Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention - And How to Think Deeply Again
- Downloads：9105
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-10 00:19:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Johann Hari
- ISBN：B09FYHKYFJ
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Michael
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The words "unregulated surveillance capitalism" ring out from Mr。 Hari's fine survey of the many ways in which recent technological and structural societal changes have been combining to seriously challenge our ability to stay focused。 Once identified， he then provides some practical ways to help break out of the cycle of endless updates and interruptions spewing forth from our screens 24/7。 This book will really make you think twice about Facebook （an evil company）， Instagram， YouTube， and simi The words "unregulated surveillance capitalism" ring out from Mr。 Hari's fine survey of the many ways in which recent technological and structural societal changes have been combining to seriously challenge our ability to stay focused。 Once identified， he then provides some practical ways to help break out of the cycle of endless updates and interruptions spewing forth from our screens 24/7。 This book will really make you think twice about Facebook （an evil company）， Instagram， YouTube， and similar social media platforms。 It is well written， engaging， and thought-provoking throughout。 Cheers！ 。。。more
Jenny Campagna
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Johann is not afraid to take on big issues which he dives into with enthusiasm。 I enjoyed his book Lost Connections which I have recommended to many others as well。 Similar to Lost Connections， Stolen Focus covers a lot of ground。 I think in actual conversations， he might be a “backwards segue” storyteller needing to tell dear listeners to put a pin it that one or stick with me， I’ll come back to that。 I find the combo of his storytelling style and journalistic meticulous quality to be engaging， Johann is not afraid to take on big issues which he dives into with enthusiasm。 I enjoyed his book Lost Connections which I have recommended to many others as well。 Similar to Lost Connections， Stolen Focus covers a lot of ground。 I think in actual conversations， he might be a “backwards segue” storyteller needing to tell dear listeners to put a pin it that one or stick with me， I’ll come back to that。 I find the combo of his storytelling style and journalistic meticulous quality to be engaging， thought provoking and informative。 If you want a deep dive into current factors impacting focus that is also exceedingly entertaining， this is it。 。。。more
Joshua
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so slow。This would be an amazing magazine article。 Not enough original material for a book。
Rebecca
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I picked up this book because I've found my attention span has shrunk to the size of a gnat over the past few years。 STOLEN FOCUS is among several books I've read recently on time management， and it's one of the best。 It's not so much a self help book， although it offers pointers that can help with focus， but more of a call to action。 There are many factors contributing to reduced focus， and many of them are systemic。 I learned quite a bit about surveillance capitalism， for instance。 So while we I picked up this book because I've found my attention span has shrunk to the size of a gnat over the past few years。 STOLEN FOCUS is among several books I've read recently on time management， and it's one of the best。 It's not so much a self help book， although it offers pointers that can help with focus， but more of a call to action。 There are many factors contributing to reduced focus， and many of them are systemic。 I learned quite a bit about surveillance capitalism， for instance。 So while we can all act individually to help our focus， if we don't collectively work together for improved focus， we'll never， as a society， achieve much of anything， like solving the problem of climate change or homelessness or gun violence or any of the multitude of issues out there。Highly recommended， not just to help with getting things done （and not just productivity for work）， or for entering a flow state more often and getting creative， but for participating in the world at large and doing something meaningful。 Much food for thought。 。。。more
Karen May
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Recommended by ML
Maia Mountain
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seriously made me rethink my relationship with my phone and the way I go about work。
Chitra Saraswati
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I'm a big fan of Johann Hari's work and Stolen Focus is his best work yet。 He delves into the attention crisis and gives a well-supported argument as to why it's a problem and what we can do about it。 A timely， engaging， and optimistic read。 I'm a big fan of Johann Hari's work and Stolen Focus is his best work yet。 He delves into the attention crisis and gives a well-supported argument as to why it's a problem and what we can do about it。 A timely， engaging， and optimistic read。 。。。more
Bernadette Rose
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I love the way this guy thinks。 Very inspiring and helps you look at everything so differently。 And I'm only half way through！I'll be reading all of his books。 I love the way this guy thinks。 Very inspiring and helps you look at everything so differently。 And I'm only half way through！I'll be reading all of his books。 。。。more
Lindsay
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Well written。 Well researched。 Some of it I knew。 Some of it I didnt。 But he ties it all together so well that it’s heavily persuasive in any case。
Susan Tunis
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You know， Stolen Focus is written as engagingly as all of Mr。 Hari's books。 And I can't say that the subject matter isn't of interest。 No， my problem is that I'd already read very good full-length books on most of the subjects he covers here， including but not limited to: Why We Sleep by Matthew WalkerA Deadly Wandering by Matt RichtelSmall Animals by Kim BrooksSo， I guess if you'd like to skip a whole list of other titles， this book's for you。 Or， if you really like this book， but you want to g You know， Stolen Focus is written as engagingly as all of Mr。 Hari's books。 And I can't say that the subject matter isn't of interest。 No， my problem is that I'd already read very good full-length books on most of the subjects he covers here， including but not limited to: Why We Sleep by Matthew WalkerA Deadly Wandering by Matt RichtelSmall Animals by Kim BrooksSo， I guess if you'd like to skip a whole list of other titles， this book's for you。 Or， if you really like this book， but you want to go deeper， see the above， all of which are highly recommended。 。。。more
Levi Pierpont
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Features some new information and ways of understanding， gathered via solid journalism。 Overall， meaningful， impressive， and made me think。 However， there were parts that were overly redundant， and in a couple sections， despite it being a book about attention， he went out of his way to demonize certain types of food， although he did recognize that the main issues are at a systemic level and not an individual one。
Dan
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This is incredible and amazing for recovery back my lost crypto currency's to some ripper which I never believe I could get back from them。 I lost my home and myself in this awful journey。 I had some negative items which keep me from getting any loan。 I really want a way to tidy up this mess so I could actually get back my stand。 I came across Rich Hacker and my report returned to great shape with all the negative items deleted and my score expanded to 799！ The most appreciative he did was he re This is incredible and amazing for recovery back my lost crypto currency's to some ripper which I never believe I could get back from them。 I lost my home and myself in this awful journey。 I had some negative items which keep me from getting any loan。 I really want a way to tidy up this mess so I could actually get back my stand。 I came across Rich Hacker and my report returned to great shape with all the negative items deleted and my score expanded to 799！ The most appreciative he did was he recovered back totally lost Crypto。 If you need to benefit from his good job email him directly Via : （RICHSKRENTACYBERSERVICE@GMAIL。COM） and through message （925） 480-7813 for simple communication。 。。。more
Monique Lepine
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If I could give this more stars， I would。 Lots to ponder。 Possibly life changing。
Matthew
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I think this book is excellent， and that everyone should read it。 The topic （the issue of attention in the age of phone/tech distraction） is critical to， well， almost everyone。 Have children？ It's even more so。This book does not have all the answers。 But it is a thoughtful， engaging， and insightful discussion on the topic。 The writing is easy to read and easy to follow， and the discussions are illuminating。 Moreover， it's a delight to read a book that acknowledges the depth and complexity of its I think this book is excellent， and that everyone should read it。 The topic （the issue of attention in the age of phone/tech distraction） is critical to， well， almost everyone。 Have children？ It's even more so。This book does not have all the answers。 But it is a thoughtful， engaging， and insightful discussion on the topic。 The writing is easy to read and easy to follow， and the discussions are illuminating。 Moreover， it's a delight to read a book that acknowledges the depth and complexity of its subject。 The book presents the author's thoughts and overview of subjects following his attempt to delve deeply into the topics and interview a wide variety of experts。 The author does a great job describing his subjective take on a topic， and attempts to provide balance and openly acknowledge differing scientific positions。 The result is a successful and interesting read on a complex subject。 It is not a tech-bashing book， or just put-down-the-phone-and-that-solves-everything。 （And in fact the author discusses how he started his journey with a digital holiday， how it helped， but also how was insufficient and not sustainable。）It is a rich and wide-ranging collection of topics t（from yes， the phone/tech， but also diet， sleep， the very structure of our schools， etc。。。I found some of the evidence and discussions on some components more credible （the sections on tech are outstanding and thoughtful） while for others， the discussed evidence is thinner/more complex （the section on diet are plausible （I tend to agree） but the evidence cited is an order of magnitude weaker）- but I found the entire book delightfully enlightening。 The author does not conclude with "THE ANSWER"， but a summary of his experiences， successes and failures。 That too is refreshing。 Give it a go。And then share it with others。 。。。more
Abigail
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The best book I’ve read in awhile。 Engaging， informative， and makes me want to join the fight for our attention—especially considering how it is just one more piece in the great divide / lack of equity between rich and poor in our country。 Highly recommend。
Nancy McQueen
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I have been diagnosed with ADHD from a young age。 This book has shed a spotlight on this subject and the general lack of attention and addiction to our tech and screens。
Jamie
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An engaging read on an incredibly relevant subject。 Hari identifies a problem， breaks it into components， brings receipts， and presents his arguments with skepticism and humility。 If you're someone fairly plugged-in to the issues explored by this book， you may find， as I did， that you didn't learn as many new things reading Stolen Focus as perhaps you hoped to。 Most readers， however， will find this an illuminating and eye-opening book filled with useful information， insight， and advice。 I hope i An engaging read on an incredibly relevant subject。 Hari identifies a problem， breaks it into components， brings receipts， and presents his arguments with skepticism and humility。 If you're someone fairly plugged-in to the issues explored by this book， you may find， as I did， that you didn't learn as many new things reading Stolen Focus as perhaps you hoped to。 Most readers， however， will find this an illuminating and eye-opening book filled with useful information， insight， and advice。 I hope it's read widely。 4/5 。。。more
Namwhan
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I really love this book。 The explanation is very clear。
Angell
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Excellent non fiction and essential reading for absolutely everyone。 I can’t think of a single person who would argue that their attention has increased in the last decade and Hari delves into the many reasons why。 Not a self help book， but still filled with actions， information and calm， real evidence-based research， it’s a call to action to reclaim our minds from the incessant pings and pokes of our modern lives to redress the balance and help us stay on the paths of our own choosing。Must read Excellent non fiction and essential reading for absolutely everyone。 I can’t think of a single person who would argue that their attention has increased in the last decade and Hari delves into the many reasons why。 Not a self help book， but still filled with actions， information and calm， real evidence-based research， it’s a call to action to reclaim our minds from the incessant pings and pokes of our modern lives to redress the balance and help us stay on the paths of our own choosing。Must read。 。。。more
Beth
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IF YOU WATCHED THE SOCIAL DILEMMA， IDC， YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK。 Easily， hands-down my favourite read of 2022 so far。 I definitely experienced the flow state reading this bc of my desire to monotask （the only way our brains are built to function anyway）。 Not only educational about something the entire world is suffering from right now， Hari is charming lil' writer， who is honest and generous in his work。 The extent of his research is literally 46 pages long， and his analogies are so easy to v IF YOU WATCHED THE SOCIAL DILEMMA， IDC， YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK。 Easily， hands-down my favourite read of 2022 so far。 I definitely experienced the flow state reading this bc of my desire to monotask （the only way our brains are built to function anyway）。 Not only educational about something the entire world is suffering from right now， Hari is charming lil' writer， who is honest and generous in his work。 The extent of his research is literally 46 pages long， and his analogies are so easy to visual and hold onto。 Take home point: "Our attention is being deeply altered by huge invasive forces in the wider society。 Saying the solution is primarily to personally abstain is just 'pushing it back onto the individual' when 'it's really the environmental changes that will really make the difference。" （p。 101）Thank G my dear friends George n Mollie dropped this to my house today due to being stuck in covid quarantine。 。。。more
WhatIsItLike。to
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God （if there is one） kills a kitten every time someone reads aloud a URL in an audiobook。 That was the last few minutes I had to listen to while doing my savasana。 I don't like books that shun multitasking without explaining that it's possible because we got 2 cores a physical and a mental。 Who couldn't listen to an audiobook while walking？ See， multitasking。 The guy sounds like a gay version of Tessa's boyfriend Hardin from After， with a strong accent that will be handicap if English is not yo God （if there is one） kills a kitten every time someone reads aloud a URL in an audiobook。 That was the last few minutes I had to listen to while doing my savasana。 I don't like books that shun multitasking without explaining that it's possible because we got 2 cores a physical and a mental。 Who couldn't listen to an audiobook while walking？ See， multitasking。 The guy sounds like a gay version of Tessa's boyfriend Hardin from After， with a strong accent that will be handicap if English is not your mother tongue。 The good parts of the book were about the flow state and the need to sleep more。 But as a capitalist and growth investor I had to be deeply disturbed what he had to say about how Facebook should collapse and the need for a steady-state economy。 Overall it felt like "society bad， social media bad"。 And he connected the dots how out lack of focus is why we are stuck with global warming。 I did not get an answer to why I reread a chunk of text again and again when my mind is racing， but I guess I'll just meditate and hope for the best。 The AI that pushes you content tailored to you on social media is not to blame， it's our reactions I believe， that shape the AI's profile of us。 Yup， those that can't handle it are doomed。 The book included several parts I simply didn't care about as a childfree， like how kids should play and should not get tested （not for corona）。 If the book were 5h instead of 10h maybe I could have given it a 4-star， but sadly I just couldn't wait for it to end it did not resonate with me。 If you are looking for a self help book this is not it， it's too story-based。 。。。more
Lauren Hruska
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THIS SHOULD BE READ FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH THE DESIRE TO IMPROVED THEIR CREDIT。 CYBER SERVICES MASTER IS AN EXCEPTIONALLY PROGRAMMER。 YOU MIGHT HAVE ATTEMPTED MANY CREDIT ADMINISTRATIONS AND CASH HAS BEEN WASTED TO THEM。 KEVIN ASSISTED ME WITH RECONSTRUCTING MY CREDIT REPORT BACK TO EXCELLENT WITHIN COUPLE OT DAYS。 MY FICO RATINGS ARE AROUND 456 PLUS WITH 4 BUREAU'S AND I HAVE FEW COLLECTIONS， A CHARGE-OFF， HARD INQUIRIES。 HE HELPED ME RAISE MY SCORE TO 810 SUPERB STANDARD AND REMOVE ALL NEGATIVE THIS SHOULD BE READ FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH THE DESIRE TO IMPROVED THEIR CREDIT。 CYBER SERVICES MASTER IS AN EXCEPTIONALLY PROGRAMMER。 YOU MIGHT HAVE ATTEMPTED MANY CREDIT ADMINISTRATIONS AND CASH HAS BEEN WASTED TO THEM。 KEVIN ASSISTED ME WITH RECONSTRUCTING MY CREDIT REPORT BACK TO EXCELLENT WITHIN COUPLE OT DAYS。 MY FICO RATINGS ARE AROUND 456 PLUS WITH 4 BUREAU'S AND I HAVE FEW COLLECTIONS， A CHARGE-OFF， HARD INQUIRIES。 HE HELPED ME RAISE MY SCORE TO 810 SUPERB STANDARD AND REMOVE ALL NEGATIVE ITEMS ON MY CREDIT REPORT。 HE IS GUARANTEED TO MEET EVERY CONCERN AND GIVE YOU VALUABLE KNOWLEDGE 。 CONTACT FOR EASY COMMUNICATION: kevinpoulsencyberservices （@） gmail （DOT） com ！ *NO TIME TO WAST MONEY* 。。。more
Benas Nektarinas
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Essential。
JP
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A great discussion about a major issue of present time。In my view， its objectivity was weakened by the quality of anecdotes and analogies but I agree with the sentiments within。Very interesting， thought provoking and I especially appreciate the complexity of these issues acknowledged throughout。
Hannah
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My copy is on its way and I can't wait to dive in！ My copy is on its way and I can't wait to dive in！ 。。。more
Haley Donahue
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3。5* Worthwhile read due to Hari's thoughts on cruel optimism and the fallacy of mindfulness and meditation as a panacea for our societal attention breakdown。There were great nuggets on flow states， our overwhelmed pre-frontal cortexes， the costs of switching between tasks， the growth economy， and the call for a "curated" news source rather than endlessly scrolling for updates。 Yet， I was thrown by the misleading， overly simplified school lunch and food system extrapolations to ADHD。 After readi 3。5* Worthwhile read due to Hari's thoughts on cruel optimism and the fallacy of mindfulness and meditation as a panacea for our societal attention breakdown。There were great nuggets on flow states， our overwhelmed pre-frontal cortexes， the costs of switching between tasks， the growth economy， and the call for a "curated" news source rather than endlessly scrolling for updates。 Yet， I was thrown by the misleading， overly simplified school lunch and food system extrapolations to ADHD。 After reading Chasing the Scream and watched the Social Media Dilemma--there were moments of over repetition， but also a few meaningful connections。Overall， at cost of putting me in a bit of a funk， it gave me a deep awareness of my lack of complete influence over my own attention; however， I am still looking forward to reading Lost Connections。 。。。more
Andrew Pochedly
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Stolen Focus unfolds over it's 287 pages from a personal account of detoxing from distraction devices like phones and laptops to cover the systemic sources of our human misery。 I found this book very readable finishing it in a couple days and at times somewhat obvious。 Having studied to be a social worker I was aware of the ACES study and the impact it has had on how we understand trauma and the impact it has over the course of our lives。 I really appreciated the work Hari does in interviewing a Stolen Focus unfolds over it's 287 pages from a personal account of detoxing from distraction devices like phones and laptops to cover the systemic sources of our human misery。 I found this book very readable finishing it in a couple days and at times somewhat obvious。 Having studied to be a social worker I was aware of the ACES study and the impact it has had on how we understand trauma and the impact it has over the course of our lives。 I really appreciated the work Hari does in interviewing and researching。 This is a thoroughly researched book and he is very good at admitting when research is fuzzy and how there is often times a lack of consensus among experts。 What remains is very worrisome picture of human civilization。 Cruel optimism puts our individual fates in our individual hands。 Pick your self up by your bootstraps and take back your focus the silicon valley execs say。 But can we really bootstrap our selves away from surveillance capitalism？ Can we bootstrap ourselves away from the cocktail of poison we come in contact on a daily basis through car exhaust， pollution， food and disease？ Surprisingly Stolen Focus is a call to collective action。 Hari notes how distant problems like worker exploitation and ozone killing hairspray were solved through collective action。 By the end Hari addresses the elephant in the room， our growth based economy。 An economy that values growth and only growth will continue stealing our attention because we can only consume when we are awake。 。。。more
K M
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Goodreads Giveaway
Keith Hubner
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Really interesting book， really made me think about how our attention has been eroded and the importance of focus。 This book covers a lot of topics not just the obvious one of modern technology， would recommend this book to anymore。
Andrea
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