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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
informative
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medium-paced
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
If you're into "productivity porn", then this book is for you.
If you're REALLY into "productivity porn", then maybe this book isn't for you.
Like many of the books I've been reviewing lately, Hyperfocus is by no means bad. In fact, its pretty good: full of practical tips and actionable insights. Hyperfocus is defined as the ability to focus intensely on a single task at a time. Related, but distinct from hyperfocus is "scatterfocus". This is essentially letting your mind wander in order to form new connections between ideas and ultimately aid creativity.
The main problems with this book for me were that, firstly, none of the insights are particularly new if you're familiar with this kind of material. Sure, there are some stand out and maybe novel pieces of information, but for the most part its stuff you'd already know: get good sleep, minimise distractions when you have to focus, schedule your work and leisure time and so on and so forth.
Second, there are just far too many tips and ideas in this book. And look, I'm all for practical action steps to implement ideas, but when so many of them are thrown at you all at once, it can feel overwhelming. The best way to handle this would be to pick and choose what you will try. You could always go back to the book for more tips, in the event of failure. I guess.
Lastly, I feel this could (and should) have been 2 separate books. Introducing the idea of scatterfocus in the second half of the book seemed a bit arbitrary. Like, "hey, I wanted to learn about Hyperfocus, what the heck is this?" And though the ideas are complimentary (I guess), I think the book would have benefitted from having a more extensive treatment of the idea of hyperfocus. In fact, I think Bailey should have included more details of the research and studies that he cites. Saying "research says x" without actually giving us the details of what studies informed the conclusion doesn't exactly make a compelling case.
Overall, a decent read but could have been much much better. That said, lots of useful information if you're trying to be more productive.
If you're REALLY into "productivity porn", then maybe this book isn't for you.
Like many of the books I've been reviewing lately, Hyperfocus is by no means bad. In fact, its pretty good: full of practical tips and actionable insights. Hyperfocus is defined as the ability to focus intensely on a single task at a time. Related, but distinct from hyperfocus is "scatterfocus". This is essentially letting your mind wander in order to form new connections between ideas and ultimately aid creativity.
The main problems with this book for me were that, firstly, none of the insights are particularly new if you're familiar with this kind of material. Sure, there are some stand out and maybe novel pieces of information, but for the most part its stuff you'd already know: get good sleep, minimise distractions when you have to focus, schedule your work and leisure time and so on and so forth.
Second, there are just far too many tips and ideas in this book. And look, I'm all for practical action steps to implement ideas, but when so many of them are thrown at you all at once, it can feel overwhelming. The best way to handle this would be to pick and choose what you will try. You could always go back to the book for more tips, in the event of failure. I guess.
Lastly, I feel this could (and should) have been 2 separate books. Introducing the idea of scatterfocus in the second half of the book seemed a bit arbitrary. Like, "hey, I wanted to learn about Hyperfocus, what the heck is this?" And though the ideas are complimentary (I guess), I think the book would have benefitted from having a more extensive treatment of the idea of hyperfocus. In fact, I think Bailey should have included more details of the research and studies that he cites. Saying "research says x" without actually giving us the details of what studies informed the conclusion doesn't exactly make a compelling case.
Overall, a decent read but could have been much much better. That said, lots of useful information if you're trying to be more productive.
It was amazing! Honestly, IMO, it is hands down one of the most useful books in the field of habits, routines, attention, and productivity.
As someone who has an attention span of a chihuahua, I found this book super helpful in implementing easy-to-follow strategies in removing distractions, managing your focus, and re-evaluating what are the things I do daily that are wasting my time. Hyper-focus will probably rival Atomic Habits as my top non-fiction book this year!
Practical tactics I find useful:
1. Determine the types of tasks you do:
a. Necessary work - unattractive yet productive (team meetings, tasks with deadlines)
b. Unnecessary work - unattractive and unproductive (re-arranging papers or sorting files on your computer)
c. Distracting work - attractive and unproductive (social media)
d. Purposeful work - attractive and productive (tasks we’re most engaged on as we do them; tasks with which we make the largest impact)
2. Choose a meaningful object of attention
3. Make a distraction list (external and internal) every time something comes up that shifts your focus away from your task. Then eliminate them
4. Focus on that chosen object of attention
5. Continue to bring your attention back to the task at hand
Practical tactics I find useful:
1. Determine the types of tasks you do:
a. Necessary work - unattractive yet productive (team meetings, tasks with deadlines)
b. Unnecessary work - unattractive and unproductive (re-arranging papers or sorting files on your computer)
c. Distracting work - attractive and unproductive (social media)
d. Purposeful work - attractive and productive (tasks we’re most engaged on as we do them; tasks with which we make the largest impact)
2. Choose a meaningful object of attention
3. Make a distraction list (external and internal) every time something comes up that shifts your focus away from your task. Then eliminate them
4. Focus on that chosen object of attention
5. Continue to bring your attention back to the task at hand
A book that everyone in the 21st Century should read, especially us Gen-Zs.
It covered data on how our focus is hindered by our device use and other distractions. The data is absolutely shocking.
Reading Experience: 3 hours and 7 minutes
It covered data on how our focus is hindered by our device use and other distractions. The data is absolutely shocking.
Reading Experience: 3 hours and 7 minutes
This book had a lot of great information. It is easy to absorb in a skim. The book starts with Hyperfocus and then moves to Scatterfocus. Both concepts have valid merits. I took away a great deal of insights, but I do think that this book could have served just as well as an annotated outline of ideas.
The constant pinging of notifications and the zombie-eyed look that we see in other people as they are staring at their screen has many people longing for a solution. This is also reflected on the shelves of the popular science and self-help sections that are filling with ever more guides to tame distraction, increase mindfulness, and rebuild our relationship with technology. In my view, these books either provide a manifesto against attention-hogging technology (Cal Newport’s Deep Work), explain the science of attention (Gazzaley & Rosen’s The Distracted Mind), or offer practical advice. Chris Bailey’s Hyperfocus is an excellent contribution to the last category. The book provides sufficient background of the concepts involved, e.g. attentional space, but focuses mostly on tips to create the right conditions for concentration. Importantly, the practical tips can be easily implemented without having to commit to a digital minimalism lifestyle. It’s also quite refreshing that half of the book is dedicated to scattered thought, which can be used for creativity, problem-solving, and refreshing the mind. Altogether, I enjoyed the book and took away many tips that I integrated into my daily routine. I highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to improve their concentration or who is interested in productivity.
Good summary of different techniques to manage your attention. For the person who has read a lot on this topic, you likely won’t find anything new here. But it’s a well researched, quick primer for those looking for an introduction.