Stolen Focus

The full title of this book is Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again. It is a masterpiece–both interesting and helpful. I listened to it via Audible and cannot recommend it enough. It’s changed the way I think about social media and apps (mostly, the way that they are designed), and it has taught me so much. I finished it last week and can’t stop thinking about it (and telling everyone I know to read/listen!). If you ever feel like you can’t pay attention, it’s a must. But also, if you work in the social media space or are a parent (Even as a non-parent, the chapters about parenting and children fascinated me). I love that the book combines relatable anecdotes from Hari’s life and researched interviews with experts. Hari tried everything (even abandoning his phone for three months!) and traveled the world to interview the leading experts on human attention. His findings are incredible and jarring. Sure, there are things that we as individuals can do to improve our focus, but this is less about personal failure and more about the world we are living in. This is one of those books I will probably read more than once.