Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention
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- Create Date：2023-03-02 04:52:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Johann Hari
- ISBN：1526620219
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Summary
Our ability to pay attention is collapsing。 From the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections comes a groundbreaking examination of why this is happening--and how to get our attention back。
Like so many of us， Johann Hari was finding it much harder to focus than he used to。 He found that a life of constantly switching from device to device， from tab to tab， is diminishing and depressing。 He tried all sorts of self-help solutions--even abandoning his phone for three months--but in the long-term， nothing seemed to work。 So Hari went on an epic journey across the world to interview the leading experts on human attention and to study their scientific findings--and learned that everything we think we know about this crisis is wrong。
In the U。S。， teenagers now focus on a task for only sixty-five seconds on average， and office workers manage only three minutes。 We think this inability to focus is a personal flaw， an individual failure to exert enough willpower over our devices。 The truth is even more disturbing: Our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces， and the science shows that these forces have been ramping up for decades--leaving us uniquely vulnerable， when social media arrived， to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit。 These forces have been so successful that our collapse in attention is behind many of the wider problems society faces。
In Stolen Focus， Hari embarks on a thrilling journey， taking readers from veterinarians who diagnose dogs with ADHD， to Silicon Valley dissidents who exposed social media companies' furtive attempts to hack our focus; from a favela in Rio where everyone lost their attention in a particularly catastrophic way， to an office in New Zealand that discovered a remarkable technique to restore their workers' attention。
In this urgent， deeply researched book， Hari shows that if we understand the twelve true causes of this crisis--from the collapse of sustained reading to the disruption of boredom to rising pollution--we， as individuals and as a society， can finally begin to solve it by staging an attention rebellion。 Finally， we have a way to get our focus back。
Like so many of us， Johann Hari was finding it much harder to focus than he used to。 He found that a life of constantly switching from device to device， from tab to tab， is diminishing and depressing。 He tried all sorts of self-help solutions--even abandoning his phone for three months--but in the long-term， nothing seemed to work。 So Hari went on an epic journey across the world to interview the leading experts on human attention and to study their scientific findings--and learned that everything we think we know about this crisis is wrong。
In the U。S。， teenagers now focus on a task for only sixty-five seconds on average， and office workers manage only three minutes。 We think this inability to focus is a personal flaw， an individual failure to exert enough willpower over our devices。 The truth is even more disturbing: Our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces， and the science shows that these forces have been ramping up for decades--leaving us uniquely vulnerable， when social media arrived， to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit。 These forces have been so successful that our collapse in attention is behind many of the wider problems society faces。
In Stolen Focus， Hari embarks on a thrilling journey， taking readers from veterinarians who diagnose dogs with ADHD， to Silicon Valley dissidents who exposed social media companies' furtive attempts to hack our focus; from a favela in Rio where everyone lost their attention in a particularly catastrophic way， to an office in New Zealand that discovered a remarkable technique to restore their workers' attention。
In this urgent， deeply researched book， Hari shows that if we understand the twelve true causes of this crisis--from the collapse of sustained reading to the disruption of boredom to rising pollution--we， as individuals and as a society， can finally begin to solve it by staging an attention rebellion。 Finally， we have a way to get our focus back。
Reviews
Sherry
，
I personally loved the book and found it highly relevant。 I think subconsciously I am aware of attention problems but Johann pointed out the various reasons very thoroughly。 It is a well researched book and though lots of studies are quoted， it is still very engaging。 The important message was that it’s not an individual’s fault but the environment that we are creating for ourselves and future generations。 Definitely recommend。
Konstans
，
Hari tutkulu bir adam。 Kafasında bir soru işareti tespit ettiği an o sorunun cevabını bulmayı tutkulu bir şekilde kendine iş ediniyor。 Kaybolan bağlar kitabında depresyonun bir sebebi olmalı ama o değil bu değil şu değil öyleyse ne diyerek yaptığı yolculuğu anlatıyordu。 Bu kitapta ise neden sürekli dikkati dağınık daldan dala gezen bi işin ucunu tutamadığı gibi sonunu da getirmekten aciz kalan canlılara dönüştük meselesine kafayı takıyor。 Kitabın adı ve kaybolan bağlarda depresyona yönelik ezber Hari tutkulu bir adam。 Kafasında bir soru işareti tespit ettiği an o sorunun cevabını bulmayı tutkulu bir şekilde kendine iş ediniyor。 Kaybolan bağlar kitabında depresyonun bir sebebi olmalı ama o değil bu değil şu değil öyleyse ne diyerek yaptığı yolculuğu anlatıyordu。 Bu kitapta ise neden sürekli dikkati dağınık daldan dala gezen bi işin ucunu tutamadığı gibi sonunu da getirmekten aciz kalan canlılara dönüştük meselesine kafayı takıyor。 Kitabın adı ve kaybolan bağlarda depresyona yönelik ezber popüler ifadelerden farklı şeyler söylemesi dolayısıyla edindiği kredi sayesinde belli bir beklenti yaratıyor。 Çünkü gerçekten odaklanıp， başladığı işi sekteye uğramadan bitirebilen insanlar nadide eserler haline geldi。 Bir çoğumuz bu dikkatini toplayamama meselesinden muzdaribiz。 Ancak kitap bana beklediğim hiçbir şeyi vermedi。 Aklımda hep harinin falancayla görüşmek için şu şehre filancayla konuşmak için hoooop bu şehre diye kıtalalararası kuş misali yaptığı yolculuklarla kalacak bu kitap。 Evet bir çok fikir var aklında şundan olabilir bundandır vb diye ancak konuşup muhatap olduğu kişilerle yaptığı görüşmeler bana çok dağınık geldi。 Bir türlü ana fikri kavrayamadım。 Mesela sosyal medyanın internetin bi çeşit zararı var vaktimizi ve dikkatimizi çok fazla ele geçiriyor ama faydası da var aynı zamanda eee o zaman tam olarak sorun ne？ Nereye bağlıyoruz şimdi bu konuyu？ Gibi hep asılı kaldı kadamda birşeyler。 Kitap bölümler ilerledikçe çevresel faktörlerin gıda piyasasının ülkelerin iç siyasetinin hatta genlerin de dahil olduğu geniş bir açı kazanıyor ama yine birşey demiyor。 Bana demedi en azından。Hari ısrarla kişisel gelişim kitabı değil bu diyor doğrudur ancak kişisel gelişim kitabı olmasa dahi böyle bir konuyu ele alan bir kitaptan daha gerçekçi ve mümkün yöntemler ya da net ve açık sonuçlar bekleyebilmeliyim。 ben bu kitapta bunu bulamadığım gibi son iki bölümü okumak artık iyiden iyiye eziyet halini aldı çünkü görüştüğü uzmanlar ya da ilgili kişilerle yaptığı konuşmalar bana çok muğlak ve soyut geldi。 Kitabın yöntemi bu olduğu ve her bölüm bu yöntemle kurgulanıp yazıldığı için evet şimdi aklıma sorunun şu yönü geldi ve bunun için Çemişgezekte yaşayan uzman falanca ile görüşmek için uçağa bindim uçakta kazlara baktım geyiklere baktım uzman falanca ile buluştuk neden dedim o da dedi sen hayatında hiç ankesörlü telefonda leblebi yazmayı denedin mi？ Yani fazla alaya almışım gibi oluyor farkındayım ama aşağı yukarı bu şekilde gidiyor kitap。 Ve en sonunda artık bizlerin yanlış ve berbat beslenmek zorunda bırakılan，uykuya düşman edilen， hava kirliliği ve beton içinde doğadan izole yaşamaya itilen insanlar olarak ayaklanıp kitlesel bir şeyler yapmamızı telkin ederek bağlıyor yani sıfır。 Kaybolan bağlar yine iyiydi ayakları yere basan tavsiyeler çıkarımlar içeriyordu da çalınan dikkat tam bir zaman kaybı oldu benim için。 。。。more
Jimmy
，
Great book
Michael Ciccarone
，
I was very close to giving this book two stars by the end。 I think the author's overall thesis is an intriguing and compelling one which pushed it to 3 stars， especially with regard to big tech and social medias role in negatively impacting our attention; but much of the analysis was so simplistic and solutions proposed bordering on naive， and in some cases contradictory to his thesis （looking at you， chapter on pollution）， that I found myself ready to be done with the book with about a third le I was very close to giving this book two stars by the end。 I think the author's overall thesis is an intriguing and compelling one which pushed it to 3 stars， especially with regard to big tech and social medias role in negatively impacting our attention; but much of the analysis was so simplistic and solutions proposed bordering on naive， and in some cases contradictory to his thesis （looking at you， chapter on pollution）， that I found myself ready to be done with the book with about a third left。 Also， after reading some reviews， I'm troubled by the author's history of cherry picking statistics at best and plagiarism at worst。 I do think some of the individual insights on how to better focus are interesting are helpful。I'll also add that I don't like the trend of journalists making their process of writing， part of the story。 The author often starts a paragraph with， "I wanted to know X， so I flew to Y to speak with Z。" So much superfluous information that I found distracting。 Just tell us what Z person has to say， or their research found。 。。。more
Partha Pritom
，
2 months into this new year 2023。 And I think this is the favorite book of this year。 One of those books everyone should read。 People in silicon Valley are mourning what they've created。 The collective downgrading of humans， and the upgrading of machines， is causing far reaching effects on society。 We are becoming less focused， less rational， less compassionate。 The negativity bias causes these platforms to push negativity and extremism。 Television has changed our ability to think in a way that 2 months into this new year 2023。 And I think this is the favorite book of this year。 One of those books everyone should read。 People in silicon Valley are mourning what they've created。 The collective downgrading of humans， and the upgrading of machines， is causing far reaching effects on society。 We are becoming less focused， less rational， less compassionate。 The negativity bias causes these platforms to push negativity and extremism。 Television has changed our ability to think in a way that is so fundamental it's hard to see。 The medium is the message。 Its not a pipeline， its a filter， it's a format of goggles。 Twitter for example， that medium send the message that life is simple and your half baked opinions need to be thrown into the void。 Books insinuate life is complicated and requires the time， focus and thought to begin to understand。We have to slow down our constantly task-switching mind to Focus again to our life 。。。more
Peter Yock
，
I'm really glad I read this book， and it's already changed the way I both view and use social media in particular。 For the first 2/3 - 3/4 of this book， I felt almost fully persuaded by the author and his views on the sources of our struggles with attention。 In particular， his mounting argument of the multiple reasons this is occurring to us all at a societal level were extremely helpful。 His insights helped me to realise that I can never truly say I use social media for my own purposes， because I'm really glad I read this book， and it's already changed the way I both view and use social media in particular。 For the first 2/3 - 3/4 of this book， I felt almost fully persuaded by the author and his views on the sources of our struggles with attention。 In particular， his mounting argument of the multiple reasons this is occurring to us all at a societal level were extremely helpful。 His insights helped me to realise that I can never truly say I use social media for my own purposes， because the reason the social media platforms I use exist is to prophet from my use， and from maximising the amount of time I spend on them。I found his experiment of considering how a social media platform might function differently if it was actually driven by helping you live out your values the standout feature of the book。 This exercise alone helped me realise that my own （frequent and lengthy） use of social media was and is out of sync with my own personal values， and therefore something I was being negatively influenced by， more than I realised。By the final several chaptes of the book， he lost me a bit。 In particular， though I did like much of what he had to say about parenting， education， and ADHD， I was not fully on board with his observations， nor did they match with my own experience of life with children who suffer from ADHD。 That means he kinda lost me before the end。 But many of his conclusions were gold and good， even if they did feel a little 'pie in the sky' at times。I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to be more aware of the flow-on effects of using social media， be it platforms like Instagram/facebook/tiktok etc， or potentially 'less sinister' but just as savege ones like Gmail/Youtube/Amazon and websites that track your information。 。。。more
John McPhee
，
Hari summary at end is gold …。I had been applying what I’d learned on this journey steadily， step by step， to improve my own attention。 I’d made six big changes in my life。One: I used pre-commitment to stop switching tasks so much。 Pre-commitment is when you realize that if you want to change your behavior， you have to take steps now that will lock in that desire and make it harder for you to crack later。 One key step for me was buying a kSafe， which—as I mentioned briefly before—is a large plas Hari summary at end is gold …。I had been applying what I’d learned on this journey steadily， step by step， to improve my own attention。 I’d made six big changes in my life。One: I used pre-commitment to stop switching tasks so much。 Pre-commitment is when you realize that if you want to change your behavior， you have to take steps now that will lock in that desire and make it harder for you to crack later。 One key step for me was buying a kSafe， which—as I mentioned briefly before—is a large plastic safe with a removable lid。 You put your phone in it， put the lid back on， and turn the dial at the top for however long you want—from fifteen minutes to two weeks—and then it locks your phone away for as long as you selected。 Before I went on this journey， my use of it was patchy。 Now I use it every day without exception， and that buys me long stretches of focus。 I also use on my laptop a program called Freedom， which cuts it off from the internet for as long as I select。 （As I write this sentence， it’s counting down from three hours。）Two: I have changed the way I respond to my own sense of distraction。 I used to reproach myself， and say: You’re lazy。 You’re not good enough。 What’s wrong with you？ I tried to shame myself into focusing harder。 Now， based on what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi taught me， instead I have a very different conversation with myself。 I ask: What could you do now to get into a flow state， and access your mind’s own ability to focus deeply？ I remember what Mihaly taught me are the main components of flow， and I say to myself: What would be something meaningful to me that I could do now？ What is at the edge of my abilities？ How can I do something that matches these criteria now？ Seeking out flow， I learned， is far more effective than self-punishing shame。Three: based on what I learned about the way social media is designed to hack our attention spans， I now take six months of the year totally off it。 （This time is divided into chunks， usually of a few months。） To make sure I stick to it， I always announce publicly when I am going off—I’ll tweet that I am leaving the site for a certain amount of time， so that I will feel like a fool if I suddenly crack and go back a week later。 I also get my friend Lizzie to change my passwords。Four: I acted on what I learned about the importance of mind-wandering。 I realized that letting your mind wander is not a crumbling of attention， but in fact a crucial form of attention in its own right。 It is when you let your mind drift away from your immediate surroundings that it starts to think over the past， and starts to game out the future， and makes connections between different things you have learned。 Now I make it a point to go for a walk for an hour every day without my phone or anything else that could distract me。 I let my thoughts float and find unexpected connections。 I found that， precisely because I give my attention space to roam， my thinking is sharper， and I have better ideas。Five: I used to see sleep as a luxury， or—worse—as an enemy。 Now I am strict with myself about getting eight hours every night。 I have a little ritual where I make myself unwind: I don’t look at screens for two hours before I go to bed， and I light a scented candle and try to set aside the stresses of the day。 I bought a FitBit device to measure my sleep， and if I get less than eight hours， I make myself go back to bed。 This has made a really big difference。Six: I’m not a parent， but I am very involved in the lives of my godchildren and my young relatives。 I used to spend a lot of my time with them deliberately doing things—busy， educational activities I would plan out in advance。 Now I spend most of my time with them just playing freely， or letting them play on their own without being managed or oversupervised or imprisoned。 I learned that the more free play they get， the more sound a foundation they will have for their focus and attention。 I try to give them as much of that as I can。I would like to be able to tell you that I also do other things I learned I should do to improve my focus—cut out processed foods， meditate every day， build in other slow practices like yoga， and take an extra day off work each week。 。。。more
Katrina
，
Question: when you're reading a book or watching TV， or even socialising with others face to face， how often do you glance down at your phone？ How often do you open social media 'for a sec'， or reply to a notification， or look at your emails？ For most of us， it's often。 Really， really often。 And we can't， for the most part， help it。 We're conditioned that way。 Stolen Focus is a thoughtful， well-written exploration of the attention crisis consuming all of us - but， importantly， this is not a self Question: when you're reading a book or watching TV， or even socialising with others face to face， how often do you glance down at your phone？ How often do you open social media 'for a sec'， or reply to a notification， or look at your emails？ For most of us， it's often。 Really， really often。 And we can't， for the most part， help it。 We're conditioned that way。 Stolen Focus is a thoughtful， well-written exploration of the attention crisis consuming all of us - but， importantly， this is not a self-help book。 From the outset， Hari makes it clear that while there are small steps we can take as individuals to reassess our relationship with technology， the deck is heavily stacked against us。The book's revelations about Big Tech are perhaps not surprising （particularly if you'e read about the topic before or watched docos like The Social Network）， but they are still a punch in the gut。 Eyes on screens = dollars， and until tech companies work for us， and not for advertisers， the engineering of the platforms we all use grows ever more sophisticated in collating our data。One of the more surprising elements of the book as a whole， however， was its consistent message of hope。 Among all the dystopian gloom， there are interviews with tech insiders （many of whom invented the very systems that now plague us） outlining the fairly basic steps that can be taken at a government and corporate level to alter the way these platforms work。 If people demand it， the platforms will change， even if the fight is long and difficult - history tells us that。The chapters on ADHD appear to be contentious among some reviewers - Hari does not have ADHD， nor is he a psychologist or a scientist， so I'd be interested to know what professionals in that field，and people afflicted with ADHD， make of his arguments。 He presents differing sides of the equation and does acknowledge it is a fraught space， and as an 'outsider' I found those chapters interesting， though I can see how they might be triggering for neuro-diverse people。 The main thrust of this book affects all of us in 21st century society， and it isn't something we should bury our heads in the sand over。 This is an important， encouraging， and fascinating read that I will absolutely be recommending to everybody。 。。。more
Jo
，
4。5/5Brilliant book focusing on all the ways our ability to focus and pay attention is being compromised。 Should be read by every teacher， parent， policy maker and CEO。 I've seen my own ability to focus diminish rapidly over the last few years and this really helped me to understand why and how this is not a problem with me but a much wider problem in terms of social media business models， our changing perceptions of creativity and an economy bent on making everyone work harder for longer contri 4。5/5Brilliant book focusing on all the ways our ability to focus and pay attention is being compromised。 Should be read by every teacher， parent， policy maker and CEO。 I've seen my own ability to focus diminish rapidly over the last few years and this really helped me to understand why and how this is not a problem with me but a much wider problem in terms of social media business models， our changing perceptions of creativity and an economy bent on making everyone work harder for longer contributing to a stress epidemic。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Damon Overboe
，
This book highlights many of the frustrations I already have and distractions I am already aware of， along with some history。 It also shares several distractions and behaviors that I was not aware of。 There are also some tips on how to combat these attention sucks; again some I was aware of and some not。From a learning perspective， it's very good。 For some reason I can't articulate at the moment though， I loved this book。 Maybe because it forced me to slow down and think。 During the first chapte This book highlights many of the frustrations I already have and distractions I am already aware of， along with some history。 It also shares several distractions and behaviors that I was not aware of。 There are also some tips on how to combat these attention sucks; again some I was aware of and some not。From a learning perspective， it's very good。 For some reason I can't articulate at the moment though， I loved this book。 Maybe because it forced me to slow down and think。 During the first chapter， I found myself thinking "Man， this guy can write， but GET TO THE POINT！" Only to laugh at myself in the second chapter when he points out how all of us are so conditioned now to just skim a news feed or blog， never slowing down enough to fully comprehend it， fracturing our focus even more。（view spoiler）[Throughout the book， he shows how our technology is speeding us up， beyond the point or speed that we should operate at; that a slower pace is more compatible with our human nature， but we have been steadily accelerating since the industrial revolution and a remarkable pace。 Simply slowing down， getting rid of immediate attention nags （as hard as that is） can help us regain focus and the ability to think deeply。 （hide spoiler）] I love eReaders because of the ease of access， but this book has encouraged me to go back to printed books。 Whereas I used to only read a book in print if I needed to mark it up or couldn't find the eBook， I have recently switched that behavior。 。。。more
Shana
，
3。5 rounded down。 I knew almost everything in this book already， and I don't feel like I am someone who has too much trouble with paying attention。 So I would take my review lightly， this may interest you if you do have a hard time with focus。 I wish there were more about solutions here。 I like there are the websites for originations in the back。 A lot of it in America just feels like we are fucked or you have to be well off to get the school that you will learn better。 I hope that Americans fig 3。5 rounded down。 I knew almost everything in this book already， and I don't feel like I am someone who has too much trouble with paying attention。 So I would take my review lightly， this may interest you if you do have a hard time with focus。 I wish there were more about solutions here。 I like there are the websites for originations in the back。 A lot of it in America just feels like we are fucked or you have to be well off to get the school that you will learn better。 I hope that Americans fight for children and for regulations put on social media site。 。。。more
Cathy
，
Early days since I've finished this book， but I dare say it may be one of the most profound， thought-provoking books I've ever read。 Much of the science in Hari's book may be debatable， but it's a debate that should be taking place in every home， school， board room and workplace across the world。 Our society needs to pay attention to the issues raised in Stolen Focus， and we need to pay attention now。 Early days since I've finished this book， but I dare say it may be one of the most profound， thought-provoking books I've ever read。 Much of the science in Hari's book may be debatable， but it's a debate that should be taking place in every home， school， board room and workplace across the world。 Our society needs to pay attention to the issues raised in Stolen Focus， and we need to pay attention now。 。。。more
Alice Wrench
，
Excellent， absolute must read！
Eyyüb
，
The book re-navigates the reader's attention and calls for action to think and focus better。 The book re-navigates the reader's attention and calls for action to think and focus better。 。。。more
Taylor
，
Well researched and interesting book about the internet， focus， time。 Not a self help book so not a ton of practical tips but still highlighted some suggestions about flow state and focus generally。 Also appreciated there were a lot of hopeful points to prevent pessimism。 Would definitely recommend。
Brain
，
Infidelity is one act that is not required in marriages not relationships， I had a taste of how it hurts badly to be cheated on， My spouse whom I had love my whole life decided to cheat on me， I figured this out when I noticed the strange and awkward attitudes that was shown to me， I was worried why he grinned so much at his phone screen， not that I’m insecure， but because， it was a strange occurrence in the relationship， we had talks over it but nothing was changed， then I decided to take a ste Infidelity is one act that is not required in marriages not relationships， I had a taste of how it hurts badly to be cheated on， My spouse whom I had love my whole life decided to cheat on me， I figured this out when I noticed the strange and awkward attitudes that was shown to me， I was worried why he grinned so much at his phone screen， not that I’m insecure， but because， it was a strange occurrence in the relationship， we had talks over it but nothing was changed， then I decided to take a step forward by consulting an expert who will get into his phone， I was lucky to have read your comment about infotheprohackres@ gmail com， who helped me gain access into my spouse’s phone。 You also， can make use of his service by sending him an email via his information below。Email: infotheprohackers@gmail。com。 。。。more
Allie Lahey
，
I really liked this book！ This is a good book to basically summarize issues happening under global capitalism， with tech at the forefront。 I would recommend this to a friend who isn't super interested in politics。 In the end， phones bad I really liked this book！ This is a good book to basically summarize issues happening under global capitalism， with tech at the forefront。 I would recommend this to a friend who isn't super interested in politics。 In the end， phones bad 。。。more
Kelly Virkler
，
4。5！ This book had a huge influence on me。 I've already disabled 80% of the notifications I was getting on my phone every day。 So many excellent points raised in this book。 This should be required reading for everyone。 4。5！ This book had a huge influence on me。 I've already disabled 80% of the notifications I was getting on my phone every day。 So many excellent points raised in this book。 This should be required reading for everyone。 。。。more
Rosemary O'Neill
，
Startling and compelling dive into the many forces that are shattering our ability to focus and think deeply - and what we need to do about it
Hayley
，
3。75 stars This was an accessible book and I think everyone could benefit from reading it。 The most interesting part of the book for me was how technology is used and our focus is decreased。 As pointed out in this book， it is not necessarily the technology that is the downfall but the apps or the programs that we use。 They are all designed to grab your attention and get you to actively participate for extended periods of time。 Streaks on Snapchat， infinite scrolling， notifications， etc。 By being 3。75 stars This was an accessible book and I think everyone could benefit from reading it。 The most interesting part of the book for me was how technology is used and our focus is decreased。 As pointed out in this book， it is not necessarily the technology that is the downfall but the apps or the programs that we use。 They are all designed to grab your attention and get you to actively participate for extended periods of time。 Streaks on Snapchat， infinite scrolling， notifications， etc。 By being aware of how this works it is easier to limit or say no。 I also thought the study of four day working week was encouraging， with productivity no less but quality of life improved。 We all know that the less stress we have the easier it is to focus。 There were many other factors covered。 Food， sleep， environment， etc。 This book gave me lots to ponder and like all works of non fiction some points seemed to strike a chord more than others。 。。。more
Natalia
，
The book is solid except for the awful， misleading， and poorly argued sections on ADHD。
Kari Brenden-Bech
，
Siden du ikke kan sloss mot tech-selskapene og matvaregigantene alene， kan du like godt hive mobiltelefonen og ipaden， eventuelt spise dem siden de uansett sikkert er sunnere enn de fleste matvarene i butikken。 Veldig god analyse av grunnene til at vi mister fokuset。
Ky DeepDiveThis
，
QUICK BITS•Nonfiction•Anecdotal •New realityREVIEWI really liked the idea of this book， but it didn't have the impact I would have hoped for。I liked the general setup for the book and the author taking us on his journey of trying to regain his focus by disconnecting from the world。However， quite ironically I didn't find the flow or focus to really enjoy it （which is actually quite rare for me reading nonfiction）。I felt that there were a few chapters that could have been shortened or cut and the QUICK BITS•Nonfiction•Anecdotal •New realityREVIEWI really liked the idea of this book， but it didn't have the impact I would have hoped for。I liked the general setup for the book and the author taking us on his journey of trying to regain his focus by disconnecting from the world。However， quite ironically I didn't find the flow or focus to really enjoy it （which is actually quite rare for me reading nonfiction）。I felt that there were a few chapters that could have been shortened or cut and the a bit more concise storytelling would be beneficial。 In some ways， I think if you are writing a book about stolen focus it should be constructed and written with the understanding the dissemination of the information needs to be quick， concise， and grabbing。 I still think this is a beneficial read， but I will look to another title to explore this topic further。 RATINGS6 Writing Style5 Intrigue8 Logic5 Enjoyment1 Impact BonusTOTAL= 26+1= 27/8= 3。371。00/5。00 Impact Rating--A couple of things I will take with me， but nothing that actually reframed or rearranged my world3。25/5。00 Rounded Rating 。。。more
Morrison
，
As a fan of Hari I do enjoy his voice and engagement。 The book however does drag on in certain places， of how holidays were spent， people spoken to or musings about nature。 The book does fairly in outlining why you can't pay attention but if you took 10 minutes why that would be I'm sure you'd figure it out and how to address this。 Readers beware the book offers no practical answers， nor does it claim too。 Some of the points raised were worth the price of admission but it was a bit of a slog。 As a fan of Hari I do enjoy his voice and engagement。 The book however does drag on in certain places， of how holidays were spent， people spoken to or musings about nature。 The book does fairly in outlining why you can't pay attention but if you took 10 minutes why that would be I'm sure you'd figure it out and how to address this。 Readers beware the book offers no practical answers， nor does it claim too。 Some of the points raised were worth the price of admission but it was a bit of a slog。 。。。more
Sergii Kekukh
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Коротко。 Замість «є проблема і ось як ви можете з нею боротись»， книга дає посил «є проблема і ось хто у ній винний （спойлер - це точно не ви）»。 Довго。 Мабуть， було помилкою читати цю книгу після The Choice - історія про віктимне мислення і небезпеку перекладання відповідальністі в житті на інших。 Stolen Focus， в свою чергу， майже повністю про перекладання відповідальності。 Після захлоплюючого початку – про досвід автора відмови від гаджетів і як наслідок купа якісних змін – книга далі скатилася Коротко。 Замість «є проблема і ось як ви можете з нею боротись»， книга дає посил «є проблема і ось хто у ній винний （спойлер - це точно не ви）»。 Довго。 Мабуть， було помилкою читати цю книгу після The Choice - історія про віктимне мислення і небезпеку перекладання відповідальністі в житті на інших。 Stolen Focus， в свою чергу， майже повністю про перекладання відповідальності。 Після захлоплюючого початку – про досвід автора відмови від гаджетів і як наслідок купа якісних змін – книга далі скатилася в суцільне ниття。 Ниття про те， як монстри на кшталт Facebook та Google крадуть наш час і змушують нас ставати залежними від їх продуктів。 І як вони чинять супротив спробам певних працівників цих компаній протидіяти нашій залежності。 І що звичайні люди зливають життя в соціальних мережах і телефонах без шансів врятуватись， адже це все плив “ширших сил”。 А ще автор приводить приклад ожиріння - виявляється， справа не в тому， що люди бездумно вживають “порожню” і висококалорійну їжу і мало рухаються， а знову ж таки в “ширших силах” і лихій харчовій промисловості， що змушує нас їсти чіпси замість свіжих овочів і лежати на дивані замість прогулянки。 І рішення проблеми， за словами автора， це не нам ставати більш свідомими і відповідальними， а зміни корпорацій і індустрій。 Таке собі рішення。 P。S。 А на що я сподівався з такою назвою книги？ Мовляв， не ми свою увагу віддаємо， а у нас її просто вкрали。 。。。more
Flori
，
I really liked the first half of the book but as the style of story telling completely changed halfway through the book， I put it down。
Jill Tait
，
Wow this is a must read by everyone。 Loved it。
Joseph
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Interesting look at systemic reasons we're all losing our ability to focus， some of which you might not immediately expect。 Felt a little naive at times especially regarding potential solutions， but Hari's certainly done his research。 I took a lot of notes。 Interesting look at systemic reasons we're all losing our ability to focus， some of which you might not immediately expect。 Felt a little naive at times especially regarding potential solutions， but Hari's certainly done his research。 I took a lot of notes。 。。。more
Lenka Otap
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This book made me think and reflect on a lot of things in my life， society， and the life that we live。 I love books that make me think and question some status quo。 Luckily I was reading this book at a time I got suspended and blocked from my own account on Facebook， with seemingly no way to get my account back。 The book helps me to see the positive side of this and makes me not want to create a new account for now， even though I feel really conflicted。 Also， I agree with the need for taking mor This book made me think and reflect on a lot of things in my life， society， and the life that we live。 I love books that make me think and question some status quo。 Luckily I was reading this book at a time I got suspended and blocked from my own account on Facebook， with seemingly no way to get my account back。 The book helps me to see the positive side of this and makes me not want to create a new account for now， even though I feel really conflicted。 Also， I agree with the need for taking more time to mind-wander and reflect （I do that a lot during my daily running hour++）， so I guess the book also feeds my confirmation bias。 Yes to more play， fun， reflections， daydreaming， flow in your working time， and doing things that make you feel alive。 。。。more
Jamie
，
Too good。 As an adult woman dx with ADHD and a psychotherapist this book is a MUST read。 I recommend to ppl all the time。 Fantastic。 Thank you！
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