Book Review: Stolen Focus – Johann Hari
If you enjoy the odd self-help book here and there, today’s post may just feature your next read. In April 2023 I read the eye-opening Stolen Focus by Johann Hari, and I was shocked. With staggering statistics like attention spans lasting only seconds, it’s no wonder we struggle to get anything done! That’s a little ironic given how long it’s taken me to publish my review.
In my defence, it wasn’t a lack of attention but rather a streak of perfectionism that held it back until now.
I confess, Stolen Focus has made me more aware of how often I get distracted, or try to multitask (tip – it’s not helpful in the long run!). If you’re intrigued, then I hope you’ll let my review distract you from whatever it is you are MEANT to be doing for just a few minutes…
Stolen Focus – Johann Hari
Genre: Non-fiction
Pages: 357
Audience: Adult
Publisher: Crown
Publication Date: 06Jan 2022
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
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.
In the United States, teenagers can focus on one task for only sixty-five seconds at a time, and office workers average only three minutes. Like so many of us, Johann Hari was finding that constantly switching from device to device and tab to tab was a diminishing and depressing way to live. He tried all sorts of self-help solutions–even abandoning his phone for three months–but nothing seemed to work. So Hari went on an epic journey across the world to interview the leading experts on human attention–and he discovered that everything we think we know about this crisis is wrong.
We think our inability to focus is a personal failure to exert enough willpower over our devices. The truth is even more disturbing: our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces that have left us uniquely vulnerable to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit. Hari found that there are twelve deep causes of this crisis, from the decline of mind-wandering to rising pollution, all of which have robbed some of our attention. In Stolen Focus, he introduces readers to Silicon Valley dissidents who learned to hack human attention, and veterinarians who diagnose dogs with ADHD. He explores a favela in Rio de Janeiro where everyone lost their attention in a particularly surreal way, and an office in New Zealand that discovered a remarkable technique to restore workers’ productivity.
Crucially, Hari learned how we can reclaim our focus–as individuals, and as a society–if we are determined to fight for it. Stolen Focus will transform the debate about attention and finally show us how to get it back.
My Thoughts
Content
I love that Stolen Focus doesn’t seek to blame, but to convince readers that a loss of focus is a societal issue. Whilst there are things we can all individually do to help, ultimately, the world we live in and the pace of living is the most limiting factor.
Technology is one of the biggest leeches of our attention. You’ve probably seen families out for gatherings at restaurants and every member at the table is on a personal device. I have on many occasions, and it will only get worse. Johann shares a personal story in which a young relative is addicted to these devices. It’s an alarming trend, but not surprising since the apps and services are designed to hook our attention and hold it. This was also discussed in another book I recently finished, The Anxious Generation. I definitely recommend this as further reading.
Hustle culture and stress is in part responsible too. Sleep deprivation is no joke. With more and more people forfeiting shuteye in favour of time on personal devices, or paid work, it’s no wonder focus is shattered. Work smarter not harder friends! It’ll pay the same dividends and you’ll feel a whole lot better for it!
Narrative Style
I don’t often break reviews down into sections for non-fiction reviews. It’s not always appropriate. However, I did want to make a special mention to the structure of Stolen Focus.
The book is broken down into several smaller chapters, each one an explanation of why we struggle to focus in our modern day life. As a result, the book is really approachable to read. If you don’t have a lot of time to read, you could even cherry-pick your chapters of interest to take from the book what you want.
Summary
Stolen Focus is the kind of book I’d recommend everybody read in their lifetimes. It would especially help those who pressurise themselves to do better, go bigger or otherwise set themselves high bars. As someone who does this to a certain extent, it should help you appreciate and accept life’s limitations. It’s not about you, and Stolen Focus does not seek to blame.
The book also offers some practical advice, so we’re not powerless. Stolen Focus strikes the perfect balance of providing information and tips on what to do with that information. Really, it’s a book from which you can take as much as you want.
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