constantly working to deplete our ability to focus deeply and resist distraction. But how did we get here? And is there any way to escape this dizzying attention spiral? These are the questions we’ll be covering in the blinks to Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus. So, set your devices to airplane mode, and try to give your full attention to these five blinks as we uncover the story of a crisis that’s reached a global scale. you’ll learn • how social media is actually designed to sap your focus; • what 1950s animal experiments have to do with Instagram’s “like” button; and • why spending less time at work might actually boost your productivity. It’s not just you – everyone is struggling to focus.

1. STOLEN
FOCUS
HER & ME

2. WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
o HOW WE LOST THE ABILITY TO FOCUS?
o HOW WE CAN GET IT BACK?
o WHAT’S HAPPENED TO CAPACITY FOR
CONCENTRATION, YOU’RE NOT ALONE

3. o ATTENTION SPANS SEEMS TO BE DWINDLING AT
AN ALARMING RATE
o MORE AND MORE DISTRACTIONS AND
INTERRUPTIONS ADDED TO THE PILE

4. o FORCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL ARE CONSTANTLY
WORKING TO DEPLETE OUR ABILITY TO FOCUS
DEEPLY AND RESIST DISTRACTION
o HOW DID WE GET HERE?
o ANY WAY TO ESCAPE THIS DIZZYING ATTENTION
SPIRAL?

5. o SET YOUR DEVICES TO AIRPLANE MODE, AND TRY TO
GIVE YOUR FULL ATTENTION
o UNCOVER THE STORY OF A CRISIS THAT’S REACHED A
GLOBAL SCALE

6. YOU’LL LEARN
o HOW SOCIAL MEDIA IS ACTUALLY DESIGNED TO SAP
YOUR FOCUS;
o WHAT 1950s ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS HAVE TO DO
WITH INSTAGRAM’S “LIKE” BUTTON; AND

7. o WHY SPENDING LESS TIME AT WORK MIGHT
ACTUALLY BOOST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY

8. NOT JUST YOU – EVERYONE IS STRUGGLING TO FOCUS
o UNLESS YOU’RE LIVING OFF THE GRID- IT’S GETTING
INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO FOCUS
o YOU’RE BUSY ALL THE TIME, STRUGGLING
TO ACTUALLY GET ANYTHING DONE

9. o RESEARCHERS ANALYZED VARIOUS METRICS ACROSS
ONLINE PLATFORMS AND DISCOVERED SOMETHING
INTERESTING:
o IN 2013, CONVERSATION TOPICS TRENDED ON
TWITTER FOR AN AVERAGE OF 17.5 HOURS

10. o BY 2016, THAT NUMBER HAD DWINDLED TO 11.6
HOURS
o MORE TIME WE’VE SPENT IN ONLINE SPACES, THE
SHORTER OUR ATTENTION SPANS HAVE BECOME

11. o IS IT REALLY JUST THE INTERNET THAT’S ERODING
OUR FOCUS?
o YES. BUT ALSO NO
o IT’S DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT PRECISELY

12. o INFORMATION WE RECEIVE IS SPEEDING UP
o TECHNOLOGIES LIKE THE TELEGRAPH, RADIO, AND
TELEVISION SPED UP THE SPREAD OF
INFORMATION

13. o OUR INFORMATION INPUTS – THE DIFFERENT
MODES THROUGH WHICH WE RECEIVE
INFORMATION – HAVE MULTIPLIED
o IN 1986, THE AVERAGE WESTERNER INGESTED THE
EQUIVALENT OF 40 NEWSPAPERS A DAY

14. o BY 2004, THAT FIGURE HAD RISEN TO AN
ASTONISHING 174 NEWSPAPERS
o INTERNET HAS UNDENIABLY SUPERCHARGED THIS
ACCELERATION

15. o NOW, INFORMATION IS NOT ONLY AVAILABLE TO US
ALL THE TIME;
o BUT INTRUDES ON OUR LIVES THROUGH THE
CEASELESS PINGS AND NOTIFICATIONS
o BRAINS JUST HAVEN’T CAUGHT UP WITH THIS
ACCELERATION

16. o CAPACITY FOR FOCUS IS AN EMERGENT FIELD OF
STUDY
o RESEARCH IN THE AREA OF SPEED-READING
SUGGESTS THAT THERE’S A FINITE LIMIT TO HOW
QUICKLY WE CAN PROCESS INFORMATION

17. o COGNITIVE CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN BRAIN HAS
NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGED IN THE LAST 40,000
YEARS
o NO WONDER WE SOMETIMES FIND IT DIFFICULT TO
FOCUS

18. ADDICTIVE BY DESIGN, NOT BY ACCIDENT
oAPPS AND ONLINE PLATFORMS ARE ADDICTIVE BY
DESIGN, NOT BY ACCIDENT
oFACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER ISN’T A DESIGN
FLAW
oTHEY’RE SUPPOSED TO BE ADDICTIVE

19. oWHERE DID THIS DESIGN ORIGINATED?
oPERSUASIVE TECHNOLOGIES LAB AT STANFORD
UNIVERSITY
oLAB ASKED PSYCHOLOGISTS WHETHER THE THEORIES
OF INFLUENTIAL BEHAVIOURAL COULD BE
INCORPORATED INTO COMPUTER CODE

20. oWHETHER TECH CAN CHANGE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
o B. F. SKINNER PSYCHOLOGISTS STUDIED ON RAT IN
THE LAB
o WITH A MEANINGLESS TASK, LIKE PUSHING A
BUTTON, BUT RAT SHOWED NO INTEREST

21. o SKINNER MODIFIED THE TASK
o EVERY TIME THE RAT PRESSED THE BUTTON IT WAS
REWARDED WITH A PELLET
o REWARDS MOTIVATED THE ANIMALS, TO CARRY OUT
TASKS THAT HAD NO INTRINSIC MEANING TO THEM

22. o SKINNER INSPIRED THE CREATION OF: LIKE BUTTONS,
SHARE BUTTONS, AND COMMENT BUTTONS
o LITTLE HEARTS AND EMOJIS AND RETWEET BUTTONS
AREN’T DESIGN QUIRKS;

23. o THEY’RE PROGRAMMING US TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA IN
ADDICTIVE WAYS BY REWARDING US FOR THE TIME
WE SPEND ON THE PLATFORMS
o ANOTHER ONE: THE INFINITE SCROLL
o EARLY DAYS OF THE INTERNET, WEB PAGES WERE
JUST THAT: PAGES

24. o UNTIL AZA RASKIN STEPPED IN & INVENTED THE
INFINITE SCROLL
o ENDLESSLY REFRESHING FEED OF CONTENT
o GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT THERE IS A NEVER-
ENDING SUPPLY OF CONTENT

25. o IF LIKES AND SHARES ENCOURAGE USERS TO STAY
ONLINE LONGER
o THE INFINITE SCROLL ENCOURAGES USERS TO STAY
ONLINE IN PERPETUITY
o RASKIN, HOWEVER, HAS COME TO REGRET HIS
INVENTION

26. o HE NOTICED HOW IT WAS CHANGING ONLINE
HABITS
o INFINITE SCROLL INDUCES THE AVERAGE USER TO
SPEND 50 PERCENT MORE TIME ON PLATFORMS
LIKE FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

27. o BUSINESS MODEL OF MOST OF THESE PLATFORMS
IS PREDICATED ON TIME – OR, ENGAGEMENT
o METRIC TECH COMPANIES USE TO MEASURE THEIR
SUCCESS – NOT BY MONEY, BUT BY MINUTES

28. o LONGER YOU SPEND “ENGAGING,” THE MORE
CHANCES THE COMPANIES HAVE TO SELL
ADVERTISEMENTS
o MORE YOU ENGAGE, THE MORE COMPANIES TRACK
YOUR BEHAVIOUR AND BUILD A PROFILE UNIQUELY
DESIGNED TO TARGET YOU WITH SPECIFIC ADS

29. o WE DON’T PAY FOR PLATFORMS LIKE FACEBOOK
AND INSTAGRAM WITH OUR MONEY
o WE DO PAY WITH ANOTHER PRECIOUS, FINITE
COMMODITY: OUR ATTENTION
o IN SILICON VALLEY, TIME EQUALS MONEY, MONEY
IS THEIRS
o AND THE TIME – THE ATTENTION – IS YOURS

30. ALGORITHMS PRIVILEGE OUTRAGE OVER COMMUNITY
o ONLINE PLATFORMS ERODES OUR FOCUS AND
o EXPLOIT ONE OF OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCES
– OUR ATTENTION – FOR THEIR OWN FINANCIAL
GAIN

31. o SAME PLATFORMS CAN BE A FORCE FOR GOOD
o STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY AND DRIVING
COLLECTIVE ACTION
o BUT WHAT CONNECTS US CAN ALSO DIVIDE US

32. o ONLINE PLATFORMS HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE INTENT
ON DIVIDING THAN CONNECTING- THEY DO WITH
ALGORITHMS
o INFINITE SCROLL-ISN’T ORDERED CHRONOLOGICALLY

33. o BUT ARRANGED BY AN ALGORITHM THAT IS
PROGRAMMED TO FEED US CONTENT THAT KEEPS US
SCROLLING LONGER
o IT’S EASIER TO DISENGAGE FROM CALM, POSITIVE
CONTENT

34. o BUT IF SOMETHING STRIKES US AS OUTRAGEOUS OR
CONTROVERSIAL
o WE TEND TO KEEP LOOKING WHICH IS
PSYCHOLOGICAL PHENOMENON CALLED NEGATIVITY
BIAS

35. o NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES IMPACT US MORE THAN
POSITIVE ONES- SOCIAL MEDIA’S INTEREST TO
LITERALLY PROVOKE ITS USERS
o ALGORITHM HAS NO ETHICS
o IT DOESN’T CONDONE OR CONDEMN; IT JUST CODES
o PEOPLE WATCHING IT FEEL, BELIEVE, AND JUDGE

36. o EXPOSED TO MISINFORMATION, THE MORE NORMAL
– EVEN CREDIBLE – IT SEEMS
o A 2018 STUDY THAT ANALYSED EXTREME RIGHT-
WING MILITANTS IN THE US FOUND THAT THE
MAJORITY OF THEM WERE INITIALLY RADICALIZED
ON YOUTUBE

37. o WHEN ONLINE PLATFORMS PRIVILEGE DIVISIVE,
SHOCKING CONTENT
o THEY ALSO CORRODE OUR POWER FOR COLLECTIVE
ATTENTION
o OUR ABILITY, AS A SOCIETY, TO FOCUS ON ISSUES
THAT AFFECT US

38. o HOLE IN THE OZONE LAYER IS CREATED BY A GROUP
OF CHEMICALS CALLED CFCs
o ACTIVISTS CAMPAIGNED AGAINST THE USE OF CFCs
o PERSUADED THEIR FELLOW CITIZENS PUT ENOUGH
PRESSURE ON GOVERNMENTS AND
o USE OF CFCs WAS BANNED

39. o OUTCOME MIGHT HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT IF WE
HADN’T FOCUSED OUR COLLECTIVE ATTENTION
o FIRST ON THE SCIENCE, THEN ON THE ARGUMENTS
OF OUR FELLOW CITIZENS, AND
o FINALLY ON THE GROUP EFFORT OF LOBBYING THE
GOVERNMENTS FOR A TOTAL BAN ON CFCs

40. o WOULD WE BE ABLE TO COLLECTIVELY TRAIN OUR
FOCUS ON A SIMILAR ISSUE TODAY?
o CLIMATE CHANGE POSES A REAL AND PRESENT
DANGER TO LIFE ON EARTH
o BUT WE CAN’T SEEM TO ABSORB THE SCIENCE – OR

41. o EVEN AGREE ON WHETHER WE SHOULD BE LISTENING
TO SCIENTISTS IN THE FIRST PLACE
o SOCIAL MEDIA CAN BE A POWERFUL FORCE FOR
GOOD
o PLATFORMS LIKE FACEBOOK ARE INTENT ON
EXPLOITING OUR ATTENTION – AND, AS A
CONSEQUENCE

42. o THEY’RE SOWING DIVISION AND CONTROVERSY
o FACEBOOK CONDUCTED AN INTERNAL
INVESTIGATION CALLED “COMMON GROUND”
o THE FINDINGS WERE VERY CLEAR: “OUR ALGORITHMS
EXPLOIT THE HUMAN BRAIN’S ATTRACTION TO
DIVISIVENESS”

43. o FACEBOOK HASN’T DONE VERY MUCH ABOUT THIS
DISTURBING FINDING
o AND NEITHER HAVE WE
o WE’RE TOO BUSY INFINITELY SCROLLING

44. DITCH MULTITASKING – RECOVERING FOCUS IS ABOUT FINDING FLOW
o HOW MANY THINGS ARE YOU DOING RIGHT AT THIS
SECOND?
o YOU MIGHT BE LISTENING TO THIS – AND NOTHING
ELSE
o IF THAT’S YOU, THEN YOU’RE MONOTASKING

45. o MORE LIKELY, YOU’RE DOING A RANGE OF THINGS:
LISTENING TO THIS, COOKING DINNER, SCROLLING
THROUGH THE NEWS, OR CHATTING WITH YOUR
ROOMMATE OR PARTNER
o IT’S EASY – AND NOT INACCURATE – TO BLAME OUR
SHRINKING ATTENTION SPANS ON OUR DEVICES

46. o BUT THAT’S NOT THE WHOLE PICTURE
o THERE’S A FUNDAMENTAL FLAW IN THE WAY WE
FRAME “FOCUS”
o WE LIVE IN AN ACCELERATING, CONSUMERIST
SOCIETY – ONE THAT VALUES SPEED AND OUTPUT

47. o ENCOURAGED TO “QUANTIFY” OUR ATTENTION IN TERMS OF
WHAT IMMEDIATE RESULTS IT YIELDS
o FOCUS IS A RESOURCE THAT ALLOWS US TO PRODUCE, TO
EARN, TO TICK ITEMS OFF OUR TO-DO LISTS
o MORE WE CAN SIMULTANEOUSLY ACHIEVE, THE BETTER OUR
FOCUS IS SPENT

48. o SO WHY NOT DISTRIBUTE OUR ATTENTION ACROSS SEVERAL
TASKS AT ONCE?
o WELL BECAUSE, AS IT TURNS OUT, HUMANS ARE REALLY BAD
AT MULTITASKING
o “MULTITASK” WAS COINED TO DESCRIBE THE FUNCTION OF
COMPUTERS WITH MULTIPLE PROCESSORS
o NEVER MEANT TO BE APPLIED TO HUMANS

49. o WHEN WE MULTITASK, WE’RE NOT
SIMULTANEOUSLY PERFORMING SEVERAL TASKS AT
ONCE
o WE’RE SWITCHING BETWEEN THEM AT HYPER-
SPEED
o EVERY SWITCH INCURS WHAT’S CALLED A
“SWITCH-COST” EFFECT

50. o WHEN YOU SWITCH BETWEEN TASKS – OR WHEN
YOU’RE INTERRUPTED MID-TASK
o YOUR BRAIN NEEDS TO RECALIBRATE, WHICH
DECREASES YOUR MENTAL PERFORMANCE
o IN A WORK CLIMATE THAT VALUES MULTITASKING
AS A SIGN OF PEAK PRODUCTIVITY

51. o DISTRACTION IS PRACTICALLY ENCOURAGED
o WE’RE CONSTANTLY ANSWERING EMAILS,
PARTICIPATING IN MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT MULTIPLE PROJECTS, AND
o WORKING ACROSS THREE OR FOUR DIFFERENT
COMPUTER SCREENS

52. o AN ANTIDOTE TO MULTITASKING –
o A WAY OF APPROACHING TASKS THAT CULTIVATES
DEEP FOCUS WHICH IS CALLED “FLOW”
o YOU BECOME SO ABSORBED BY A TASK THAT YOU
LOSE ALL SENSE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND
ARE ABLE TO ACCESS A DEEP WELL OF INTERNAL
FOCUS

53. o CONCENTRATE SO HARD ON SOMETHING –
o WHETHER THAT’S ROCK-CLIMBING, CODING,
PAINTING, OR SIMPLY DOING A JIGSAW PUZZLE
o YOU LOSE TRACK OF TIME, THEN YOU’VE BEEN IN A
FLOW STATE
o IN FLOW, YOUR FOCUS BECOMES DEEPER AND
BETTER, AND

54. o YOU’RE FAR LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO DISTRACTIONS
o EVERYONE CAN ACCESS FLOW, THE TASK YOU’RE
TACKLING NEEDS TO BE INTRINSICALLY
REWARDING;

55. o WHEN YOU’RE IN FLOW, IT’S THE PROCESS RATHER
THAN THE PRODUCT THAT ENGAGES YOU
o SO, UNLESS YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT DATA
ENTRY, YOU’RE UNLIKELY TO FIND FLOW FILLING
OUT SPREADSHEETS

56. o TASK SHOULD BE CHALLENGING ENOUGH TO DEMAND
YOUR FULL ATTENTION
o BUT NOT SO DIFFICULT THAT YOU’RE TEMPTED TO GIVE UP
ON IT
o FINALLY, MONOTASKING IS ESSENTIAL

57. o TO TAP INTO THAT WELLSPRING OF FOCUS, YOU NEED TO
DIRECT ALL YOUR MENTAL ENERGY TOWARD A SINGLE
TASK
o HIGH-PERFORMING INDIVIDUALS LIKE ATHLETES,
MUSICIANS, AND SCIENTISTS OFTEN ATTRIBUTE THEIR
ACHIEVEMENTS TO THEIR ABILITY TO ACCESS FLOW STATES

58. o BUT IN A SOCIETY THAT HAS DECIDED MULTITASKING IS A
VIRTUE – AND THAT VALUES SPEED AND OUTPUT OVER
DEEP FOCUS
o THE AVERAGE PERSON IS FINDING IT HARDER AND HARDER
TO ACHIEVE FLOW

59. WE CAN GET OUR ATTENTION BACK
o WORLD OBSESSED WITH MULTITASKING, MAKING
ROOM FOR OTHER FORMS OF FOCUS, LIKE FLOW, IS A
RADICAL ACT
o IT’S POSSIBLE – BUT IT’S NOT AS SIMPLE AS SLOWING
DOWN AND SWITCHING OFF

60. o YOU LIVE AND WORK IN A SYSTEM THAT
ENCOURAGES MULTITASKING, PRIVILEGES
PRODUCTIVITY AT ALL COSTS, AND
o ENCOURAGES YOU TO SPEND INCREASING AMOUNTS
OF TIME IN ONLINE SPACES DESIGNED TO SAP YOUR
FOCUS
o IT’S THE SYSTEM ITSELF THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE

61. o CHANGE MAY BE ON THE HORIZON IN SILICON
VALLEY, WHERE DISILLUSIONED DESIGNERS ARE
BEGINNING TO PUSH BACK AGAINST OUR
ATTENTION CRISIS
o WHO WANTS TO SEE A NON-PREDATORY SOCIAL
MEDIA RISE FROM THE ASHES OF OUR CURRENT
ATTENTION SPANS

62. o SOCIAL MEDIA WAS DESIGNED TO STEAL OUR
ATTENTION
o BUT HARRIS AND RASKIN ARE CERTAIN IT COULD
BE REDESIGNED TO GIVE OUR ATTENTION BACK
o WHAT WOULD THIS NEW SOCIAL MEDIA
LANDSCAPE LOOK LIKE?

63. o THEY HAVE A FEW IDEAS
o INFINITE SCROLL WOULD BE TURNED OFF
o ALL THOSE LITTLE “REWARDS” LIKE HEARTS AND
LIKES AND SHARES MIGHT BE TURNED OFF, TOO
o YOU COULD INSTEAD RECEIVE A DAILY ROUNDUP OF
WHAT’S HAPPENED ON YOUR FEED

64. o DESIGNED TO DISCOURAGE YOU FROM CHECKING
MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY
o AND TECHNOLOGY’S POWER TO INFLUENCE
HUMAN BEHAVIOUR COULD BE USED FOR GOOD
o YOU COULD TELL THE PLATFORM HOW MUCH TIME
YOU WANTED TO SPEND ONLINE

65. o IT COULD WORK WITH YOU TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL
o AND HELP YOU ACHIEVE OTHER GOALS, TOO
o WANT TO TRY GOING VEGAN?
o THE PLATFORM COULD CONNECT YOU WITH ONLINE
GROUPS THAT SHARE VEGAN RECIPES
o CONCERNED ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE?

66. o THE PLATFORM COULD LINK YOU UP WITH LOCAL ACTIVIST
GROUPS, BOTH ON AND OFFLINE HYPOTHETICAL, OF
COURSE
o BUT AROUND THE GLOBE, REAL PUSHBACK AGAINST OUR
COLLECTIVE ATTENTION CRISIS IS SEEING INSPIRING
RESULTS

67. o PERPETUAL GUARDIAN, A NEW ZEALAND COMPANY,
INSTITUTED A FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK
o EMPLOYEES HAVE SINCE REPORTED A BETTER WORK-LIFE
BALANCE
o THE ABILITY TO FOCUS DEEPER FOR LONGER, AND
DECREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISTRACTIONS

68. o SHORTER WORKDAYS AND WORKWEEKS ENABLE
DEEP FOCUS
o INSTEAD OF PERFORMATIVE MULTITASKING
o THEY ENCOURAGE WORKERS TO AVOID
WORKPLACE DISTRACTIONS
o LIKE SNEAKING A SCROLL THROUGH SOCIAL
MEDIA WHEN THE BOSS ISN’T LOOKING

69. o IN FRANCE, THE ESCALATING DEMANDS ON OUR
FOCUS ARE SEEN FOR WHAT THEY ARE: A HEALTH
CRISIS
o FRENCH DOCTORS GREW CONCERNED ABOUT THE
RISING NUMBER OF PATIENTS EXPERIENCING “LE
BURNOUT”

70. o AND TOOK THOSE CONCERNS TO THE
GOVERNMENT
o GOVERNMENT FORMALLY AGREED ON THE LIMITS
OF WORKWEEK
o MEANING IT MAY ACTUALLY BE ILLEGAL FOR A
FRENCH BOSS TO SEND THEIR EMPLOYEES EMAILS
OVER THE WEEKEND

71. o ALL SMALL CHANGES
o SHOWS THAT THERE ARE SOLUTIONS TO THIS
COLLECTIVE ATTENTION CRISIS
o WE CAN RECLAIM OUR ATTENTION . . . IF ONLY
WE CAN FOCUS ON THE TASK AT HAND

72. KEY MESSAGE
o ATTENTION SPANS ARE SHRINKING AS A RESULT OF OUR
ACCELERATED PACE OF LIFE AND SPEED OF COMMUNICATION
o INTERNET – ESPECIALLY THE RISE OF APPS AND PLATFORMS
THAT PREY ON OUR FOCUS
o HAS SUPERCHARGED THIS ATTENTION DRAIN

73. o AND IT’S NOT DUE TO A PERSONAL FLAW OR INDIVIDUAL
WEAKNESS
o MOST OF THESE ATTENTION-GRABBING METHODS ARE
INTENTIONAL;
o THEY’RE ELABORATELY DESIGNED FOR THE VERY PURPOSE OF
KEEPING YOU DISTRACTED

74. o TO COMBAT THEM WE NEED LARGE-SCALE, SYSTEMIC
CHANGE – ON AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
o WELL AS FROM THE TECH DESIGNERS THAT INVENTED THESE
SYSTEMS IN THE FIRST PLACE
o DON’T FOCUS HARDER ON YOUR TASK – INSTEAD, LET YOUR
MIND WANDER

75. o DOING NOTHING IS ACTUALLY A VALUABLE FORM
OF FOCUS BECAUSE IT FACILITATES CREATIVITY
o WHICH ARISES WHEN YOU MAKE UNEXPECTED
MENTAL CONNECTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS YOUR
MIND CAN CREATE

76. o THE LONGER YOU CAN LET YOUR THOUGHTS
DRIFT, THE MORE UNEXPECTED ASSOCIATIONS
o WHICH JUST MIGHT HELP YOU RECLAIM SOME OF
YOUR STOLEN FOCUS

77. THANKS FOR WATCHING
KEEP SHARING
LIKING
&
SUBSCRIBING
HER & ME