Hyperfocus*

by Chris Bailey

New

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Productivity

Paperback

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pragmatic and eloquent, but the title is ill-chosen: Half the book is about « hyper focus » (productivity), the other half is about « scatter focus » (creativity). And I found this second part much more interesting.

TL;DR: Get bored, magic will follow.

[Liam Boerhout · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Your attention is the most powerful tool at your disposal” ~ Chris Bailey

As a person who has always struggled with keeping attention while having to focus sitting still, the title of this book called to me: Hyperfocus. Surely I am not the only one who experiences this challenge in daily life, work or at school. This book, from the get go, helped me recognize when and why our mind tends to wonder and how to refocus - the fun part is that you are practicing what the author teaches WHILE reading the book.

CONTENT
Managing your 'Attentional Space' is what it is all about in this book. This simple metaphor forms the corner stone of the various ideas and methods the author tries to convey to the reader in order to focus better. In the first section he sets out to explain how to centre our attention (Hyperfocus); setting intentions, singling out the task at hand and minimizing distractions. In section two (Scatterfocus) he motivates the benefits of not focussing on anything in particular, enhancing our creativity and problem-solving abilities and recharging our minds to concentrate our attention again.

The charm of the book is that it is mainly based on scientific data, and the author refers to it quite generally to build his practical advise on. Slight note: I haven’t read all the references to the scientific experiments, but by sometimes using (only) percentages to support his arguments, it seemed to me that it is a bit prone to exaggeration, and misinterpretation by the reader.

READABILITY
The book is divided into two main parts zeroing in on the two kinds of focus: Hyperfocus and Scatterfocus. The introduction is set forth into two parts called ‘Chapter 0' and 'Chapter 0.5’ which I found quite amusing and creative. An abundance of graphs, pictures and anecdotes makes it easy and enjoyable to read. Wording is not at all complex which makes it even more accessible.

VERDICT
This book is incredibly valuable to have read for anyone who struggles with focussing on a single task for longer periods of time. Whether that is at work, school or life in general, read through it and try out the ideas set forth in the book. For the ones who find focussing less of an issue, I still advise to go through it to understand the workings of your attention.

Liam

Read time: 9 Hours (217 p./ 13 c.) - Rating (1/10): 7,6

ISBN read:978-1-5098-6613-7 paperback (2019)
Rating system in my BIO. If you liked this one, feel free to check out my other reviews!

[CJ]

Hyperfocus is pretty standard productivity fare. It helped me add a bit to my understanding of techniques for better focus, but if you have a solid understanding of this topic already (such as through Cal Newport’s work) you won’t find much new here.

As with many books in this genre, Hyperfocus struggles to pull a hodgepodge of techniques into a cohesive narrative. Bailey’s solution to this problem was to continuously reiterate his framework of “hyperfocus” and “scatterfocus” as a narrative through-line. Between this repetition and his tendency to explain the same concepts from multiple angles (not a bad idea!), the book dragged a bit for me. On Bailey’s own suggestion, I listened to most of it without using my full focus—and I did still pick up some valuable nuggets along the way, including: Bailey’s definition of productivity (based in your values, not anyone else’s); his framing of productive mind-wandering as the technique of “scatterfocus”, complete with directions, taxonomy, and tips; and his definitive rejection of “positive thinking” techniques as mere wishful thinking.

I especially appreciated Bailey’s focus on intentionality: both in how we can intentionally choose when and what to focus on as well as intentionally letting our minds wander. In a modern world where attention is our scarcest resource, he makes a compelling case for how stingy we must be in spending it. (Then again, this may have been true throughout history…I’m not sure if Bailey realized it, but he was echoing the ancient Stoics when he said, “you are what you pay attention to.”)

[Archana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hyperfocus: the key idea is on managing attention in a world full of distractions. Chris Bailey explains that productivity isn’t about working longer hours it’s about directing your focus intentionally. Two main types of focus are addressed in the book:

Hyperfocus, when you deliberately concentrate on one important task, blocking out everything else.

Scatterfocus, when your mind is allowed to wander, helping you connect ideas and spark creativity.

Bailey shares simple, science-based strategies like choosing one meaningful task at a time, minimizing digital distractions, setting clear intentions before you start, and scheduling time to rest and let your mind recharge.

The tone is conversational, filled with personal experiments and real-life examples, making it easy to apply in everyday life for anybody.

[سليمان العوشن · Rating 4 out of 5]

حين تقرأ كتاب "التركيز الفائق" تشعر أنك أمام مرشد عملي يساعدك على استعادة السيطرة على انتباهك في عالم يزداد ازدحامًا بالمشتتات. لست بحاجة إلى مزيد من الوقت، بل إلى وعي أعمق بكيفية توجيه طاقتك الذهنية. ستدرك وأنت تقرأ أن النجاح لا يُقاس بعدد الساعات التي تعملها، بل بالقدرة على أن تمنح انتباهك لما يستحق فعلًا. المؤلف يخاطبك بصدق حين يذكّرك أن حياتك هي ما تنتبه إليه، وأن كل لحظة تضيع في التشتت تُفقدك جزءًا من ذاتك. ما سيعجبك أن الكتاب لا يقتصر على التنظير، بل يمنحك أدوات عملية يمكنك تطبيقها منذ اللحظة الأولى: من تخصيص أوقات للعمل العميق، إلى فسح المجال لعقلك كي يشرُد في لحظات مدروسة من الإبداع. ستخرج من صفحاته أكثر وعيًا بأن الانتباه مورد نادر، وأن حسن استثماره يعني حياة أكثر امتلاءً ومعنى

تابعني على شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي

سليمان العوشن

http://about.me/aloshan

[Sara Alajmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hyperfocus is amazing! Very useful but also an enjoyable read! It explains the different types of focus, attention, how to manage your attention to be as productive as possible,.... It gives tips on how to increase your attention space, manage your time and explains why all of that matters. It talks about hyperfocus, the kind of focus you want to get things done and be productive at work, and scatterfocus, the kind of focus you that help you be creative an recharge. It explains how they compliment each other and work together, why and how we need both, and how to achieve both to get the most out of your time and brain

[Evinpinar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally nice book but can’t say I learned much, more of it was just reminding of some tips and tricks. It would be nicer if the aforementioned studies&analysis were directly cited and linked — much of the info sounds like pseudoscience. However, might be a nice introductory for folks interested in this topic.

[patrycja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed this book, nice explanations and whats even more important - always mentioning evidence supporting claims. 4 stars because many of the things discussed i already knew, but for a person who is new to the general idea of becoming more productive, this book may be a game changer

[Mnu]

want to read

[Athar . · Rating 4 out of 5]

easy read, quick to grasp, and motivating!

[Nikunj Khattar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers good insights especially the concept of "Scatterfocus". Nothing groundbreaking or new though, but if applied correctly could work wonders.

[Palorossi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book with some helpful stuff. Not sure it brings out much new for those who have already read a few books similarly targeted.

[Katiuscia Marques · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to review how we organize our time. Brings practical suggestions to program daily activities.

[Laksh Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read and some good research findings. Should read.

[dans · Rating 4 out of 5]

it took me 3 months to finish this book. quite interesting especially on the scatterfocus part. I'd definitely implement what the book advises to achieve more.

[Booqmonk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris teaches the act of focusing on the little to achieve more

[Huibert · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual: had dunner gekund, maar je hebt er direct heel veel aan, denk ik.

[Hector Licona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro muy interesante que aborda los problemas que tenemos los humanos para concentrarnos y propone algunas estrategias para controlar y utilizar de forma más eficaz nuestra atención

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title of this book is kinda tricky. Half of it likely describe about hyperfocus, while the rest of it kinda surprising. Still, this is a good book to read.