The 12 Rules of Attention: How to Avoid Screw-Ups, Free Up Headspace, Do More and Be More At Work

by Joseph Cardillo

Do you feel like you're "crushing it?" How productive, happy and fulfilled do you feel each day at your job? You might ask what attention has to do with it. The answer may help clear up and fix a wide range of ongoing workplace concerns including workplace error. Simply put, attention is connected to every single thing you think, feel and do at work and elsewhere. It's almost impossible to imagine, but by the end of this book you'll not only understand how this is so, but you will be tapping into your attentional system and regulating it to your highest advantage. The 12-Rules of Attention will help you train your attention to sharp, accurate, high definition...and keep it there. You'll to use the entire attentional system, beyond just focus (which is only one part) How to avoid fading out Awareness, mindfulness and attention are not the same thing and how and when to employ each A process to relieve data overflow, internal and external distraction How to use "in a glance" mental capacity to "catch" more desired detail How to regulate the brain's automatic, high-speed attention triggers and use them to your advantage

Genres: Nonfiction

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2020

About the author

Joseph Cardillo, Ph.D., is a top-selling author in the fields of health, mind-body-spirit, and psychology. An expert in Attention Training™, creative thinking, and body energy, Dr. Cardillo has taught his methods to more than 20,000 students at various colleges, universities, and institutes. He a regular contributor Psychology Today and is the author of Be Like Water, the body-energy classic. He holds a doctorate in holistic psychology and in mind-body medicine and is a research associate at Mind-Body Medical University.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 12 Rules of Attention by Joseph Cardillo is an interesting read with the purpose to help the reader self-regulate and direct their attention to what is most important. As mentioned, there are 12 rules that are outlined in the chapters with a variety of exercises to implement each rule. The first rule "Tell it you want to pay attention to how you pay attention" was a particularly helpful chapter for me which provided a self-scan exercise with valuable reflection questions. A lot of the exercises involve self-reflection and visualization so if you think visualization is woo-woo then this will likely not be the book for you. Visualization is typically difficult for me but I found the questions and scenarios helpful when trying the exercises. The author also provided interesting anecdotes as examples for the rules which was helpful. However, the author often used superfluous language which detracted from his writing at times. I think simplifying the language for the rules would be valuable to ensure the rules are clear and memorable for the reader. Overall a quick read for anyone interested in the topic of attention!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[K Saju · Rating 4 out of 5]

Either you regulate your minds attention or it regulates you, based on this interesting premise I went through the wonderfully crafted book "The 12 rules of attention" by Joseph Cardillo. The book is primarily targeted towards how we have let our attention be run by our mind and the steps/rules that we can follow to improve ourself alongwith an overall improvement in our personal and work life. The rules have been explained very well alongwith the real life scenarios on how we were going wrong with it and how we can make it change it to make it work to our benefit. This is not a quick and easy solution but am sure that by following even a couple of the rules we can see the improvement in our daily grind.
Would definitely recommend this book for the serious readers out there.

[Bekk Kennedy-Escott · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read with the intention of helping the reader to find ways to improve their attention, which in turn will help them to feel happier in the workplace. An enjoyable read, I rushed through some of the anecdotes and feel this was a little distracting, however I enjoyed the some of the activities. I don't however believe it will make a ground breaking impact into my work life, but some may find it to be just what they need to inspire them in the way it hopes to.

Thanks to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Alicia Robben · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great reminder about paying attention, especially at work. The focus on the book is how to approve attention to be more happy and fulfilled at work. I enjoyed the activities in the book, but ended up skimming by the end. For me, this book had too many stories and needed more focus on the psychological aspect of attention.

[Darya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book proves guide on how to become more attentive and productive. Attention is very important and it plays a big role in our work life especially. The author provides 12 rules of how to be more attentive and suggests to practice them until they gain a natural part of your behaviour. Yet simplicity once you start you need some time to master the skills.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's some very good info here. Some readers may be overwhelmed by the number of exercises, but some can be skipped. Implementing the ideas will take some time but likely worth it. This may be best for younger readers, although everyone can benefit from the rules.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

[Linda Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book explains the connection between how we think and out ability to achieve preferred outcomes. Changing our thought patterns can change our behaviours. Combine s theory with practical exercises. The strategies are applicable not just in the workplace but in daily life and personal relationships.

[Mahmoud Shwehneh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attention is a great a skill to have,
To navigate through life and work, for what you do and how you do it.
I consume the book through a 1.5 hour summary by the author,
The book focus on knowing you brain , what trigger it And how it respond.
Some ideas on how to increase you attention like
Visualization, mindfulness, some physical things and noticing what surrounds you.

[kirsty barrowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to help me focus on my day to day. After reading it, it was a mind blowing read for me. The exercises bring together lots of different prospectives of our brains attention stealers (even hormones). The carefully crafted practises after each chapter have changed my way of being forever.... I am more present than ever and take in whats happening and truly see. Life changing for me!

[Andrea Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully written, accessible book for anyone looking to improve their attention. It has tons of anecdotes, lots of hands-on activities, and a wonderful casual-but-still-professional tone to keep the reader engaged.

[Bineydeep Singh]

Please don’t waste your time picking up this book, I give it zero stars so you know what’s on the cards!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed learning about attention, lots of tips and techniques to try to grow your attention. Informative

[W Saad · Rating 1 out of 5]

Without any doubt, helped me sleep after 2 minutes of sleeping..
irrelevant content & boring comparisons.. stopped at page 110..

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. I just could not get into the flow of this book.

I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Fan Chaoch'i · Rating 2 out of 5]

People must realize attention is finite, and any method requires attention to manage attention won’t work