Executive Functioning and the Limits of Hyperfocus
First, there’s a finite limit to how many things we can focus on.
Chris Bailey • Hyperfocus
If you want to know why writing is so hard for people, ask them: “When was the last time you focused on one thing for more than an hour, without any distractions?”
A lack of focus is as limiting as a lack of skill.
other words, ADHD makes it more difficult to have appropriate attention at the right time. In different contexts, a lack of focus or hyperfocus can be a problem for the same person with ADHD. Difficulties with transitions in focus, such as disengaging from a task and starting a new one, are also common.
Lidia Zylowska MD • The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD: An 8-Step Program for Strengthening Attention, Managing Emotions, and Achieving Your Goals
According to constraint theory, the greatest human bottleneck is attention. Our attention is our most finite resource, even more finite and valuable than our time.
Dan Sullivan • 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less
The struggles with focus that people have generally come in three broad varieties: starting, sustaining, and optimizing the quality of one’s focus. Ultralearners are relentless in coming up with solutions to handle these three problems, which form the basis of an ability to focus well and learn deeply.
Scott Young • Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career
Our brain’s prefrontal cortex is responsible for analyzing tasks, prioritizing them, and assigning our mental resources to them. When we inundate it with too much information or make it switch focus too quickly, it simply slows down.