Why You Can't Focus Longer Than 60 Seconds | Johann Hari Ep. 707

Johann Hari is a New York Times best-selling author and top-rated TED speaker. His latest book is Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention—And How to Think Deeply Again.

Subscribe to the podcast: http://jordanharbinger.com/subscribe

Full show notes can be found here: https://jordanharbinger.com/707

What We Discuss with Johann:
0:00 - Intro
0:06 - The boring dystopia of children's attention spans
5:55 - Switching tasks every 60 seconds
9:06 - Attention span is like mud on a windshield
15:37 - Individual vs collective attention explained
33:19 - Beating distractions offensively and defensively
38:14 - You're interrupting yourself (why you keep task switching)
50:51 - How much sleep impacts focus & how to fix it
1:05:12 - Technology isn't the problem, it's the business model
1:13:04 - Johann gives words of hope

The human brain can only really pay attention to one thing at a time, which makes finding focus in a world that’s constantly bombarding you with information—from every angle—nearly impossible. But it’s not your fault. Your inability to focus isn’t a personal failure; your focus has been stolen from you by powerful external forces that have left all of us uniquely vulnerable to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit. On an individual level, this can disrupt our ability to learn complex skills and achieve lives of purpose. On a societal level, this can keep us from achieving collective goals that benefit humanity.

It’s a real problem. But is there a real solution?

On this episode, we’re joined by Johann Hari, author of Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention—And How to Think Deeply Again. Here, we discuss what’s really robbing us of our attention and what Johann learned about reclaiming it on a trip that took him around the world. Listen, learn, and enjoy!

Get the BEST highlights from each episode on our clips channel!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-cxPJ7QxPE8M7EYe5Vv7ag

Want to watch more in-depth interviews with some of the world’s most amazing and successful people? Find full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNbAQB8BYtM&list=PLxuPu-uyanrrBgAl5-76enemxVsxFjnEQ&index=1

Welcome to The Jordan Harbinger Show, a video podcast where each week you get to join a conversation with some of the world’s highest performers and incredible personalities. I’ll ask them the tough questions to tease out their top tips so that you can reach levels of personal growth and mastery that you never imagined possible.

Learn more about Jordan: http://jordanharbinger.com/about