You can think about the following questions when you post as well...

1. Do you read for pleasure? About how many books do you read a year? Do you read physical books or electronic books?

2. In chapter 6 it talks about how much time is lost by electronics each day. What are your thoughts on this? Do you find yourself getting "lost" in social media or other things on your phone?

You can think about the following questions when you post as well:

1. After completing the reading, do you think you are capable of multi-tasking well?

2. Do you get enough sleep each night? Do you think this has an impact on your focus?

3. Do you drink caffeine? Do you believe you have a "crash" after the caffeine wears off?

What are your thoughts based on the information presented in these chapters?

Write a brief summary of your takeaways for each of these chapters.

What are your thoughts based on the information presented in these chapters?

1. Write a brief summary of your takeaways for each of these chapters.

2. What was your overall thoughts on this book? Would you recommend it to others and will you adjust any of your current habits after reading this book?

1. I believe I can multi-task when I am the only person in the room. When I am trying to accomplish a task, having someone else in the room can be challenging, because I feel I need to talk to them or ask them questions. But normally it pertains to what I am trying to multi-task with.

2. Over the course of the last few weeks, being able to sleep in and not set an alarm has helped me gain some of my sleep. Having a three year old at home can be challenging when he wakes up in the middle of the night. But when he sleeps all night, I do feel refreshed the next morning when I get up. I feel that once I start a task, I want to complete it so I try really hard to focus on that task.

3. Yes I do drink caffeine! I can most certainly feel the "crash" I can feel it right away if I don't have it in the morning. It seems really hard to stop drinking it all together! I would love too!

Intro - I really related to her struggle to start reading a new book. I mentioned in my intro that I LOVE reading. I too find myself distracted when I start reading a new book and it is not because I am uninterested in the contents of the book but rather because I feel a pull towards other things!

Chapter 1 - My family has a lake house in a remote portion of Canada that is without electricity, cell service or internet. I used to hate having to disconnect from my friends growing up. As an adult I cherish the time I get to spend disconnected. Reading about her time spent in Provincetown reminded me of that.

Chapter 2 - The idea of the flow state was interesting to me as I highly doubt I achieve that most of the time. My yoga practice was the only thing that came to mind where I might be achieving flow.

Chapter 3 - I firmly believe in limiting blue light exposure once the sun goes down. All of my electronics have a blue light filter on, I wear blue light glasses and try to limit my exposure to screens.

Answers to questions:

1. I would like to think I can multitask but am I ever actually doing two things at once? I am not sure. I can listen to an audiobook and do something mindless like vacuum the house or take a walk. I definitely cannot do two tasks that require processing at once like listening to an audiobook and scrolling on my phone. I end up tuning one thing out!

2. I LOVE to sleep, 9 hours on average and my ideal night of rest would be 11 hours of sleep. I can certainly say that I am less focused when I get less sleep. It definitely impacts my teaching and because of that I prioritize my sleep schedule.

3. I do drink caffeine, I have one YETI worth a day. I don't notice a crash when it wears off but I do notice how irritable I am when I don't have coffee. I get a splitting headache at about 1 pm.

Wow! I would have never known that I was so unfocused on certain tasks! This story so far is a big eye opener!

1. I believe I can multi-task when I am the only person in the room. When I am trying to accomplish a task, having someone else in the room can be challenging, because I feel I need to talk to them or ask them questions. But normally it pertains to what I am trying to multi-task with.

2. Over the course of the last few weeks, being able to sleep in and not set an alarm has helped me gain some of my sleep. Having a three year old at home can be challenging when he wakes up in the middle of the night. But when he sleeps all night, I do feel refreshed the next morning when I get up. I feel that once I start a task, I want to complete it so I try really hard to focus on that task.

3. Yes I do drink caffeine! I can most certainly feel the "crash" I can feel it right away if I don't have it in the morning. It seems really hard to stop drinking it all together! I would love too!

1. I always thought I was a decent multi-tasker, and that it was a skill that was essential to succeed and as such I should work to improve it. But a former colleague shared with me her thoughts that no-one really multitasks, rather we do many things inefficiently and ineffectively as we try to do them all at once. And some of that is reflected in this book. So know I am not sure, but am looking forward to learning more!

2. I absolutely do not feel like I get enough sleep at night. I am on medications that have sleepiness as a side effect so it can be hard to tell if I am generally not getting enough sleep, or if it is the medicine. But mostly, I think its the former because I find myself not wanted to 'turn-off' at night, but then also hate getting up in the morning because I just want to keep sleeping... and sleeping and sleeping! I did get diagnosed with sleep apnea a couple years ago and I do notice a big improvement with having the sleep machine. Still, I always crave more sleep and believe lack of it definitely effects my focus.

3. I don't drink much caffeine as I have panic attack disorder and caffeine is NOT my friend.

1. I do read books for pleasure! It is one of my favorite hobbies. Last year I read 78 books. I have a Kindle so I consume books electronically and I own physical copies. I do most of my reading on my Kindle because I can read in bed at night without disturbing my husband.

2. A few years a go I was really disgusted by my screen time so I decided to do something about it. I limited social media consumption to 2 hours a day (I max it out almost everyday sadly). I also tried to download more meaningful apps like Duolingo so my screen time was going towards something productive. I do think less screen time would be better but I feel less guilty getting lost spending 45 mins learning French than I would spending 45 mins doom scrolling on social media.

2: Sleep has become a priority for me the older I get - but going to bed early just to lay there thinking about all the things I did not do or planning out my day tomorrow seems a bit counter productive to me.

3: I drink coffee ALL DAY. I could drink it right up to bedtime...and if all my tasks are done I can fall asleep just fine. If I haven't finished everything that I had planned to accomplish - I stress and start another list for the next day - once I feel like I can complete that new list - I can fall asleep.

2: I wish I had the time back that I have wasted on electronics/social media. I try to justify it by joining groups that support improvement; teaching, weight loss, cooking....anything I deem "worthy" of the time I'm spending. But if I'm being honest - it's truly just an excuse to scroll, and most of the time it simply makes me feel inferior and just not good enough.

57% of Americans now do not read a single book in a year!

There is no click to the next button there is constant scrolling..

1. This is such a difficult question.. I read books to my students and my son everyday! But for pleasure, I don't remember the last time I picked a book up! My life is so busy between teaching and being a mom, it is very challenging! If I do read I would rather read a physical book. Sometimes staring at a screen for a long amount of time makes my eyes hurt.

2. When I think about getting lost, I think back to the times my son asked me to play with him and I would respond I will be there in a few minutes where it was hours that passed! I would take that time back in a heartbeat! Now I actually ask him before he asks me if he wants to play. I can see my husband being focused on the screen sometimes more than us, and I have actually read him parts of this book, and have seem a slight change so far.. I wanted to do an experiment with my son, he was watching an old phone for a longer period of time, he would wake up 2-4 times a night. Ever since we have decreased his screen time, he is sleeping through the whole night! Crazy!

1. Multi-tasking - well I think I used to be better at multi-tasking. I have had some trauma but I do feel myself constantly pulled in many directions, especially as a teacher.

2. I feel like I am a person that needs a lot of sleep. I do not get enough sleep at night, because things come up and I have this "not enough hours in the day" feeling, and I feel this is impacting my concentration and focus as well. When I am tired, I struggle to remember things. It's interesting how the things that are good for us are so difficult.

3. I do not drink caffeine. However, I think there is a "crash" after sugar. I sometimes have chocolate when bored or stressed and it is a nice positive boost, but then later the benefits are not long lasting.

1) Mind wandering is "essential for things to make sense" (96). It helps us problem solve, boosts creativity, and helps us set personal goals! So if you feel that you are wasting time day dreaming, you aren't!

2) Social media and other apps (even Google maps!) is programmed to make sure we look at our screens for as long as possible. This was scary to me!

Question 1:

I love, love, LOVE reading. I could spend hours in the library or at a bookstore. I read about 50 books a year on average! I definitely prefer a physical book, unless I am traveling or reading at the beach, in which case I love my Kindle! I was actually surprised to read that when we are reading books, we aren't entirely focused on the words on the page. Part of our mind is wandering, and this is essential.

Question 2:

Chapter 6 was definitely an eye opening chapter for me! I have definitely found myself "lost" in my phone, especially with social media. There are times that I sit on the couch to scroll for a little bit, and next thing I know, a HUGE chunk of time has passed. I actually deleted most of my social media apps from my phone since reading this book. It was scary to me how much these huge organizations (Google, Facebook, etc) are tracking everything. Hari writes that "every time you search for something on Google, everything you say is being scanned and sorted and stored" (125). Even Google Maps is tracking where we are going to help improve Google's algorithm! On page 118, Hari writes that "their business model can only succeed if they take steps to dominate the attention spans of the wider society" and that a lot of the executives that work for these platforms "ban their own kids from using the sites and gadgets they design".

1. I do read for pleasure. Mostly in the evening, although I wish it was more. I am taking college courses and that consumes some of my spare time as well. My pleasure book reading has increased since I have started listening to audiobooks routinely during my commute. I would guess that I read 20 books per year. I prefer physical books but will use the ipad on black mode at night. Although, electronics impact sleep so that's not good.

2. Time lost on electronics. I agree that it is distracting. I am not sure you lose 20 minutes for a text but it certainly takes away the focus for a period of time. Social media, or games...sure. I will play for a "few minutes" and then not realize an hour has passed.

Chapter 9 - The First Glimpses of the Deeper Solution

~Page 161, right now social media exists to grab your attention and then sell your attention to the highest bidder but social media could just as easily exist to help you understand your intentions/goals and help you achieve them. However, the algorithm isn't set up to help you succeed. Capitalism at its finest :)

Chapter 10 - Cause Eight: The Surge in Stress and How It Is Triggering Vigilance

~Page 179, stress corrodes attention. Lab evidence has found that mild to moderate stress helps you perform better in the short term, think about the stress of an upcoming test! The stress gives you the motivation to study and focus. However, prolonged stress can cause structural changes to the brain!

Chapter 11 - The Places That Figured Out How to Reverse the Surge in Speed and Exhaustion

~Pages 190-191, we live in a hustle culture where we walk fast, hurry to get the next thing done and are generally moving at a fast pace. This societal pressure of speed and quantity makes it hard to slow down for fears of losing employment, connections, etc. I have often found myself in such a rush to eat my lunch or get to the bathroom during school that I am all in a tizzy. I try to remind myself that I am not being hunted for sport, it is okay to slow down, chew my food and take my time.

Chapter 12 - Causes Nine and Ten: Our Deteriorating Diets and Rising Pollution

~Page 199, learning about how our food/diets affect our focus because they are lacking nutrients for proper brain development/function is really frightening. The fact that the food industry is focused on the pleasure centers or dopamine production to sell more food rather than providing us with the proper nutrients is horrifying. I am a vegetarian and really try to eat whole foods but I have done my own research and have found that fruits and vegetables of today have less nutritional value than they once did. Studies have show a significant decrease in certain nutrients like calcium, potentially due to factors like soil depletion, intensive farming practices, and prioritizing appearance and shelf life over nutrient content when selecting varieties for cultivation. Seems like we are being set up for failure.

Quote: "In Canada, a study found that people who lived within fifty meters of a major road were 15% more likely to develop dementia than people who didn't" (page 205)

-Infinite scrolling to make the users just continue to scroll with no ending

- Also, Facebook could match you up with friends, strangers that have the same interested as you (p. 160)

-technology needs to help us focus not break our attention (p. 170)

Chapter 10:

-the number one reason people can't focus is their phones because it was causing stress (p. 172)

-kids being told they have an inherent defect, but in fact the child was traumatized (p. 175)

Chapter 11:

-Andrew, a business owner, came up with a great plan to allow his workers to work 4 days a week with the same wage, but be able to take the 5th day to relax, catch up on sleep, social life, and spend time with family. (p. 186)

Chapter 12:

-how we eat is harming our focus (p. 198)

-spikes and crashes throughout the day leave us depleted that we can't focus for a long period of time. (p. 199)

-building our foundations on whole foods will help us feel better in the long run. (p. 202)

Quotes: "The medications are treating the surface symptoms and not the root cause... if a child is struggling... it may be they are alerting the system that something is wrong" (p. 177)

"There is no way we will have a normal brain today," -Barbara Demeneix (p. 212)

Chapter 9

Page 157 - A subscription to Facebook. Who would pay it? I am not sure I would although, I do like keeping long distance family and friends in the loop with our family events. I feel that it has replaced letters.

Page 161 - gym buddies. I have heard of hanging out with people who have similar interests to you....a good motivator.

Page 164 - "Our algorithms exploit the human brain's attraction to divisiveness". This concept just blows my mind that this is acceptable.

Page 169 - "We are only at the start of what unregulated surveillance capitalism will do to us." Very scary thought.

Chapter 10

No specific quotes but stress is a definitely a factor in lost focus. This weekend, I had an open calendar and enjoyed the moment. I was doing college work but it was nice to not have a timetable.

Chapter 11

Page 190-191 - The idea of a 4 day workweek and increased productivity has been researched. I would love to work 4 10 hour days versus 5 days a week. Having an extra day for appointments without having to take time off would be a nice schedule.

Chapter 12

The research behind food and neurotoxicity and focus and attention has long been a concern. When my son was born in 2003, there was a lot of talk about food and it being a factor for kids on the autism spectrum. Now there is research to say that hey, what we are eating is not okay and it is causing focus and attention problems for our youth.

What a scary world we are in. There are solutions but some of them may not be immediate. Excited for the end of the book and how he closes up this topic.

Chapter 10 discusses how "to pay attention in normal ways, you need to feel safe" (176). This really stood out to me because it made me think about teaching, and how often times the students who are the most challenging to manage are the students who need the most love and attention. It also made me think about how many factors can influence a child's ability to feel safe at home and in school. The chapter mentions that financial stability has a huge impact on safety, as "problems with money are really not good for concentration" (182).

Ch 10: Hari emphasizes that addressing our attention crisis requires not just managing our digital habits but also actively managing stress levels through techniques like mindfulness and relaxation practices. He argues that among the significant contributors to our dwindling attention spans is the epidemic of chronic stress, putting our brains into a hyper-vigilant state, basically stealing from us the ability to focus on any one activity.

Ch 11: This chapter explores various communities and initiatives that have managed to reverse the issue of declining attention spans by prioritizing practices that facilitate deep focus, such as sufficient sleep, reducing distractions, and creating environments conducive to sustained concentration, with examples from schools, workplaces, and even entire towns that have systemically changed to resist the "speed-up" culture and reclaim attention.

Ch 12: Hari argues that our ability for concentration is greatly affected by terrible diets and environmental toxins, essentially arguing that focused attention is a physiological process --- relying on a sound body --- and when we deprive our bodies of proper nutrients or expose them to toxins, our ability for concentration suffers as a result.

P. 215- every year the number of kids identified as having ADHD soared, southern United States 30% of boys get diagnosed with ADHD by the time they turn 18.

P. 227- stimulants given to children help their attention span improve but only for a short time frame.

Chapter 14:

P. 239- by 2003, in the United States only 10% of children would spend time playing freely outdoors on a regular basis.

P. 246- The primary technology for learning is through play.

-Jonathan Haidt-argued that there has been a big rise in anxiety among children and teens, because of play deprivation

Final thoughts.. We have to start focusing together or face all the fires by ourselves!

This book was a tremendous eye opener, there are some things that I am cutting back on with technology as well as for my son. For example, last week on break, we did a lot of games, puzzles, painting, drawing, reading books and time outside! We have to be in this together and fight the fight together to become successful! I am actually giving this book to my aide in the classroom, she wants to read it next! I have already suggested this book to many people that it is really eye opening how much time we spend on technology!

Chapter 13: My takeaway from this chapter is that a child's home environment is critical for their ability to focus and learn. Page 225 states "If a child is raised in an environment where there is a lot of stress, they are significantly more likely to develop attention problems and be diagnosed with ADHD".

Chapter 14: Free play is CRUCIAL for the developing mind! It promotes problem solving skills, interpersonal skills, and "aliveness", or how you learn to experience joy and pleasure (244). We live in an world of education that often prioritizes the drilling of academic concepts at the expense of opportunities for play. Hari argues that this is ultimately detrimental.

Chapter 15: Attention has 3 layers, spotlight, starlight, and daylight. Spotlight is defined as what we are immediately focused on. Starlight is our long-term goals, or our "why". Daylight is how we decide to set those goals. All of these are rooted in mindfulness and reflection, which allows for more sustained focus. In order to be intrinsically motivated, we need to know what our values and goals are.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and recommend it to others. It has made me more mindful of my day to day actions, and has helped me cut back on my screen time. It has also helped me be more sensitive to the needs of the students in my classroom.

Chapter 14: Pgs 244-245 The idea of play and how it has a major impact on child development yet we are removing it from children’s lives. Kids nowadays have far less free play and far more organized activities where the rules are set by adults and the children monitored throughout. Instead of going home after school and playing with neighbors, kids are funneled into piano lessons, dance classes and all sorts of structured activities. I see this even with my high school students. On the weekends they rarely ‘hang with friends’ but are much more likely to be volunteering at an event, playing at a NYSSMA concert or participating in organized sports. 

Conclusion: Pgs 268-270 I loved the list of the six big changes made and how she thought this improved her own focus about 15-20% which is honestly incredible. 

General Thoughts: I found the book very interesting and I thought it was a nice organization of stories, science and feedback/next steps. I had a lot of experience with the anecdotal pieces of the book being a teacher and personally. At times I found it a bit depressing because it sort of seems like a lost cause OR maybe more like a huge uphill battle with so many factors working against us. Thank you for hosting and organizing this 🙂

Chapter 14 - Confining children and those complications. Coming from an elementary background and seeing recess get cut down over the years has been eye opening only later on to read on page 262 about Finnish kids lives and the amount of time mandated for recess. I thought it was cool that L.B. started building things. Ironic that he didn't like reading at school but would read building manuals.

Conclusion - Spotlight, Starlight, Daylight - what a great visual of the flashlight, seeing starts and visions coming to life in the daylight. Keeping your vision is important, even if you lose focus. This is what I am going to take away from this book. Yes I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for some positive mental health. It was depressing in a sense about the time people spend on social media early on but shared some valuable tips and skills about management when that focus is "stolen". I feel like I have made small adjustments in my life. I am certainly more cognisant of when my focus has been altered unintentionally. I feel like this is a changing of the times too as I am started to see more things about unplugging and taking time for one's self.

Ch 14: Examines how the school system can play a role in attention issues among children. The rigid structure of the school environment can lead students to feeling inadequate in their abilities. Often, the focus is on external rewards, like completing assignments, rather than encouraging children to explore their own passions. Since the implementation of No Child Left Behind, there has been a notable rise in standardized testing, which correlates with a 22% increase in reported attention problems among children. When children find school boring, they may have difficulty concentrating, but their focus can improve significantly if they discover

something that interests them. The need for mastery is a psychological factor that drives individuals to engage deeply with a subject over time.

Conclusion: We often opt for the simpler path, yet tackling challenging tasks can lead to greater happiness. Taking things slow allows us to cultivate our focus, whereas rushing can break it apart. Multitasking is suited for machines, not for people. Gaining depth/mastery requires time and thoughtful reflection.

General thoughts: Hari presents a compelling and thought-provoking examination of the contemporary challenge of maintaining attention, suggesting that our capacity to concentrate is being systematically "stolen" by things such as technology, social media, and even our diet. He argues that this issue necessitates systemic change rather than merely individual behavioral modifications. The analysis critically explores how ongoing distractions hinder our productivity and well-being, while also offering practical strategies to regain our focus. These strategies include managing digital consumption, practicing mindfulness, and addressing environmental factors that affect our ability to concentrate. Highly recommend and making some changes!