0:00:00.000,0:00:02.879
I kind of feel like[br]my attention span is dying.

0:00:02.879,0:00:04.221
[knocks on the door]

0:00:04.221,0:00:06.690
It's just like,[br]whenever I try and do anything,

0:00:06.690,0:00:09.101
I start craving some sort of distraction.

0:00:09.101,0:00:11.188
I can't just focus on one thing at a time,

0:00:11.188,0:00:13.256
even if that thing is sleeping.

0:00:13.256,0:00:14.659
But I have things I wanna do,

0:00:14.659,0:00:15.945
things I want to focus on.

0:00:15.945,0:00:18.737
I just don't,[br]because refreshing Instagram

0:00:18.737,0:00:21.561
is always gonna be easier...

0:00:28.027,0:00:29.271
and it's a problem!

0:00:29.271,0:00:30.263
And I'm tired of it.

0:00:30.263,0:00:34.610
I am tired of feeling like my life is[br]so far out of my own control.

0:00:34.750,0:00:36.280
So today,

0:00:36.340,0:00:38.648
we are figuring out how to stop scrolling,

0:00:38.648,0:00:40.669
and how to start paying attention.

0:00:40.890,0:00:43.203
Thank you to our Patrons[br]for supporting the channel,

0:00:43.203,0:00:45.571
and headspace for sponsoring[br]a portion of this video.

0:00:45.571,0:00:48.031
With focus music, motivational exercises,

0:00:48.031,0:00:49.713
guided meditations, and more,

0:00:49.713,0:00:51.951
Headspace has over a thousand [br]pieces of content

0:00:51.951,0:00:53.986
to help you be kind to your mind.

0:00:53.986,0:00:56.554
If you wanna see how Headspace[br]might be helpful to you,

0:00:56.554,0:00:59.137
you can try it out completely for free[br]for 60 days.

0:00:59.137,0:01:02.043
All you have to do is sign up[br]with our link in the description

0:01:02.043,0:01:03.636
or scan the QR code on screen.

0:01:03.636,0:01:04.236
[slam]

0:01:04.236,0:01:05.273
So what's in the box?

0:01:05.273,0:01:06.706
[box opening]

0:01:07.251,0:01:10.211
This is an electroencephalogram, [br]or an EEG.

0:01:10.211,0:01:12.303
It measures electrical activity[br]in the brain,

0:01:12.303,0:01:14.788
which are associated with certain[br]performance metrics

0:01:14.788,0:01:17.164
like attention, excitement and stress.

0:01:17.164,0:01:19.201
Does that look good?[br]How's that - How do I look?

0:01:19.201,0:01:22.546
Now these things usually look[br]a little bit more threatening and wire-y,

0:01:22.546,0:01:24.942
however, I reached out to this brand[br]called Emotiv

0:01:24.942,0:01:27.495
that creates more simplified[br]consumer options.

0:01:27.495,0:01:28.764
They gave me a little discount

0:01:28.764,0:01:30.395
so I could actually afford this[br]for the video.

0:01:30.395,0:01:32.550
And I look like a cyborg.

0:01:32.550,0:01:33.567
I think it looks cute!

0:01:33.567,0:01:35.136
Okay so these are my brainwaves,

0:01:35.136,0:01:37.954
and if I focus on it...really hard...

0:01:37.954,0:01:40.444
it should be able to translate these

0:01:40.444,0:01:44.109
into more understandable metrics,[br]like... attention!

0:01:44.109,0:01:44.951
Look at that!

0:01:44.951,0:01:47.577
You see the building attention[br]and spike in excitement;

0:01:47.577,0:01:48.450
that's my brain!

0:01:48.450,0:01:51.244
I kinda feel like a videogame character[br]and these are my stats.

0:01:51.244,0:01:52.004
This is cool.

0:01:52.004,0:01:54.384
Now I should note that EEG data[br]can be pretty noisy

0:01:54.384,0:01:57.610
and things like movement [br]can really impact the results.

0:01:57.610,0:02:00.889
However, I think that having any level of [br]recording is an improvement

0:02:00.889,0:02:04.793
because I basically never pay attention[br]to my attention.

0:02:04.793,0:02:08.572
It only every really comes up when[br]I'm feeling guilty about my screentime,

0:02:08.572,0:02:11.323
or I realise that [br]I've done nothing all day.

0:02:11.323,0:02:16.027
And only having these really infrequent[br]and negative interactions with my problem

0:02:16.027,0:02:18.834
makes it really hard to be [br]objective about the whole thing,

0:02:18.834,0:02:21.069
to understand how bad it actually is

0:02:21.069,0:02:23.926
and see if it's getting better...[br]or worse.

0:02:23.926,0:02:26.362
But now, with the help of this brainscanner,

0:02:26.362,0:02:29.242
I finally got to measure a [br]baseline for my attention span

0:02:29.242,0:02:31.010
without getting bogged down by guilt,

0:02:31.010,0:02:33.683
or forgetting to focus on my focus.

0:02:33.683,0:02:34.453
[typing]

0:02:34.453,0:02:38.407
I wore the EEG while I worked, ate,[br]exercised and relaxed.

0:02:38.407,0:02:41.844
I did take it off a few times[br]because it could get pretty uncomfortable

0:02:41.844,0:02:43.350
after really long stretches.

0:02:43.350,0:02:44.104
Woah!

0:02:44.104,0:02:46.006
But, overall, [br]it was pretty easy to ignore

0:02:46.006,0:02:48.362
while I just lived my life [br]for the rest of the week.

0:02:48.362,0:02:51.308
Alongside the EEG, I installed[br]a program to automatically track

0:02:51.308,0:02:53.496
how often I switched tasks on my computer,

0:02:53.496,0:02:56.300
and I recorded how many times[br]I picked up my phone.

0:02:56.300,0:02:59.357
Did you know that you can't actually[br]export your screentime data?

0:02:59.357,0:03:02.652
Then I wrote a quick script[br]to compile all this data and visualize it.

0:03:02.652,0:03:05.165
Here is my life for the past three days.

0:03:05.576,0:03:06.280
Ooh.

0:03:06.280,0:03:09.475
The x-axis is the number of[br]hours in a day.

0:03:09.475,0:03:12.711
These blue bars represent the [br]number of times I picked up my phone.

0:03:12.711,0:03:15.427
This grey line tracks how productive[br]I was at my computer,

0:03:15.427,0:03:18.809
and these coloured lines are the median[br]performance metrics from my EEG.

0:03:18.809,0:03:22.148
Now, some highlights include... this moment,

0:03:22.148,0:03:25.493
where I picked up my phone to start[br]debugging the app

0:03:25.493,0:03:27.532
that I was using to scan my brain,

0:03:27.532,0:03:33.617
and then I ended up, uh, opening Instagram[br]and spending the next two hours on it.

0:03:33.617,0:03:34.358
[laughs]

0:03:34.358,0:03:36.265
However, during my meetings the next day

0:03:36.265,0:03:40.222
I was like super interested and attentive,[br]right? Great? No.

0:03:40.222,0:03:43.183
It's because I kept picking up my phone!

0:03:43.183,0:03:44.649
I was supposed to be on a call!

0:03:44.649,0:03:46.290
I kept opening up Instagram! [laughs]

0:03:46.290,0:03:47.526
But it's not all bad news:

0:03:47.526,0:03:50.826
there are these instances [br]where I put down my phone,

0:03:50.826,0:03:54.389
I get into the zone,[br]and my brain just lights up.

0:03:54.389,0:03:59.008
The only issue is that in my 8-hour work[br]day, it only happens for, like, an hour.

0:03:59.008,0:04:03.723
It's over here at like 2 o'clock, [br]or 5 o'clock, or 10 o'clock!

0:04:03.723,0:04:06.763
Now something similar does happen[br]to my brain when I am working out,

0:04:06.763,0:04:09.429
but... how often am I doing that?

0:04:09.429,0:04:13.474
All this is to say, is that for [br]the 16-ish hours that I am awake,

0:04:13.474,0:04:17.623
I'm only engaged [br]and focused for like 12% of it.

0:04:17.623,0:04:20.680
The rest of the time,[br]the 88% of the time,

0:04:20.680,0:04:24.357
I'm all over the place. [br]I'm checked out or I'm distracted.

0:04:24.357,0:04:28.235
This could be most of the rest of my life, [br]unless we do something about it.

0:04:28.235,0:04:29.345
So let's do that.

0:04:29.345,0:04:34.193
So, I started looking for any books[br]about attention, focus, and distractions,

0:04:34.193,0:04:36.170
and I found a lot of them.

0:04:36.170,0:04:39.012
There was just one problem[br]- they're all identical!

0:04:39.012,0:04:40.552
They invent different buzz words,

0:04:40.552,0:04:44.255
and they switch up the personal anecdotes[br]that they blur with legitimate science,

0:04:44.255,0:04:47.910
but fundamentally, [br]if you've read one, you've read them all.

0:04:47.910,0:04:50.417
Fortunately, you don't need[br]to read any of them,

0:04:50.417,0:04:53.805
because here are the three things[br]that you actually need to know

0:04:53.805,0:04:55.772
if you want to fix your focus.

0:04:55.772,0:04:58.368
1: Attention and focus[br]are different things.

0:04:58.368,0:05:02.367
Attention is a broad concept that [br]boils down to our general awareness,

0:05:02.367,0:05:06.271
while focus is one process [br]that controls that awareness,

0:05:06.271,0:05:08.961
concentrating it on something specific.

0:05:08.961,0:05:12.816
2: Focus is a limited[br]and exhaustible resource.

0:05:12.816,0:05:16.046
So, you can only really [br]focus on one thing at a time,

0:05:16.046,0:05:20.272
and your ability to do that will [br]tire out the further you get from rest.

0:05:20.272,0:05:23.334
3: Focus also filters out distractions.

0:05:23.334,0:05:27.182
The more there are,[br]the more of your focus is being wasted.

0:05:27.182,0:05:30.814
Now some research exists suggesting that[br]certain forms of cognitive training

0:05:30.814,0:05:33.785
can increase your capacity [br]and ability to focus.

0:05:33.785,0:05:37.043
But the type of training and the [br]effectiveness has varying results.

0:05:37.043,0:05:40.209
The brain is complicated and [br]theres a lot of nuance in the details,

0:05:40.209,0:05:42.868
especially when you're trying [br]to find things that work for you

0:05:42.868,0:05:44.506
and your specific circumstances.

0:05:44.506,0:05:47.233
So to fix my focus, I'm actually[br]only going to do a handful of

0:05:47.233,0:05:50.220
very simple things that support[br]what we know about focus.

0:05:50.220,0:05:51.035
Here's the plan.

0:05:51.035,0:05:55.168
First, I need to manage my distractions, [br]starting with the obvious: my phone.

0:05:55.168,0:05:56.932
I deleted the apps that I never use,

0:05:56.932,0:05:59.374
set up time limits for[br]the apps I use way too much,

0:05:59.374,0:06:01.349
(everything except for my wallet)

0:06:01.349,0:06:04.155
and muted basically[br]all of my notifications.

0:06:04.155,0:06:07.371
I also installed this app[br]that replaces icons with text.

0:06:07.371,0:06:10.509
So now I need to put in a little[br]more effort before I open anything.

0:06:10.509,0:06:12.462
I also changed my display to grey scale.

0:06:12.462,0:06:15.206
[laughs] I have never wanted[br]to use my phone less.

0:06:15.206,0:06:16.558
God, this sucks.

0:06:16.558,0:06:17.630
I wasn't kidding.

0:06:17.630,0:06:21.647
Almost immediately, my phone pick-ups[br]and screen time dropped dramatically.

0:06:21.647,0:06:24.769
However, the silence made me [br]notice the sheer number of

0:06:24.769,0:06:27.191
internal distractions I have, too.

0:06:27.191,0:06:29.636
These passing thoughts that [br]just take me off task,

0:06:29.636,0:06:31.990
like wondering if I need [br]to buy more toilet paper,

0:06:31.990,0:06:34.436
wishing I learned [br]a musical instrument as a kid,

0:06:34.436,0:06:36.737
or thinking about what [br]I'm gonna have for dinner.

0:06:36.737,0:06:37.928
They were rarely urgent,

0:06:37.928,0:06:42.207
but often important enough that [br]I didn't want to ignore or forget them.

0:06:42.207,0:06:45.936
So, I dedicated a page in my notebook [br]to quickly write them down for later.

0:06:45.936,0:06:47.020
When later came,

0:06:47.020,0:06:51.460
I sorted through those thoughts based on [br]action, importance and time-sensitivity,

0:06:51.460,0:06:56.720
and kept it in mind when I was building[br]my schedule, which got way more specific.

0:06:56.720,0:07:00.202
Now, I'm usually the type of person who[br]only puts, like, events in my calendar,

0:07:00.202,0:07:01.527
- a normal person,

0:07:01.527,0:07:03.807
however, a lot of the books[br]that I've been reading

0:07:03.807,0:07:05.274
have recommended time-blocking.

0:07:05.274,0:07:06.849
Or time-boxing? I don't know.

0:07:06.849,0:07:09.665
It's just setting aside [br]time to do individual tasks.

0:07:09.665,0:07:12.484
Apparently, it helps you avoid [br]the temptation to multitask.

0:07:12.491,0:07:13.693
[alarm beeps]

0:07:13.693,0:07:17.756
So, every morning I took all of my[br]work, chores, exercises and hobbies

0:07:17.756,0:07:19.703
and plugged them into my calendar.

0:07:20.704,0:07:22.456
Now, I found that the secret is that

0:07:22.456,0:07:26.195
it's not as simple as just [br]putting an hour aside for each thing.

0:07:26.195,0:07:28.011
Since focus is an exhaustible resource,

0:07:28.011,0:07:30.676
I need to take into account [br]my energy levels throughout the day,

0:07:30.676,0:07:32.944
and how much effort [br]each task is gonna take.

0:07:32.944,0:07:37.007
Like, reading research papers and writing[br]takes a lot of focus for me.

0:07:37.007,0:07:38.639
It's just really boring.

0:07:38.876,0:07:40.908
[vacuum cleaner buzzes,[br]while audiobook plays]

0:07:40.908,0:07:44.077
but listening to audiobooks or animating...[br]I'm locked in!

0:07:44.077,0:07:47.847
I actually find it really hard to disengage[br]from the tasks that I really enjoy.

0:07:47.847,0:07:50.343
So, I find myself thinking about them,

0:07:50.343,0:07:53.594
or even continuing to do them[br]past their allotted time.

0:07:53.594,0:07:56.397
Which means that I should probably[br]think about those switching costs

0:07:56.397,0:07:58.554
when I'm building my [br]schedule out for the day.

0:07:58.554,0:08:01.899
Eventually, I realised this process [br]could be a little more automated,

0:08:01.899,0:08:05.072
so I got Taha to put the process together[br]in a notion template.

0:08:05.192,0:08:07.924
Now I can input tasks, tag them,

0:08:07.924,0:08:10.664
and it'll show me an order[br]that I can drag into my calendar.

0:08:10.664,0:08:12.946
I found it useful,[br]and if you want to give it a try,

0:08:12.946,0:08:14.798
I'll include it in our next newsletter.

0:08:14.798,0:08:17.981
But, once I controlled my [br]external and internal distractions,

0:08:17.981,0:08:20.476
and built out a schedule [br]that minimised multitasking

0:08:20.476,0:08:22.365
and optimised for my energy levels,

0:08:22.365,0:08:24.893
all that was left was...[br]actually focusing.

0:08:24.893,0:08:26.586
[suspenseful sound effect]

0:08:26.586,0:08:28.428
It was amazing.

0:08:28.516,0:08:31.385
I was using my phone less[br]and getting more done.

0:08:32.518,0:08:34.277
My brain was lighting up.

0:08:34.277,0:08:37.829
I was way more engaged [br]in everything I did.

0:08:37.829,0:08:41.287
I found different soundtracks[br]to make it easier to get in the zone,

0:08:41.287,0:08:43.188
and life was great...

0:08:43.587,0:08:44.696
until it wasn't.

0:08:45.154,0:08:47.488
[uuhhhhh]

0:08:47.689,0:08:50.281
It is... 12.

0:08:50.281,0:08:51.839
I haven't left bed yet.

0:08:51.839,0:08:54.239
I've just been using my phone, full color.

0:08:54.239,0:08:59.473
Every 15 minutes I hit[br]"remind me in 15 minutes."

0:08:59.473,0:09:00.874
[sighs]

0:09:00.874,0:09:03.366
And then 15 minutes later I do it again.

0:09:03.501,0:09:05.941
Just feels like we're [br]back where we started.

0:09:05.941,0:09:08.716
I ended up using my phone[br]for 7 hours that day -

0:09:08.716,0:09:11.041
more than I had all week prior.

0:09:11.183,0:09:12.600
I had things I could do.

0:09:12.600,0:09:14.217
Things I should do.

0:09:14.350,0:09:17.719
But I just... couldn't [br]bring myself to get up.

0:09:19.195,0:09:22.662
I am kind of proud that I managed to [br]pull up my code on my phone

0:09:22.662,0:09:24.759
and see if there were any clues in my data

0:09:24.759,0:09:26.599
that could explain what went wrong.

0:09:26.599,0:09:28.211
[laughs][br]I know, it's pathetic!

0:09:28.211,0:09:31.990
But, it was a small victory that [br]led to an interesting discovery:

0:09:31.990,0:09:34.654
the nights that I used [br]my phone past midnight

0:09:34.654,0:09:38.946
led to days where I felt more distracted [br]and picked up my phone more often.

0:09:38.946,0:09:41.938
I learned in an old video[br]how important sleep could really be,

0:09:41.938,0:09:44.823
so I decided to just give up on the day,

0:09:44.823,0:09:47.324
get some sleep, and try again tomorrow.

0:09:51.238,0:09:55.034
[sighs]

0:09:55.534,0:09:56.982
aaaAAAHHH!

0:09:57.141,0:09:59.774
[phone call answered][br]I feel like I'm drowning.

0:09:59.774,0:10:02.024
It's like I'm not doing [br]anything hard, right?

0:10:02.024,0:10:05.717
I'm just doing my stuff.[br]I'm just trying to focus on it more.

0:10:05.717,0:10:13.577
Except, I'm trying so hard to focus,[br]that everything is making me on edge.

0:10:13.577,0:10:16.343
Like, my cat will try and get my attention

0:10:16.343,0:10:20.027
and I'll be annoyed at him[br]for wanting pats.

0:10:20.027,0:10:25.667
It's like there's sand falling,[br]and I'm trying to catch all of the sand.

0:10:25.667,0:10:26.945
And you can't do it!

0:10:26.945,0:10:29.145
Am I making any sense?

0:10:29.145,0:10:32.621
I really need to make [br]every grain of sand count,

0:10:32.621,0:10:38.130
by, like, doing everything on target,[br]and even if I'm enjoying something,

0:10:38.130,0:10:42.156
I can't because I need to move [br]and catch different grains of sand.

0:10:42.773,0:10:44.889
Hold on, hold on, hold on.

0:10:44.889,0:10:46.092
What did you just say?

0:10:46.092,0:10:48.100
"Have you ever thought about just

0:10:48.100,0:10:52.526
meditating and doing... nothing?

0:10:52.526,0:10:55.387
Taking a step back away from [br]the thing that you're working on

0:10:55.387,0:10:57.355
and... not working?

0:10:57.355,0:10:58.743
Like taking a break?"

0:11:02.393,0:11:04.296
Maybe it was because I was desperate.

0:11:04.296,0:11:06.901
Actually, it is totally because I was desperate.

0:11:06.901,0:11:09.129
But, I decided to try meditation.

0:11:09.129,0:11:10.637
The only issue is...

0:11:10.637,0:11:12.347
I have no idea how.

0:11:12.347,0:11:14.425
Luckily, I have headspace.

0:11:14.425,0:11:17.245
I should probably turn the color on[br]just so that you guys can see

0:11:17.245,0:11:18.674
what the app actually looks like.

0:11:18.674,0:11:20.704
When I asked headspace [br]to sponsor a portion of this video,

0:11:20.704,0:11:24.159
I genuinely thought I was only going to[br]use their focus music and white noise,

0:11:24.159,0:11:26.366
because I love listening to[br]those to the point that

0:11:26.366,0:11:29.346
it is ruining my YouTube recommendations[br]and Spotify Wrapped.

0:11:29.346,0:11:31.644
So it's just great to have access[br]to headspace's collection.

0:11:31.644,0:11:36.278
But Headspace also has stretches, [br]workouts, podcasts, and meditation.

0:11:36.278,0:11:38.601
They have content specifically[br]for beginners, like me,

0:11:38.601,0:11:41.158
who don't know where to start.[br]It's in their basics course.

0:11:41.158,0:11:44.078
But if you don't wanna commit to that,[br]they also have shorter exercises

0:11:44.078,0:11:47.134
including my favourite thing [br]that I discovered on this app,

0:11:47.134,0:11:51.101
which is "Star Wars: Breathe with Yoda."

0:11:51.101,0:11:54.931
It's a 1-minute breathing exercise,[br]and Yoda's just sitting there, levitating rocks.

0:11:54.931,0:11:55.961
I love it.

0:11:55.961,0:11:58.331
However, they also have [br]longer, less structured stuff

0:11:58.331,0:11:59.754
for people with more experience.

0:11:59.754,0:12:03.797
Just the sheer amount of variety is [br]probably my favorite thing about Headspace.

0:12:03.797,0:12:07.677
They bring together so many resources [br]to help you be kind to your mind;

0:12:07.677,0:12:11.602
so, even if meditation doesn't[br]end up helping, maybe movement will.

0:12:11.602,0:12:15.604
Or, another cool thing that I found [br]- this is so sick - they have ASMR

0:12:15.604,0:12:19.100
and there's like a thing at the bottom[br]that lets you control the balance

0:12:19.100,0:12:21.905
between voice and, like,[br]environmental noise.

0:12:21.905,0:12:23.543
Headspace, do more of this!

0:12:23.543,0:12:26.844
If you want to try out Headspace,[br]completely for free for 60 days,

0:12:26.844,0:12:30.811
you can sign up using the link in the[br]description, or scan the QR code.

0:12:30.811,0:12:33.110
Okay, lets learn how to meditate.

0:12:33.110,0:12:35.365
"Hi, and welcome to-"[br]"-Hi"

0:12:35.365,0:12:39.428
My first experience with meditation[br]was... strange?

0:12:39.428,0:12:42.797
Now, the voice kept telling me to[br]focus on my breathing,

0:12:42.797,0:12:44.999
but, I might have focused[br]a little too hard,

0:12:44.999,0:12:48.160
because I was worried [br]I forgot how to breathe.

0:12:48.160,0:12:50.299
I should wear my head [br]scanner thing for this!

0:12:50.299,0:12:51.678
Back to breathing. [exhales]

0:12:51.678,0:12:53.778
But eventually,[br]I think I got the hang of it,

0:12:53.778,0:12:55.908
and, after 10 minutes...

0:12:55.908,0:12:56.913
[phone call answered]

0:12:56.913,0:13:00.334
How am I supposed to know if[br]meditations working?

0:13:00.334,0:13:02.133
Is there a light? [br]Like what happens?

0:13:02.133,0:13:04.132
"I don't think there's[br]an exact science to it,

0:13:04.132,0:13:06.861
It's just - You're supposed[br]to just feel better.

0:13:06.861,0:13:09.247
Or feel... changed.

0:13:10.281,0:13:11.690
Did it do anything?"

0:13:12.097,0:13:14.227
I don't know![br][laughs]

0:13:14.227,0:13:16.179
Do you just keep doing it?

0:13:16.179,0:13:17.565
"That's kind of it.

0:13:18.060,0:13:20.789
I know that's probably not[br]what you wanted to hear, but-"

0:13:20.789,0:13:22.942
So I just trust the process?

0:13:23.022,0:13:24.409
So, for the next few days,

0:13:24.409,0:13:27.238
I continued with my focus [br]schedule and wore my EEG.

0:13:27.238,0:13:30.365
But I also tried to meditate in [br]the morning, or evening,

0:13:30.365,0:13:32.798
or just random moments[br]when I felt like it.

0:13:32.798,0:13:34.046
[inhales]

0:13:35.852,0:13:38.820
And then, something kind of wild happened.

0:13:39.353,0:13:41.250
Meditation works!

0:13:41.250,0:13:43.155
And I wish I could tell you this because

0:13:43.155,0:13:46.218
I've achieved enlightenment or[br]I have a new found sense of peace,

0:13:46.218,0:13:51.147
but, no... I just feel... normal.

0:13:51.147,0:13:52.364
About as normal...

0:13:52.364,0:13:55.695
as the distribution of the sample means[br]of my experimental populations,

0:13:55.695,0:13:59.123
justifying the use of a two-sample t-test[br]resulting in... these p-values.

0:13:59.123,0:14:01.348
Ooo! How significant!

0:14:01.348,0:14:03.256
This EEG has seriously paid off

0:14:03.256,0:14:05.540
because, even though[br]I don't feel that different,

0:14:05.540,0:14:08.209
I was able to use its[br]measurements to do some statistics,

0:14:08.209,0:14:12.374
and find that meditation has improved [br]basically all of my performance metrics:

0:14:12.374,0:14:16.034
engagement, excitement, interest!

0:14:16.034,0:14:18.620
Also, stress... but that might be[br]because I was wearing this

0:14:18.620,0:14:21.530
when you guys sold out our[br]last merch drop in less than 24 hours.

0:14:21.530,0:14:22.688
Thank you for that.

0:14:22.688,0:14:23.919
So, good stress!

0:14:23.919,0:14:27.355
The coolest thing is that all of this is [br]on top of what I already gained

0:14:27.355,0:14:30.062
by minimising distractions [br]and avoiding multitasking.

0:14:30.062,0:14:32.073
At least according to these[br]regressions I ran.

0:14:32.073,0:14:34.787
But the benefits of meditation [br]came at a surprising cost.

0:14:34.787,0:14:36.599
You see these peaks of intense focus?

0:14:36.599,0:14:38.253
Yeah, those stopped happening.

0:14:38.253,0:14:41.928
But I also stopped experiencing these[br]huge dips. Now I'm just fine.

0:14:41.928,0:14:45.583
This whole thing is just... fine.

0:14:45.583,0:14:49.631
I started this video because I wanted[br]to feel more in control of my attention.

0:14:49.631,0:14:53.324
I didn't want to have to rely on[br]being distracted every single second.

0:14:53.324,0:14:54.973
And you know what?

0:14:54.973,0:14:55.734
Done!

0:14:55.734,0:14:58.607
I am literally, [br]statistically more engaged!

0:14:58.607,0:15:01.348
And anecdotally, I was doing [br]the dishes the other day

0:15:01.348,0:15:03.449
and I started playing[br]a podcast out of habit,

0:15:03.449,0:15:07.401
and then I realized...[br]I'd rather just clean in silence.

0:15:07.401,0:15:08.833
Who am I?

0:15:08.833,0:15:10.182
I know I should be happy.

0:15:10.182,0:15:12.815
Happy that for folks [br]without attention disorders,

0:15:12.815,0:15:16.176
fixing your focus is as simple as[br]minimizing distractions,

0:15:16.176,0:15:20.330
avoiding multitasking, and maybe[br]meditating if it all gets too much.

0:15:20.330,0:15:22.904
I should be happy![br]But I'm not.

0:15:22.904,0:15:25.642
Like, I think it's really cool [br]that meditation can work

0:15:25.642,0:15:28.523
even if you don't know how it works,

0:15:28.523,0:15:30.109
but I'm me...

0:15:30.109,0:15:31.282
and I need to know how.

0:15:31.282,0:15:34.614
So I guess if you only cared about[br]fixing your focus, the video's done!

0:15:34.614,0:15:35.665
You heard my advice.

0:15:35.665,0:15:39.080
But, if you're like me,[br]and you wanna know why...

0:15:39.080,0:15:41.372
come with me, 'cause we're gonna find out.

0:15:41.372,0:15:43.597
It was strange getting to the[br]bottom of this,

0:15:43.597,0:15:47.384
because I was looking for an answer [br]when I didn't really have a question.

0:15:47.384,0:15:51.839
I just had a sense of unease[br]because I had solved my original problem,

0:15:51.839,0:15:56.740
without understanding how or why[br]my solution really worked.

0:15:56.740,0:15:59.319
It was only after [br]spending the day in the library,

0:15:59.319,0:16:02.164
flipping through any book [br]I could find about meditation,

0:16:02.164,0:16:05.101
when I realized my question,[br]and its answer.

0:16:05.101,0:16:08.857
You see, earlier we learned [br]how focus works according to science,

0:16:08.857,0:16:12.532
and the tips I found in those[br]productivity books were in line with that.

0:16:12.532,0:16:14.497
They should have helped me stay focused.

0:16:14.497,0:16:17.117
But they didn't,[br]not in the long run.

0:16:17.117,0:16:21.030
However, when I added meditation [br]to the mix, it all worked.

0:16:21.030,0:16:22.693
The question is how?

0:16:22.693,0:16:24.896
Specifically, how did meditation

0:16:24.896,0:16:28.505
influence my focus differently[br]than productivity tips?

0:16:29.184,0:16:33.242
Okay. So, meditation as we know it[br]originated in India with...

0:16:33.357,0:16:35.191
Theravada Buddhism.

0:16:35.191,0:16:37.953
However, it's since evolved [br]into a wide range of practices

0:16:37.953,0:16:39.203
used throughout the world,

0:16:39.203,0:16:42.258
including more secularized [br]and instrumentalized forms

0:16:42.258,0:16:46.264
that became popular in the west with [br]books like Wherever You Go There You Are.

0:16:46.264,0:16:50.205
This approach to meditation became [br]known as mindfulness based interventions

0:16:50.205,0:16:51.849
and it has two main forms:

0:16:51.849,0:16:56.729
open monitoring, where you observe your [br]experiences in real time without reacting.

0:16:56.729,0:16:59.224
You just recognize things as they are;

0:16:59.224,0:17:01.311
and focused attention,[br]where you concentrate

0:17:01.311,0:17:03.437
on something specific, like breathing.

0:17:03.437,0:17:06.854
Now the interesting thing is that[br]this religiously informed framework,

0:17:06.854,0:17:11.131
with origins from thousands of years ago,[br]has a lot of surprising parallels

0:17:11.131,0:17:14.733
with our modern scientific [br]understanding of attention.

0:17:14.733,0:17:18.400
In fact, some Buddhist practitioners[br]have been found to out-perform the norm

0:17:18.400,0:17:19.928
at attention-related tasks,

0:17:19.928,0:17:24.373
suggesting that meditation is,[br]at least in part, helping them focus.

0:17:24.373,0:17:26.495
Now, I should probably say that

0:17:26.495,0:17:30.145
a lot of this research,[br]while promising, is still inconclusive.

0:17:30.145,0:17:34.113
Meditation, and even attention, [br]are still kind of nebulous concepts

0:17:34.113,0:17:37.870
that make it difficult to achieve [br]rigourous, scientific consensus.

0:17:37.870,0:17:41.570
However, despite the similarities [br]I found between religious theory

0:17:41.570,0:17:44.314
and these pop science attention books,

0:17:44.314,0:17:46.682
I did notice, one key difference:

0:17:46.682,0:17:48.866
how they manage distractions.

0:17:48.866,0:17:51.438
You see, the pop science and [br]productivity books I read

0:17:51.438,0:17:53.394
emphasized cutting out distractions

0:17:53.394,0:17:57.743
and building walls in your space [br]and schedule to protect your focus.

0:17:57.743,0:18:01.198
This is straight forward in concept,[br]but really difficult to maintain

0:18:01.198,0:18:04.686
if have a lot of responsibilities [br]that are outside your control.

0:18:04.686,0:18:08.335
In contrast, the mindfulness approach [br]targets your focus directly,

0:18:08.335,0:18:12.415
cultivating it to be easier to command [br]and resilient to distractions.

0:18:12.415,0:18:14.068
This forms a sort of spectrum,

0:18:14.068,0:18:18.479
where you either reshape your environment [br]to restore your attention,

0:18:18.479,0:18:21.694
or reinforce your attention [br]to endure the world.

0:18:21.694,0:18:22.694
Now here's the thing,

0:18:22.694,0:18:26.993
when you feel your attention span[br]slipping through your fingers,

0:18:26.993,0:18:31.096
that pop science, productivity [br]approach is really tempting.

0:18:31.096,0:18:32.716
Not only because it's unavoidable,

0:18:32.716,0:18:35.349
like, a lot of the content around[br]reclaiming your focus

0:18:35.349,0:18:37.928
is for the sake of [br]using it on something else.

0:18:37.928,0:18:41.072
But it is also tempting [br]because the advice is so tangible.

0:18:41.072,0:18:43.879
You turn off your notifications,[br]you build out a schedule,

0:18:43.879,0:18:47.407
you get rid of the distractions,[br]and see it replaced with things

0:18:47.407,0:18:48.882
that you do care about.

0:18:48.882,0:18:51.158
Compare that to meditation,[br]which is so subtle

0:18:51.158,0:18:54.249
that if I wasn't wearing [br]an EEG for three weeks,

0:18:54.249,0:18:56.620
I would have just [br]assumed that it did nothing.

0:18:56.620,0:18:58.811
However, the average person like you or I,

0:18:58.811,0:19:01.109
can never fully control our environments.

0:19:01.109,0:19:04.456
And the supports we use to try [br]are shockingly fragile.

0:19:04.456,0:19:05.873
So if they break,

0:19:05.873,0:19:07.683
when they break...

0:19:07.683,0:19:11.190
all we're left with [br]is our core ability to focus.

0:19:11.190,0:19:14.106
And if that sucks,[br]we end up where we started.

0:19:14.106,0:19:16.298
That's why I think [br]meditation helped me out.

0:19:16.298,0:19:20.085
The whole exercise is realizing[br]that your mind naturally wanders,

0:19:20.085,0:19:21.913
but, you also have the power

0:19:21.913,0:19:24.419
to nudge it back[br]to where you want it to be.

0:19:24.419,0:19:26.646
Now, I'm obviously not [br]going to go full tilt

0:19:26.646,0:19:29.905
and become a Buddhist Monk [br]because, to be honest...

0:19:29.905,0:19:31.755
I can't pull off orange.

0:19:31.755,0:19:34.506
However, the great thing[br]about a spectrum is

0:19:34.506,0:19:37.549
that we can find ourselves [br]somewhere in the middle:

0:19:37.549,0:19:40.628
structuring our days more thoughtfully,[br]and lowering the noise,

0:19:40.628,0:19:43.773
not to a silence, but to a gentle hum

0:19:43.773,0:19:46.673
that we can enjoy at our own pace.

0:19:46.673,0:19:47.990
But either way,

0:19:47.990,0:19:49.817
have a lovely day.