""Reclaiming Focus"" tackles the pressing issue of digital distraction in our hyperconnected world. This timely book explores the psychology of technology addiction, the neuroscience of attention, and practical strategies for digital detox. It reveals how our relationship with devices has altered our daily habits and cognitive processes, with the average person checking their smartphone a staggering 96 times a day. The author argues that while digital technology offers benefits, our current usage patterns are unsustainable and detrimental to our well-being. The book progresses through three parts, examining the concept of ""continuous partial attention,"" the consequences of digital overload, and a comprehensive framework for reclaiming focus. It introduces the novel concept of ""attention hygiene"" – daily practices designed to strengthen focus and resilience against digital distractions. Drawing on scientific studies and case studies, the author presents a balanced view of technology's impact while offering practical solutions. Readers will find actionable advice, including a 30-day digital detox plan and strategies for creating a healthier relationship with technology. By combining cutting-edge research with accessible language and relatable anecdotes, ""Reclaiming Focus"" provides valuable insights for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the digital age and seeking to improve their productivity, creativity, and overall well-being.

This is an important book...a harrowing documentation of our modern world's descent into fragmentation, self alienation, and emptiness-brought on, to a large extent, by communication technologies that distract us, dislocate us, and destroy our inner lives.--Alan Lightman, author of the bestselling Einstein's Dreams and National Book Award finalist The Diagnosis and MIT professorThis fascinating book on America's collective ADD is a wake-up call to all of us to take back our lives, turn off the technology, and focus on paying attention to what makes us human and fulfilled.--Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School Professor and author of America the Principled and ConfidenceWe have oceans of information at our disposal, yet we increasingly seek knowledge in online headlines glimpsed on the run. We are networked as never before, but we connect with friends and family via e-mail and fleeting face-to-face moments that are rescheduled and interrupted a dozen times. Despite our wondrous technologies and scientific advances, we are nurturing a culture of diffusion, fragmentation, and detachment.In this new world, something crucial is missing: attention-the key to recapturing our ability to connect, reflect, and relax; the secret to coping with a mobile, multitasking, virtual world. How did we get to the point where we keep one eye on our Blackberry and one eye on our spouse-in bed? We can contact millions of people worldwide, so why is it hard to schedule a simple family supper? Most importantly, what can we do about it? Distracted vividly shows how day by day, our hyper-mobile, cyber-centric, interrupted lives erode our capacity for deep focus and awareness. The implications for a healthy society are stark.Attention is the building block of intimacy, wisdom, and cultural progress. Jackson makes it clear that if we squander our powers of attention, our technological age could ultimately slip into cultural decline. And yet we are just as capable of igniting a renaissance of attention by strengthening our skills of focus and perception, the keys to judgment, memory, morality, and happiness. Jackson reveals the astonishing scientific discoveries that can help us rekindle our powers of attention in a world of speed and overload. She offers us a wake-up call, and reasons for hope.Distracted is an original exposé of the multifaceted nature of attention, an engaging and often surprising portrait of postmodern life, and a compelling roadmap for cultivating sustained focus and nurturing a more enriched and literate society. More than ever, we cannot afford to let distraction become the marker of our time.Maggie Jackson (New York, NY) is an award-winning author and journalist who writes the popular Balancing Acts column in the Boston Globe. Her work also has appeared in The New York Times and on National Public Radio, among other national publications. Her acclaimed first book, What's Happening to Home? Balancing Work, Life and Refuge in the Information Age, examined the loss of home as a refuge.

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Our Ability to Focus and Think Deeply In today's digital age, our attention is constantly being pulled in multiple directions by an endless stream of notifications, emails, and social media alerts. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has further complicated our ability to focus and think deeply, making it harder to concentrate on the tasks at hand. Research has shown that AI can both enhance and hinder our ability to focus and think deeply. For example, AI-powered brain training programs have been shown to improve attention and memory in older adults (Wolinsky et al., 2013). Additionally, AI can be used to reduce distractions in the workplace by automatically filtering out irrelevant emails or messages (Baumeister et al., 2018). On the other hand, AI can also be a source of distraction and information overload. Social media platforms, for example, are designed to capture our attention and keep us engaged for as long as possible (Fletcher, 2018). This can lead to a constant state of hyperstimulation that can interfere with our ability to think deeply and creatively. Furthermore, cultural factors play a significant role in our ability to focus and think deeply. In a culture that values speed, productivity, and multitasking, there is often a pressure to prioritize quantity over quality (Rosen, 2008). Additionally, social norms and peer pressure can make it difficult to disconnect from technology and create a more focused environment (Kushlev et al., 2016). In this book, I explore the intersection of AI and attention, and provide practical strategies for reclaiming our ability to focus and think deeply in the age of distraction. I delve into the myths and realities of multitasking, navigate the attention economy and digital distractions, and explore the synergy of mindfulness and AI. To optimize our brains for deep thinking, I discuss the importance of sleep and exercise in enhancing cognitive function (Hillman et al., 2014). I also explore how to embrace the mindset of a deep thinker in the age of AI and technological change. The future of attention and deep thinking in the context of AI is an important topic that I examine. As AI continues to evolve and impact our lives in ways we cannot yet imagine, it is crucial that we develop the skills necessary to stay focused and think deeply in the face of constant distraction. Join me on a journey to reclaim our ability to focus and think deeply in the age of AI. Let's explore the challenges and opportunities of attention in the digital age, and learn how to cultivate a more mindful, creative, and productive life. Together, we can reclaim our attention and achieve our full potential in a distracted world.

THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA SPECTATOR AND FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2022A WATERSTONES NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH'If you read just one book about how the modern world is driving us crazy, read this one' TELEGRAPH'This book is exactly what the world needs right now' OPRAH WINFREY'A beautifully researched and argued exploration of the breakdown of humankind's ability to pay attention' STEPHEN FRY'A really important book . . . Everyone should read it' PHILIPPA PERRY---Is your ability to focus and pay attention in free fall?You are not alone. The average office worker now focuses on any one task for just three minutes. But it's not your fault. Your attention didn't collapse. It has been stolen.Internationally bestselling author Johann Hari shows twelve deep factors harming our focus. Once we understand them, together, we can take back our minds.

Is stress preventing you from enjoying your daily life? Do you find that you’re becoming more distracted or forgetful? Are "the blues" sapping your spirits? Or do you simply feel not quite like yourself? If you want to reclaim you focus, memory, and joy, you’re not alone. There are millions of people fighting against the epidemic of brain fog that’s sweeping the nation. The good news: It’s not an irreparable condition; rather it’s a side effect of modern-day living. Many of the foods we eat and the habits we have do not support our brains. We no longer get what we need in order to produce essential brain chemicals that keep us energized, calm, focused, optimistic, and inspired. And even worse, our choices could lead to long-term problems, like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and anxiety. Sadly, if you look at the way most of us live, it seems almost as though we’ve chosen a lifestyle deliberately intended to undermine our brain chemistry and our health. Fortunately, there is a solution. The Brain Fog Fix is an easy-to-follow three-week program designed to help naturally restore three of your brain’s most crucial hormones: serotonin, dopamine, and cortisol. Rebalancing these chemicals will in turn enable the rest of your brain’s chemistry to reach optimal levels. Each week of the program focuses on a different element of your life: • In week 1, you’ll improve your mood by modifying your diet and using cognitive strategies to overcome pitfall thought patterns. • In week 2, you’ll increase your energy by focusing on sleep, exercise, and memory-boosting games. • In week 3, you’ll enhance your spirit through practices that help you connect to something larger than yourself and enable you to rediscover your joy in life. By the end of this simple program, you’ll be thinking more clearly, remembering more accurately, learning more quickly, and unleashing the floodgates of your creativity. And you’ll simply feel better – for now and in the long term.

Unexpected ways that individuals adapt technology to reclaim what matters to them, from working through conflict with smart lights to celebrating gender transition with selfies. We have been warned about the psychological perils of technology: distraction, difficulty empathizing, and loss of the ability (or desire) to carry on a conversation. But our devices and data are woven into our lives. We can't simply reject them. Instead, Margaret Morris argues, we need to adapt technology creatively to our needs and values. In Left to Our Own Devices, Morris offers examples of individuals applying technologies in unexpected ways—uses that go beyond those intended by developers and designers. Morris examines these kinds of personalized life hacks, chronicling the ways that people have adapted technology to strengthen social connection, enhance well-being, and affirm identity. Morris, a clinical psychologist and app creator, shows how people really use technology, drawing on interviews she has conducted as well as computer science and psychology research. She describes how a couple used smart lights to work through conflict; how a woman persuaded herself to eat healthier foods when her photographs of salads garnered “likes” on social media; how a trans woman celebrated her transition with selfies; and how, through augmented reality, a woman changed the way she saw her cancer and herself. These and the many other “off-label” adaptations described by Morris cast technology not just as a temptation that we struggle to resist but as a potential ally as we try to take care of ourselves and others. The stories Morris tells invite us to be more intentional and creative when left to our own devices.

It takes more effort to be disorganized than to be organized. Do, delegate, delete. Prioritize those priorities. Practice makes good enough. Don't put it down, put it away. Outsource those decisions. Let your systems do your thinking.