Hyperfocus

For now, though, when you do notice your focus fading, step back from this book for a few minutes to do something relatively mindless.

Without selective interest, experience is utter chaos. —William James Your focus determines your reality. —Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace

The second way that our attention is limited is that after focusing on something, we can hold only a small amount of information in our short-term memory.

PUT YOUR PHONE OUT OF SIGHT When your mind is even slightly resisting a task, it will look for more novel things to focus on. Our smartphones are a great example—they provide an endless stream of bite-sized, delicious information for our brains to consume.

(One of the most underrated skills: letting other people finish their sentences before starting yours.)

Directing your attention toward the most important object of your choosing—and then sustaining that attention—is the most consequential decision we will make throughout the day. We are what we pay attention to.

but extracting the meaning of what you’re hearing is the best use of your focus.

MIND YOUR ENVIRONMENT Look up and around you: Where are you reading this book? How likely are you to be distracted or interrupted as you read, and is there a place you could go to avoid those distractions? Or are you reading in an environment where you don’t have much control, such as on the train or the subway?

Simplifying our attentional space lets us maintain enough room to work and live intentionally throughout the day. This lets us spend more time on what’s important and meaningful in the moment.

Modifying your environment is one of the top ways to cultivate your focus.