Libby Audiobook: Stolen Focus, Johann Hari

 

10 key learnings from Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

1. OUR LOSS OF FOCUS IS NOT SIMPLY A PERSONAL FAILURE

We live in an environment that is increasingly designed to distract us. Improving our attention therefore requires more than simply telling ourselves to concentrate harder.

2. MULTITASKING IS LARGELY A MYTH

What we call multitasking is usually rapid switching between tasks. Every switch has a cognitive cost, making us slower, less accurate and less able to think deeply.

3. TECHNOLOGY IS DELIBERATELY DESIGNED TO CAPTURE OUR ATTENTION

Notifications, infinite scrolling, recommendations and other features are designed to keep us engaged. Our attention has commercial value, which means some of the world's most sophisticated technology is competing for it.

4. DEEP FOCUS NEEDS UNINTERRUPTED TIME

We are capable of entering a state of "flow", where we become completely absorbed in something meaningful and sufficiently challenging. The task needs to stretch us enough to hold our attention, without being so difficult that we become overwhelmed. Constant interruptions make reaching and maintaining this state much harder.

5. BOREDOM AND MIND-WANDERING ARE VALUABLE

We do not need to fill every spare moment with stimulation. Allowing our minds to wander helps us process experiences, make connections, solve problems and think creatively.

6. SLEEP IS ESSENTIAL FOR ATTENTION

Sleep deprivation damages concentration, memory, decision-making and reaction time. Severe sleep deprivation can impair our functioning to a degree comparable with alcohol intoxication. Research has found that being awake for around 17 to 19 hours can produce impairment comparable with, and on some measures worse than, a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%.

7. HARI'S TECHNOLOGY DETOX SHOWED HOW ATTENTION CAN RECOVER

During three months without a smartphone or internet in Provincetown, Hari found that his concentration, reading, sleep and ability to let his mind wander improved. Removing constant digital stimulation gave his attention room to return.

8. CHILDREN NEED INDEPENDENT, UNSTRUCTURED PLAY

Children learn problem-solving, negotiation, creativity, independence and how to assess risk by playing without constant adult supervision. Fear, including parental fears about kidnapping and safety, has contributed to children having much less freedom to explore and figure things out for themselves.

9. READING BOOKS TRAINS SUSTAINED ATTENTION

Reading requires us to stay with one idea or story for an extended period. It exercises a slower and deeper form of concentration than constantly scrolling, clicking and skimming information.

10. WE CANNOT SOLVE THE ATTENTION CRISIS THROUGH INDIVIDUAL WILLPOWER ALONE

Turning off notifications and putting our phones away can help, but Hari's larger argument is that many of the forces damaging our attention are systemic. Protecting attention requires changes both in our own behaviour and in the environments and technologies surrounding us.

MY BIGGEST TAKEAWAY

Protecting our attention isn't only about eliminating distractions. We also need to deliberately create space for uninterrupted thought, boredom, reading, play and simply doing nothing.

4/5

Libby: The Scammer, Tiffany D. Jackson

 

The Scammer was my first Tiffany D. Jackson book, so I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

Initially, I wasn't quite sure what all the hype was about, and I wasn't sure about the direction the story was taking. But somewhere along the way it completely pulled me in, and I ended up really enjoying it.

I got SO frustrated with the characters and some of the decisions they made. There were plenty of moments when I wanted to reach into the book and shake some sense into them. But I think that frustration was also part of what kept me reading. I was invested.

And then came the ending.

I didn't understand it. 😂 I finished the book, sat there wondering what on earth I'd missed, and eventually had to Google an explanation. Once I'd done that, it made much more sense, although I do think I would have preferred the ending to be a little clearer without requiring outside assistance!

Still, this was clever, engaging and very different from what I expected. For a book I started with some scepticism, it thoroughly won me over.

4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kindle Audiobook, The Other Twin, Shalini Boland

I usually really enjoy Shalini Boland's books. I like her writing, they're easy to get into, and I know there is almost always a clever twist coming. The Other Twin delivers on that front too, and there is some rather satisfying karma at the end.

But this one wasn't my favourite.

The basic premise irritated me because I just didn't find the behaviour of the sisters particularly believable. One twin can't have children and asks her sister to be her surrogate. Her sister becomes pregnant with twins, but decides she wants to keep one of the babies herself.

And the response? Her twin is so furious that she can't have both babies that she cuts her sister out of her life completely. They make sure she is financially provided for, but otherwise sever ties.

I struggled with that. I can absolutely understand the hurt, anger and sense of betrayal, but permanently cutting off your twin sister, and therefore one of the twin babies, felt extreme and rather too convenient for the plot.

Then the sister moves to the same general area, yet somehow their lives barely cross until the girls are older. Again, I found myself thinking, Really?

Perhaps that was ultimately my problem with this book. I could see the machinery required to make the plot work rather than simply believing in the story.

The main character also grated on me, although, to be fair, there aren't exactly many people here competing for Human Being of the Year. They're a fairly despicable bunch. 

Not one of my favourite Shalini Boland books.

3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Libby Audiobook: The Way Home, Irene Hannah

 

Very sweet story.

A dynamic journalist and lawyers paths cross. Initially they don't like each other, they then fall in love. Sweet. 

Don't have to think too hard with this one.

4/5

Kindle: The God of the Woods, Liz Moore

 

I honestly don't understand the hype around this one.

Personally, I found The God of the Woods an absolute slog to read. In fact, I think it might contain almost every ingredient of my worst-nightmare book.

There are so many characters. Usually, even with a large cast, I eventually get to grips with who's who. Not this time. I spent far too much of the book trying to remember names and work out how everyone fitted together.

Then there are the multiple timelines, constantly jumping backwards and forwards. Add to that the fact that it's written in the present tense, which I know is very much a personal preference, but I really don't enjoy it.

And then... the em dashes. SO. MANY. EM DASHES. There were so many that I actually stopped reading at one point and asked Google whether the book had been written by AI. 😂 Apparently not. The author is an English professor, so I decided to persevere.

So, persevere I did, largely because all the glowing reviews had me convinced there must surely be a massive, delicious twist waiting for me that would make the whole slog worthwhile.

There is a twist. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, I was so over the book and so disconnected from the characters that I honestly couldn't bring myself to care.

Clearly I am in the minority given how highly rated this book is, but it just wasn't for me.

A generous 2/5 ⭐⭐. Sorry!

Libby Audiobook: Son of Hamas, Mosab Hassan Yousef

I wanted to learn more about Palestine and Hamas. Very interesting book and man. There is still a lot I need to learn. What I find interesting is that his father started Hamas, he the author, became a spy for Israel, and convertered to Christianity.

3.8/5
 

Libby Audiobook: The Prophet and the Idiot, Jonas Jonasson

Started off strong but then lost momentum and I got really bored.

3/5