1 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I kind of feel like 2 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 my attention spam is dying 3 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 knocks on the door 4 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it's just like 5 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 whenever I try and do anything, 6 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I start craving some sort of distraction 7 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I can't just focus on one thing at a time 8 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 even if that thing is sleeping. 9 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But I have things I wanna do, things I focus on 10 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I just don't 11 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because refreshing Instagram is 12 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 always going to be easier 13 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 ... and it's a problem! 14 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And I'm tired of it. 15 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I am tired of feeling like my life is so far out of my own control. 16 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So today, 17 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we are figuring out how to stop scrolling, 18 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and how to start paying attention. 19 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Thank you to our Patreons for supporting the channel, 20 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and headspace for sponsoring 21 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 a portion of this video. 22 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 With focused music, motivational exercises, 23 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 guided meditations, and more, 24 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 headspace has over a thousand pieces of content 25 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to help you be kind to your mind. 26 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If you want to see how headspace might be helpful to you, 27 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you can try it out completely for free for 60 days. 28 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 All you have to do is sign up 29 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with our link in the description 30 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or scan the QR code on screen. 31 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [slam] 32 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, what's in the box? 33 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [box opening] 34 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This is an electroencephalogram, or an EEG. 35 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It measures electrical activity in the brain 36 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which are associated with certain performance metrics 37 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like attention, excitement and stress. 38 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Does that look good? How's that - How do I look? 39 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now these things usually look a little bit more 40 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 threatening and wire-y, however 41 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I reached out to this brand called Emotiv 42 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that creates more simplified consumer options. 43 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They gave me a little discount 44 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so I could actually afford this for the video. 45 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And I look like a cyborg. 46 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I think it looks cute. 47 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Okay, so these are my brainwaves 48 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and if I focus on it 49 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 really hard 50 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it should be able to translate these 51 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 into more understandable metrics... 52 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like attention! Look at that! 53 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You see the building of tension and spike in excitement; 54 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that's my brain! 55 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I kind of feel like a videogame character and these are my stats. 56 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's cool. 57 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now I should note that EEG data can be pretty noisy 58 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and things like movement can really impact the results. 59 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, I think that having any level of recording is an improvement 60 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because I basically never pay attention to my attention. 61 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It only every really comes up when I'm feeling guilty about my screentime, 62 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or I realise that I've done nothing all day. 63 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And only having these really infrequent and negative interactions with my problem 64 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 makes it really hard to be objective about the whole thing, 65 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to understand how bad it actually is 66 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and see if it's getting better or worse. 67 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But now, with the help of this brainscanner, 68 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I finally got to measure a baseline for my attention span 69 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 without getting bogged down by guilt, 70 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or forgetting to focus on my focus. 71 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [typing] 72 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I wore the EEG while I worked, ate, exercised and relaxed. 73 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I did take it off a few times because it gets pretty uncomfortable 74 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 after really long stretches. 75 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Woah! 76 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But, overall, it was pretty easy to ignore 77 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 while I just lived my life for the rest of the week. 78 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Alongside the EEG, I installed a program to automatically track 79 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 how often I switched tasks on my computer, 80 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I recorded how many times I picked up my phone. 81 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Did you know that you can't actually export you screentime data! 82 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Then I wrote a quick script to compile all this data and visualise it. 83 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Here is my life for the past three days. 84 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Ooh. 85 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The x-axis is the number of hours in a day. 86 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 These blue bars represent the number of times I picked up my phone. 87 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This grey line tracks how productive I was at my computer, 88 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and these coloured lines are the median performance metrics from my EEG. 89 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now, some highlights include this moment 90 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 where I picked up my phone to start debugging the app that I was using to scan my brain, 91 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and then I ended up [uh] opening Instagram and spending the next two hours on it. 92 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [laughs] 93 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, during my meeting the next day 94 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I was like super interested and attentive, 95 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 right? Great? No. 96 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's because I kept picking up my phone! 97 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I was supposed to be on call! 98 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I kept opening up Instagram! 99 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But it's not all bad news: 100 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 there are these instances where I put down my phone, 101 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I get into the zone, and my brain just lights up. 102 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The only issue is that in my 8-hour work day, it only happens for, like, an hour. 103 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's over here at like 2 o'clock, or 5 o'clock, or 10 o'clock! 104 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now something similar does happen to my brain when I am working out, 105 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but... how often am I doing that? 106 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 All this is to say, is that for the 16-ish hours that I am awake, 107 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I am only engaged and focused for like 12% of it. 108 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The rest of the time - the 88% of the time - 109 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'm all over the place: I'm checked out or I'm distracted. 110 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This could be most of the rest of my life unless we do something about it. 111 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So let's do that. 112 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, I started looking for any books about attention, focus and distractions 113 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I found a lot of them. 114 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 There was just one problem - they're all identical! 115 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They invent different buzz words and 116 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and they switch out the personal anecdotes 117 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that they blend with legitimate science, 118 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but fundamentally, if you've read one, you've read them all. 119 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Fortunately, you don't need to read any of them because here are the three things 120 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that you actually need to know if you want to fix your focus. 121 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 1: Attention and focus are different things. 122 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Attention is a broad concept that boils down to our general awareness, 123 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 while focus is one process that controls that awareness, 124 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 concentrating it on something specific. 125 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 2: Focus is a limited and exhaustible resource. 126 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, you can only really focus on one thing at a time 127 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and your ability to do that will tire out the further you get from rest. 128 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 3: Focus also filters out distractions. 129 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The more there are, the more of your focus is being wasted. 130 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now some research exists suggesting that certain forms of cognitive training 131 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 can increase your capacity and ability to focus. 132 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But the type of training and the effectiveness has varying results. 133 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The brain is complicated and there is a lot of nuance in the details - 134 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 especially when you are trying to find things that work for you 135 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and your specific circumstances. 136 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So to fix my focus, I'm actually only going to do a handful of very simple things 137 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that support what we know about focus. 138 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Here's the plan. 139 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 First I need to manage my distractions, starting with the obvious: my phone. 140 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I deleted the apps that I never use, set up time limits for the apps I use 141 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 way too much (everything except for my wallet) 142 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and muted basically all of my notifications. 143 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I also installed this app that replaces icons with text. 144 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So now I need to put in a little more effort before I open anything. 145 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I also changed my display to grey scale. 146 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I have never wanted to use my phone less. 147 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 God, this sucks. 148 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I wasn't kidding. 149 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Almost immediately, my phone pick-ups and screen time dropped dramatically. 150 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, the silence made me notice the sheer number of 151 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 internal distractions I have, too. 152 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 These passing thoughts that just take me off task, 153 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like wandering if I need to buy more toilet paper, 154 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 wishing I learned a musical instrument as a kid 155 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or thinking about what I'm going to have for dinner. 156 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They were rarely urgent, 157 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but often important enough that I didn't want to ignore or forget them. 158 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, I dedicated a page in my notebook to quickly write them down for later. 159 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 When later came, 160 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I sorted through those thoughts based on action, importance and time-sensitivity, 161 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and kept it in mind when I was building my schedule which got way more specific. 162 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now, I'm usually the type of person who 163 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 only puts, like, events in my calendar - a normal person - however, 164 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 a lot of the books that I've been reading have recommended time-blocking 165 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or time-boxing. I don't know. 166 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's just setting aside time to do individual tasks. 167 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Apparently, it helps you avoid the temptation to multitask. 168 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [alarm beeps] 169 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, every morning, I took all of my work, 170 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 chores, exercises and hobbies 171 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and plugged them into my calendar. 172 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now, I found that the secret is that 173 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it's not as simple as just putting an hour aside for each thing. 174 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Since focus is an exhaustible resource, 175 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I need to take into account my energy levels throughout the day 176 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and how much effort each task is going to take. 177 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Like, reading research papers and writing takes a lot of focus for me. 178 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's just really boring. 179 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [vacuum cleaner with audiobook playing] 180 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but listening to audiobooks or animating, 181 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'm locked in. 182 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I actually find it really hard to disengage from the tasks that I really enjoy. 183 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So I find myself thinking about them or even continuing to do them 184 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 past their allotted time. 185 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Which means that I should probably think about those switching costs 186 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when I'm building my schedule out for the day. 187 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Eventually, I realised this process could be a little more automated, 188 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so I got Taha to put the process together in a notion template. 189 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now I can input tasks, tag them and it will show me an order 190 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that I can drag into my calendar. 191 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I found it useful, 192 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and if you want to give it a try, I'll include it in our next newsletter. 193 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But once I controlled my external and internal distractions, 194 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and built out a schedule that minimised multitasking 195 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and optimised for my energy levels, 196 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 all that was left was actually focusing. 197 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It was amazing. 198 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I was using my phone less and getting more done. 199 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 My brain was lighting up. 200 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I was way more engaged in everything I did. 201 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I found different soundtracks to make it easier to get in the zone, 202 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and life was great... 203 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 until it wasn't. 204 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [uuhhhhh] 205 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It is... 12. 206 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I haven't left bed yet. 207 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I've just been using my phone, full color. 208 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Every 15 minutes I hit "remind me in 15 minutes." 209 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [uhh] 210 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And then 15 minutes later I do it again. 211 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Just feels like we're back where we started. 212 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I ended up using my phone for 7 hours that day - 213 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 more than I had all week prior. 214 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I had things I could do. 215 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Things I should do. 216 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But I just couldn't bring myself to get up. 217 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I am kind of proud that I managed to pull up my code on my phone 218 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and see if there were any clues in my data 219 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that could explain what went wrong. 220 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I know, it's pathetic, 221 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but it was a small victory that led to an interesting discovery: 222 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the nights that I used my phone past midnight 223 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 led to days where I felt more distracted and picked up my phone more often. 224 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I learned in an old video how important sleep could really be, 225 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so I decided to just give up on the day, 226 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 get some sleep, and try again tomorrow. 227 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [sigh] 228 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 [aaaAAAHHH] 229 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I feel like I'm drowning. 230 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's like I'm not doing anything hard, right? 231 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'm just doing my stuff. 232 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'm just trying to focus on it more. 233 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Except, I'm trying so hard to focus 234 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that everything is making me on edge. 235 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Like, my cat will try and get my attention 236 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I'll be annoyed at him for wanting pats. 237 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's like there's sand falling 238 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I'm trying to catch all of the sand. 239 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And you can't do it! 240 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Am I making any sense? 241 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I really need to make every grain of sand count 242 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 by like doing everything on target 243 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and even if I'm enjoying something, 244 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I can't because I need to move and catch different grains of sand. 245 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Hold on, hold on, hold on. 246 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 What are you going to day? 247 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "Have you ever thought about 248 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 just meditating and doing nothing? 249 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Taking a step back away from the thing that you're working on 250 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and not working? 251 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Like taking a break?" 252 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Maybe it was because I was desperate. 253 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Actually, it is totally because I was desperate 254 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I decided to try meditation. 255 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The only issue is... 256 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I have no idea how. 257 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Luckily, I have headspace. 258 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I should probably turn the colour on 259 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 just so you guys can see what the app actually looks like. 260 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 When I asked headspace to sponsor a portion of this video, 261 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I genuinely thought I was only going to use their focus music and white noise, 262 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because I love listening to those to the point that 263 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it is ruining my YouTube recommendations and Spotify Wrapped. 264 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So it is just great to have access to headspace's collection. 265 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But headspace also has stretches, workouts, podcasts and meditation. 266 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They have content specifically for beginners, like me, 267 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 who don't know where to start. 268 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's in their basics course. 269 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But if you don't want to commit to that, 270 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they also have shorter exercises 271 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 including my favourite thing I discovered on this app, 272 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which is "Star Wars: Breathe with Yoda." 273 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's a 1-minute breathing exercise 274 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and Yoda's just sitting there levitating rocks. I love it. 275 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, they also have longer, less structured stuff 276 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 for people with more experience. 277 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Just the sheer amount of variety is probably my favorite thing about headspace 278 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They bring together so many resources to help you be kind to your mind; so, 279 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 even if meditation doesn't end up helping, maybe movement will. 280 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Or, another cool thing that I found - this is so sick - they have ASMR 281 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and there's like a thing at the bottom that lets you control the balance between 282 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 voice and, like, environmental noise. 283 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Headspace, do more of this! 284 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If you want to try out headspace, 285 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 completely for free for 60 days, 286 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you can sign up using the link in the description, or scan the QR code. 287 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Okay, lets learn how to meditate. 288 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "Hi, and welcome to-" "-Hi" 289 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 My first experience with meditation was... 290 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 strange? Now, the voice kept telling me to 291 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 focus on my breathing, 292 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I might have focused a little too hard 293 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because I was worried I forgot how to breathe. 294 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I should wear my head scanner thing for this! 295 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Back to breathing. [exhales] 296 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But eventually, I think I got the hang of it 297 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and after 10 minutes 298 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 -How am I supposed to know if meditation is working? 299 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Is there a light? Like what happens? 300 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "I don't think there is an exact science to it. 301 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's just - you're supposed to just feel better. 302 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Or feel changed. 303 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Did it do anything?" 304 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I don't know! 305 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Do you just keep doing it? 306 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "That's kind of it. 307 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear, but-" 308 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So I just trust the process? 309 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, for the next few days, 310 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I continued with my focus schedule and wore my EEG. 311 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But I also tried to meditate in the morning, or evening, 312 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or just random moments when I felt like it. 313 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And then, something kind of wild happened. 314 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Meditation works! 315 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And I wish I could tell you this because 316 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I have achieved enlightenment or I have a new found sense of peace, 317 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but, no. I just feel normal . 318 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 About as normal as the distribution of 319 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the sample means of my experimental populations, justifying the use of 320 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 a two-sampled t-test resulting in these p-values. 321 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Ooh! How significant. 322 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This EEG has seriously paid off 323 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because even though I don't feel that different, 324 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I was able to use its measurements to do some statistics 325 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and find that meditation has improved basically all of my performance metrics: 326 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 engagement, excitement, interest. 327 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Also, stress, but that might be because 328 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I was wearing this when you guys 329 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 sold out our last merch drop in less than 24 hours. Thank you for that. 330 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So good stress. 331 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The coolest thing is that all of this is on top of what I already gained 332 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 by minimising distractions and avoiding multitasking. 333 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 At least according to these regressions 334 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I ran. 335 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But the benefits of meditation came at a surprising cost. 336 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You see these peaks of intense focus? 337 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yeah, those stopped happening. 338 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But I also stopped experiencing these huge dips. Now I'm just fine. 339 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This whole thing is just... fine. 340 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You know, I started this video because I wanted to feel more in control of my attention. 341 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I didn't want to rely on being distracted every single second. And you know what? 342 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Done. 343 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I am literally, statistically more engaged 344 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and anecdotally, I was doing the dishes the other day and 345 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I started playing a podcast out of habit, then I realised: 346 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'd rather just clean in silence. 347 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Who am I? 348 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I know I should be happy. 349 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Happy that for folks without attention disorders, 350 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 fixing your focus is as simple as 351 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 minimising distractions, avoiding multitasking, 352 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and maybe meditating if it all gets too much. 353 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I should be happy. 354 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But I'm not. 355 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Like I think it's really cool that meditation can work 356 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 even if you don't know how it works, 357 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I'm me... 358 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I need to know how. 359 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So I guess if you only cared about fixing your focus, 360 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the video is done. 361 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You heard my advice. 362 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But, if you're like me 363 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and you want to know why, 364 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 come with me 'cause we're gonna find out. 365 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It was strange getting to the bottom of this. 366 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because I was looking for an answer when I didn't really have a question. 367 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I just had a sense of unease because I had solved my original problem 368 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 without understanding how or why my solution really worked. 369 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It was only after spending the day in the library, 370 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 flipping through any book I could find about meditation, 371 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when I realised my question and its answer. 372 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You see, earlier we learned how focus works according to science, 373 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and the tips I found in those productivity books were in line with that. 374 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They should have helped me stay focused. 375 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But they didn't. 376 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Not in the long run. 377 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, when I added meditation to the mix, it all worked. 378 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The question is how. 379 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Specifically, how did meditation influence my focus 380 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 differently than productivity tips. 381 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Okay. So, meditation as we know it 382 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 originated in India with 383 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Theravada Buddhism. 384 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, it's since evolved into a wide range of practices 385 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 used throughout the world, 386 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 including more securlarised and intrumentalised forms 387 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that became popular in the west with books like Wherever You Go There You Are. 388 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This approach to meditation became known as mindfulness based interventions 389 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and has two main forms: 390 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 open monitoring, where you observe your experiences in real time without reacting 391 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you just recognise things as they are; 392 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and focused attention, where you concentrate on something specific like breathing. 393 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now the interesting thing is that 394 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 this religiously informed framework, 395 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with origins from thousands of years ago, 396 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 has a lot of surprising parallels 397 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with our modern scientific understanding of attention. 398 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In fact, some Buddhist practitioners have 399 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 been found to out-perform the norm at meditative tasks, 400 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 suggesting that meditation is, 401 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 at least in part, helping them focus. 402 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now, I should probably say that 403 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 a lot of this research, while promising, 404 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 is still inconclusive. 405 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Meditation, and even attention, are still kind of nebulous concepts 406 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that make it difficult to achieve rigourous, scientific consensus. 407 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, despite the similarities I found between religious theory 408 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and these pop science attention books, 409 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I did notice, one key difference: 410 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 how they manage distractions. 411 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You see, the pop science and productivity books I read 412 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 emphasised cutting out distractions 413 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and building walls in your space and schedule to protect your focus. 414 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This is straight forward in concept 415 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but really difficult to maintain 416 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if have a lot of responsibilities that are outside your control. 417 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In contrast, the mindfulness approach targets your focus directly, 418 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 cultivating it to be easier to command and resilient to distractions. 419 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This forms a sort of spectrum 420 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 where you either reshape your environment to restore your attention, or 421 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 reinforce your attention to endure the world. 422 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now here's the thing, 423 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when you feel your attention span 424 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 slipping through your fingers, 425 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that pop science, productivity approach is really tempting. 426 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But only because it's unavoidable, 427 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like, a lot of the content around reclaiming your focus 428 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 is for the sake of using it on something else. 429 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But it is also tempting because the advice is so tangible. 430 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You turn off your notifications, 431 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you build out a schedule, 432 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you get rid of the distractions 433 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and see it replaced with things you do care about. 434 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Compare that to meditation 435 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which is so subtle that, 436 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if I wasn't wearing an EEG for three weeks, 437 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I would have just assumed that it did nothing. 438 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, the average person like you or I, 439 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 can never fully control our environments. 440 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And the supports we use to try are shockingly fragile. 441 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So if they break, 442 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when they break, 443 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 all we're left with is our core ability to focus. 444 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And if that sucks, 445 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we end up where we started. 446 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 That's why I think meditation helped me out. 447 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The whole exercise is realising that your mind naturally wanders, 448 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but you also have the power 449 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to nudge it back to where you want it to be. 450 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now, I'm obviously not going to go full tilt 451 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and become a Buddhist Monk because - to be honest - 452 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I can't pull of orange. 453 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, 454 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the great thing about a spectrum is 455 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that we can find ourselves somewhere in the middle: 456 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 structuring our days more thoughtfully 457 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 end lowering the noise, 458 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 not to a silence, 459 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but to a gentle hum 460 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that we can enjoy at our own pace. 461 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But either way, 462 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 have a lovely day.