Books on Focus
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. - Will Durant
We live in a world of constant distraction, surrounded by electronic devices that we seem unable to tear ourselves away from. Hobbies like reading, which require sustained focus, people are doing less of these days - 50% of Americans hadn't read a book in 2023. At the same time, book sales have increased between 2022 & 2023 but as anyone with heaving bookshelves and good intentions can tell you, reading and buying books are two different things. I’ve bought books on focus before and never read them.
I'm digressing, writing about books again. Yup, like everyone else, I'm losing my focus, getting away from the topic at hand. Of course, we consume information in different ways (audiobooks, videos, podcasts, etc) but a lot of that takes place whilst we are doing other things; our attention is scattered. I can chop vegetables and listen to an audiobook, but ask me to recall it later and I'd be surprised if I can tell you more than the surface details. I doubt I'm getting that deep immersion that comes from completely giving yourself over to a book.
I’ve tried to include a variety of books here, as many of them cover the same ground. I’ve also included lots of videos, as that’s how many of us consume information these days. And I can’t expect you to read all this text, right?
There will be overlaps between them, but I think each has something unique to contribute and I hope that you find something useful in them. Let’s see if you have enough focus to read to the bottom of this article (maybe you’ve given up already).
The book that got me interested in the subject was…..
Johann Hari - Stolen focus: why you can’t pay attention and how to think deeply again looks into the reasons for our loss of focus and what we can do about it. It considers how modern living has damaged our focus - our dependence on mobile phones and use of social media the obvious factors. Many of the companies of Silicon Valley have stolen our focus - our attention span is a commodity that has become a victim of technological advances. Incredibly well researched whilst talking to some of the leading scientists involved in the field, and passionately argued, this was one the books on focus that really ignited my (short) attention in the subject. I got angry, I got depressed, but I also started to look at ways to improve my attention span, simple things such as leaving my mobile in another room, and monitoring the amount of time I spend on social media sites. One of those books like ‘lost connections’ where you can implement changes in your own life and see the difference.
It probably seems obvious but focus is important because time is finite and we're not going to be able to do all the things that we want to in life. We all know that sinking feeling when we realise we’ve been lounging on the couch watching nonsense on the tv or drifting down a warren of rabbit holes on the internet. Before we know it, all the things we wanted to do with our day won’t get done. Maybe tomorrow, we say. Sadly none of us are immortal so the important thing is to do the things that we enjoy doing now - living in the moment. ‘Four Thousand weeks - time management for mortals’ by Oliver Burkeman contains lots of useful tips on managing the time we do have, and draws on philosophy and spiritual wisdom - it’s full of ideas and wisdom, and it’s one of those books on focus that will leave you better equipped to make better use of your time. We have an average of four thousand weeks on the planet, so embrace it and accept that time is finite, prioritise what's important to you, be kind to yourself, and accept you won’t get everything done. But maybe start with reading this book.
One of the issues highlighted in the book above is how much time we spend living in the future, which is why I’m including ‘Walking Meditation’ by Thich Nhat Hanh and Nguyen Anh Huong.
I’ve already written about my favourite books on meditation and mindfulness and thought it relevant to mention this title. You only have to go for a walk to see how little focus you have - your brain darts back and forth, and you're never present. This insight will help you to pay attention to your sensations, bringing you back to the moment. From the sound of the birds, the crunch of the gravel beneath your feet, the breeze on your face, the sunlight between the leaves of the trees - we can keep bringing ourselves back to the moment, and slowly improving our focus. Of course, there are other ways to improve focus in meditation such as following the breath, and more can be explored on the list above, but I think walking meditation is an incredibly underrated method, and this simple, practical book will fit your back pocket in case you want to read it on a park bench. Gentle and inspiring, walking meditation can be practiced anywhere which makes it one of the most useful books on focus and concentration, helping you feel relaxed, grounded and present.
One of the continuing issues explored in this list of books on focus is the reality that our attention is constantly being pulled in many different directions, like puppies with a piece of rope. When you're not checking your phone, you’re responding to emails or posting updates. In ‘Deep Work’, Cal Newport explores the idea of deep work, with ideas that will help you to cultivate this skill and help you achieve something rare - deep focus. By minimising distractions, embracing downtime between tasks, having a 30-day social media detox, and draining the shallows (splitting your time between tasks that involve minimal attention and the times when you’ll need to go deep). This book is an intuitive read that will help you in the fight against procrastination. In a world full of distractions, the ability to focus is rare, and what’s rare is valuable.
Looking at psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and biology, James Clear in ‘Atomic habits’ takes a complicated subject and makes it accessible and fascinating. This book is about developing good habits, which of course will help you to focus. The importance of showing up, repetition rather than perfection, and creating an environment that rewards good habits and makes you turn away from bad ones. I’d suggest buying a copy rather than getting it on an ebook, as you’ll want to highlight passages throughout. Making small incremental changes in your life, rather than trying to drastically change things, makes progress achievable and noticeable in your life. It’s an incredibly practical book that you’ll want to keep returning to.
If you've ever been totally absorbed in a task for a sustained period of time, you’ll probably be familiar with the state of flow. It’s something that I have encountered both in writing and meditating. It’s an intense form of focus, not rigid but completely relaxing and satisfying. In ‘Flow’ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi sets out his philosophy and suggests practical steps that we can take to achieve this state. Not just in the tasks I mentioned above, but in your everyday activities. Lots of fascinating examples of people who have experienced this absorption, and how to access it by getting that delicate balance between challenge and skill. This is a fascinating and thought-provoking book that will help you to bring flow into your life through deliberate practice.
“Attention is like energy in that without it no work can be done, and in doing work is dissipated. We create ourselves by how we use this energy. Memories, thoughts, and feelings are all shaped by how use it. And it is an energy under control, to do with as we please; hence attention is our most important tool in the task of improving the quality of experience.”
So there you have it, a list of books on focus, concentration, discipline and productivity. If you’ve managed to read right to the bottom of the article, well done - maybe your focus isn’t as bad as you thought it was. If you have any comments or suggestions on books on the topic, please let me know below and thanks for reading.