1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,925 I kind of feel like 2 00:00:00,925 --> 00:00:02,879 my attention span is dying. 3 00:00:02,879 --> 00:00:04,301 knocks on the door 4 00:00:04,301 --> 00:00:05,060 It's just like 5 00:00:05,060 --> 00:00:06,690 whenever I try and do anything, 6 00:00:06,690 --> 00:00:09,101 I start craving some sort of distraction. 7 00:00:09,101 --> 00:00:11,188 I can't just focus on one thing at a time, 8 00:00:11,188 --> 00:00:13,256 even if that thing is sleeping. 9 00:00:13,256 --> 00:00:14,659 But I have things I wanna do, 10 00:00:14,659 --> 00:00:15,889 things I want to focus on. 11 00:00:15,889 --> 00:00:16,840 I just don't 12 00:00:16,846 --> 00:00:18,966 because refreshing Instagram 13 00:00:18,966 --> 00:00:21,561 is always gonna be easier... 14 00:00:28,027 --> 00:00:29,271 and it's a problem! 15 00:00:29,271 --> 00:00:30,263 And I'm tired of it. 16 00:00:30,263 --> 00:00:32,510 I am tired of feeling like my life is so far out of my own control. 17 00:00:34,750 --> 00:00:36,280 So today, 18 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:38,648 we are figuring out how to stop scrolling, 19 00:00:38,648 --> 00:00:40,706 and how to start paying attention. 20 00:00:40,785 --> 00:00:42,875 Thank you to our Patrons for supporting the channel, 21 00:00:42,877 --> 00:00:44,217 and headspace for sponsoring 22 00:00:44,293 --> 00:00:45,531 a portion of this video. 23 00:00:45,531 --> 00:00:47,879 With focused music, motivational exercises, 24 00:00:47,879 --> 00:00:49,472 guided meditations, and more, 25 00:00:49,472 --> 00:00:51,919 Headspace has over a thousand pieces of content 26 00:00:51,919 --> 00:00:54,058 to help you be kind to your mind. 27 00:00:54,058 --> 00:00:56,242 If you want to see how Headspace might be helpful to you, 28 00:00:56,242 --> 00:00:58,940 you can try it out completely for free for 60 days. 29 00:00:58,940 --> 00:01:00,483 All you have to do is sign up 30 00:01:00,483 --> 00:01:01,733 with our link in the description 31 00:01:01,733 --> 00:01:03,636 or scan the QR code on screen. 32 00:01:03,636 --> 00:01:04,236 [slam] 33 00:01:04,236 --> 00:01:05,227 So, what's in the box? 34 00:01:05,231 --> 00:01:07,251 [box opening] 35 00:01:07,251 --> 00:01:10,159 This is an electroencephalogram, or an EEG. 36 00:01:10,159 --> 00:01:12,000 It measures electrical activity in the brain 37 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,529 which are associated with certain performance metrics 38 00:01:14,529 --> 00:01:17,109 like attention, excitement and stress. 39 00:01:17,109 --> 00:01:18,998 Does that look good? How's that - How do I look? 40 00:01:18,998 --> 00:01:20,671 Now these things usually look a little bit more 41 00:01:20,671 --> 00:01:23,011 threatening and wire-y, however 42 00:01:23,011 --> 00:01:24,942 I reached out to this brand called Emotiv 43 00:01:24,942 --> 00:01:27,328 that creates more simplified consumer options. 44 00:01:27,328 --> 00:01:28,647 They gave me a little discount 45 00:01:28,647 --> 00:01:30,353 so I could actually afford this for the video. 46 00:01:30,353 --> 00:01:32,566 And I look like a cyborg. 47 00:01:32,566 --> 00:01:33,596 I think it looks cute. 48 00:01:33,942 --> 00:01:34,714 Okay, so these are my brainwaves 49 00:01:34,714 --> 00:01:36,353 and if I focus on it 50 00:01:36,353 --> 00:01:37,719 really hard 51 00:01:37,719 --> 00:01:40,444 it should be able to translate these 52 00:01:40,444 --> 00:01:42,655 into more understandable metrics... 53 00:01:42,655 --> 00:01:44,880 like attention! Look at that! 54 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:47,331 You see the building of tension and spike in excitement; 55 00:01:47,331 --> 00:01:48,485 that's my brain! 56 00:01:48,485 --> 00:01:51,202 I kind of feel like a videogame character and these are my stats. 57 00:01:51,202 --> 00:01:51,800 It's cool. 58 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,231 Now I should note that EEG data can be pretty noisy 59 00:01:54,506 --> 00:01:57,610 and things like movement can really impact the results. 60 00:01:57,610 --> 00:02:00,889 However, I think that having any level of recording is an improvement 61 00:02:00,889 --> 00:02:04,793 because I basically never pay attention to my attention. 62 00:02:04,793 --> 00:02:08,572 It only every really comes up when I'm feeling guilty about my screentime, 63 00:02:08,572 --> 00:02:11,323 or I realise that I've done nothing all day. 64 00:02:11,323 --> 00:02:16,063 And only having these really infrequent and negative interactions with my problem 65 00:02:16,063 --> 00:02:18,786 makes it really hard to be objective about the whole thing, 66 00:02:18,786 --> 00:02:21,069 to understand how bad it actually is 67 00:02:21,069 --> 00:02:23,774 and see if it's getting better or worse. 68 00:02:23,774 --> 00:02:26,136 But now, with the help of this brainscanner, 69 00:02:26,136 --> 00:02:29,242 I finally got to measure a baseline for my attention span 70 00:02:29,242 --> 00:02:31,010 without getting bogged down by guilt, 71 00:02:31,010 --> 00:02:33,743 or forgetting to focus on my focus. 72 00:02:33,743 --> 00:02:34,197 [typing] 73 00:02:34,197 --> 00:02:38,407 I wore the EEG while I worked, ate, exercised and relaxed. 74 00:02:38,407 --> 00:02:41,844 I did take it off a few times because it could get pretty uncomfortable 75 00:02:41,844 --> 00:02:43,380 after really long stretches. 76 00:02:43,380 --> 00:02:43,959 Woah! 77 00:02:43,959 --> 00:02:46,032 But, overall, it was pretty easy to ignore 78 00:02:46,032 --> 00:02:47,948 while I just lived my life for the rest of the week. 79 00:02:47,948 --> 00:02:51,233 Alongside the EEG, I installed a program to automatically track 80 00:02:51,233 --> 00:02:53,384 how often I switched tasks on my computer, 81 00:02:53,384 --> 00:02:56,212 and I recorded how many times I picked up my phone. 82 00:02:56,212 --> 00:02:59,167 Did you know that you can't actually export your screentime data! 83 00:02:59,167 --> 00:03:02,306 Then I wrote a quick script to compile all this data and visualize it. 84 00:03:02,306 --> 00:03:05,137 Here is my life for the past three days. 85 00:03:05,137 --> 00:03:06,226 Ooh. 86 00:03:06,226 --> 00:03:09,605 The x-axis is the number of hours in a day. 87 00:03:09,605 --> 00:03:12,789 These blue bars represent the number of times I picked up my phone. 88 00:03:12,789 --> 00:03:15,313 This grey line tracks how productive I was at my computer, 89 00:03:15,313 --> 00:03:18,699 and these coloured lines are the median performance metrics from my EEG. 90 00:03:18,699 --> 00:03:22,037 Now, some highlights include this moment 91 00:03:22,037 --> 00:03:27,568 where I picked up my phone to start debugging the app that I was using to scan my brain, 92 00:03:27,568 --> 00:03:33,939 and then I ended up [uh] opening Instagram and spending the next two hours on it. 93 00:03:33,939 --> 00:03:34,508 [laughs] 94 00:03:34,508 --> 00:03:36,133 However, during my meetings the next day 95 00:03:36,133 --> 00:03:38,899 I was like super interested and attentive, 96 00:03:38,899 --> 00:03:40,257 right? Great? No. 97 00:03:40,257 --> 00:03:43,189 It's because I kept picking up my phone! 98 00:03:43,189 --> 00:03:44,649 I was supposed to be on a call! 99 00:03:44,649 --> 00:03:46,235 I kept opening up Instagram! 100 00:03:46,235 --> 00:03:47,250 But it's not all bad news: 101 00:03:47,250 --> 00:03:50,512 there are these instances where I put down my phone, 102 00:03:50,512 --> 00:03:54,389 I get into the zone, and my brain just lights up. 103 00:03:54,389 --> 00:03:58,846 The only issue is that in my 8-hour work day, it only happens for, like, an hour. 104 00:03:58,846 --> 00:04:03,786 It's over here at like 2 o'clock, or 5 o'clock, or 10 o'clock! 105 00:04:03,786 --> 00:04:06,688 Now something similar does happen to my brain when I am working out, 106 00:04:06,688 --> 00:04:09,408 but... how often am I doing that? 107 00:04:09,408 --> 00:04:13,426 All this is to say, is that for the 16-ish hours that I am awake, 108 00:04:13,426 --> 00:04:17,419 I am only engaged and focused for like 12% of it. 109 00:04:17,419 --> 00:04:20,509 The rest of the time - the 88% of the time - 110 00:04:20,509 --> 00:04:24,413 I'm all over the place: I'm checked out or I'm distracted. 111 00:04:24,413 --> 00:04:28,067 This could be most of the rest of my life unless we do something about it. 112 00:04:28,067 --> 00:04:29,238 So let's do that. 113 00:04:29,238 --> 00:04:34,183 So, I started looking for any books about attention, focus, and distractions 114 00:04:34,183 --> 00:04:35,983 and I found a lot of them. 115 00:04:35,983 --> 00:04:38,979 There was just one problem - they're all identical! 116 00:04:38,979 --> 00:04:40,755 They invent different buzz words and 117 00:04:40,755 --> 00:04:42,413 and they switch out the personal anecdotes 118 00:04:42,413 --> 00:04:44,198 that they blur with legitimate science, 119 00:04:44,198 --> 00:04:47,804 but fundamentally, if you've read one, you've read them all. 120 00:04:47,804 --> 00:04:52,129 Fortunately, you don't need to read any of them, because here are the three things 121 00:04:52,129 --> 00:04:55,622 that you actually need to know if you want to fix your focus. 122 00:04:55,869 --> 00:04:58,189 1: Attention and focus are different things. 123 00:04:58,189 --> 00:05:02,367 Attention is a broad concept that boils down to our general awareness, 124 00:05:02,367 --> 00:05:06,271 while focus is one process that controls that awareness, 125 00:05:06,271 --> 00:05:08,701 concentrating it on something specific. 126 00:05:08,701 --> 00:05:12,679 2: Focus is a limited and exhaustible resource. 127 00:05:12,679 --> 00:05:15,936 So, you can only really focus on one thing at a time 128 00:05:15,936 --> 00:05:20,131 and your ability to do that will tire out the further you get from rest. 129 00:05:20,131 --> 00:05:23,322 3: Focus also filters out distractions. 130 00:05:23,322 --> 00:05:26,771 The more there are, the more of your focus is being wasted. 131 00:05:26,771 --> 00:05:30,742 Now some research exists suggesting that certain forms of cognitive training 132 00:05:30,742 --> 00:05:33,785 can increase your capacity and ability to focus. 133 00:05:33,785 --> 00:05:37,126 But the type of training and the effectiveness has varying results. 134 00:05:37,126 --> 00:05:40,108 The brain is complicated and there is a lot of nuance in the details - 135 00:05:40,108 --> 00:05:42,669 especially when you are trying to find things that work for you 136 00:05:42,669 --> 00:05:44,619 and your specific circumstances. 137 00:05:44,619 --> 00:05:48,106 So to fix my focus, I'm actually only going to do a handful of very simple things 138 00:05:48,106 --> 00:05:50,287 that support what we know about focus. 139 00:05:50,287 --> 00:05:51,100 Here's the plan. 140 00:05:51,100 --> 00:05:55,075 First I need to manage my distractions, starting with the obvious: my phone. 141 00:05:55,075 --> 00:05:58,446 I deleted the apps that I never use, set up time limits for the apps I use 142 00:05:58,446 --> 00:06:01,343 way too much (everything except for my wallet) 143 00:06:01,343 --> 00:06:04,005 and muted basically all of my notifications. 144 00:06:04,005 --> 00:06:07,399 I also installed this app that replaces icons with text. 145 00:06:07,399 --> 00:06:10,464 So now I need to put in a little more effort before I open anything. 146 00:06:10,464 --> 00:06:12,561 I also changed my display to grey scale. 147 00:06:12,561 --> 00:06:15,244 I have never wanted to use my phone less. 148 00:06:15,244 --> 00:06:16,243 God, this sucks. 149 00:06:16,243 --> 00:06:17,494 I wasn't kidding. 150 00:06:17,494 --> 00:06:21,597 Almost immediately, my phone pick-ups and screen time dropped dramatically. 151 00:06:21,597 --> 00:06:24,724 However, the silence made me notice the sheer number of 152 00:06:24,724 --> 00:06:27,172 internal distractions I have, too. 153 00:06:27,172 --> 00:06:29,636 These passing thoughts that just take me off task, 154 00:06:29,636 --> 00:06:31,936 like wondering if I need to buy more toilet paper, 155 00:06:31,936 --> 00:06:34,436 wishing I learned a musical instrument as a kid 156 00:06:34,436 --> 00:06:36,793 or thinking about what I'm gonna have for dinner. 157 00:06:36,793 --> 00:06:37,876 They were rarely urgent, 158 00:06:37,876 --> 00:06:42,179 but often important enough that I didn't want to ignore or forget them. 159 00:06:42,179 --> 00:06:45,884 So, I dedicated a page in my notebook to quickly write them down for later. 160 00:06:45,884 --> 00:06:46,930 When later came, 161 00:06:46,930 --> 00:06:51,377 I sorted through those thoughts based on action, importance and time-sensitivity, 162 00:06:51,377 --> 00:06:56,643 and kept it in mind when I was building my schedule which got way more specific. 163 00:06:56,643 --> 00:06:59,168 Now, I'm usually the type of person who 164 00:06:59,168 --> 00:07:02,029 only puts, like, events in my calendar - a normal person - however, 165 00:07:02,029 --> 00:07:05,194 a lot of the books that I've been reading have recommended time-blocking 166 00:07:05,194 --> 00:07:06,711 or time-boxing. I don't know. 167 00:07:06,711 --> 00:07:09,650 It's just setting aside time to do individual tasks. 168 00:07:09,650 --> 00:07:12,447 Apparently, it helps you avoid the temptation to multitask. 169 00:07:12,447 --> 00:07:13,100 [alarm beeps] 170 00:07:13,100 --> 00:07:15,401 So, every morning, I took all of my work, 171 00:07:15,401 --> 00:07:17,676 chores, exercises and hobbies 172 00:07:17,676 --> 00:07:19,533 and plugged them into my calendar. 173 00:07:20,883 --> 00:07:22,343 Now, I found that the secret is that 174 00:07:22,343 --> 00:07:26,112 it's not as simple as just putting an hour aside for each thing. 175 00:07:26,112 --> 00:07:27,907 Since focus is an exhaustible resource, 176 00:07:27,907 --> 00:07:30,449 I need to take into account my energy levels throughout the day 177 00:07:30,449 --> 00:07:32,833 and how much effort each task is going to take. 178 00:07:32,833 --> 00:07:36,784 Like, reading research papers and writing takes a lot of focus for me. 179 00:07:36,784 --> 00:07:38,327 It's just really boring. 180 00:07:38,327 --> 00:07:40,709 [vacuum cleaner with audiobook playing] 181 00:07:40,709 --> 00:07:42,893 but listening to audiobooks or animating, 182 00:07:42,893 --> 00:07:44,077 I'm locked in. 183 00:07:44,077 --> 00:07:47,894 I actually find it really hard to disengage from the tasks that I really enjoy. 184 00:07:47,894 --> 00:07:51,753 So I find myself thinking about them or even continuing to do them 185 00:07:51,753 --> 00:07:53,654 past their allotted time. 186 00:07:53,654 --> 00:07:56,295 Which means that I should probably think about those switching costs 187 00:07:56,295 --> 00:07:58,554 when I'm building my schedule out for the day. 188 00:07:58,554 --> 00:08:01,788 Eventually, I realised this process could be a little more automated, 189 00:08:01,788 --> 00:08:05,072 so I got Taha to put the process together in a notion template. 190 00:08:05,072 --> 00:08:08,906 Now I can input tasks, tag them and it will show me an order 191 00:08:08,906 --> 00:08:10,748 that I can drag into my calendar. 192 00:08:10,748 --> 00:08:11,764 I found it useful, 193 00:08:11,764 --> 00:08:14,748 and if you want to give it a try, I'll include it in our next newsletter. 194 00:08:14,748 --> 00:08:17,983 But once I controlled my external and internal distractions, 195 00:08:17,983 --> 00:08:20,416 and built out a schedule that minimised multitasking 196 00:08:20,416 --> 00:08:22,335 and optimised for my energy levels, 197 00:08:22,335 --> 00:08:24,866 all that was left was actually focusing. 198 00:08:26,636 --> 00:08:28,428 It was amazing. 199 00:08:28,583 --> 00:08:31,385 I was using my phone less and getting more done. 200 00:08:31,385 --> 00:08:34,277 My brain was lighting up. 201 00:08:34,277 --> 00:08:37,829 I was way more engaged in everything I did. 202 00:08:37,829 --> 00:08:41,287 I found different soundtracks to make it easier to get in the zone, 203 00:08:41,287 --> 00:08:43,188 and life was great... 204 00:08:43,587 --> 00:08:44,696 until it wasn't. 205 00:08:45,154 --> 00:08:47,488 [uuhhhhh] 206 00:08:47,689 --> 00:08:50,281 It is... 12. 207 00:08:50,281 --> 00:08:51,839 I haven't left bed yet. 208 00:08:51,839 --> 00:08:54,239 I've just been using my phone, full color. 209 00:08:54,239 --> 00:08:59,473 Every 15 minutes I hit "remind me in 15 minutes." 210 00:08:59,473 --> 00:09:00,874 [uhh] 211 00:09:00,874 --> 00:09:03,366 And then 15 minutes later I do it again. 212 00:09:03,501 --> 00:09:05,941 Just feels like we're back where we started. 213 00:09:05,941 --> 00:09:08,716 I ended up using my phone for 7 hours that day - 214 00:09:08,716 --> 00:09:11,041 more than I had all week prior. 215 00:09:11,183 --> 00:09:12,600 I had things I could do. 216 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:14,217 Things I should do. 217 00:09:14,410 --> 00:09:17,609 But I just couldn't bring myself to get up. 218 00:09:19,195 --> 00:09:22,662 I am kind of proud that I managed to pull up my code on my phone 219 00:09:22,662 --> 00:09:24,753 and see if there were any clues in my data 220 00:09:24,753 --> 00:09:26,651 that could explain what went wrong. 221 00:09:26,651 --> 00:09:28,211 I know, it's pathetic, 222 00:09:28,211 --> 00:09:32,236 but it was a small victory that led to an interesting discovery: 223 00:09:32,236 --> 00:09:34,654 the nights that I used my phone past midnight 224 00:09:34,654 --> 00:09:38,946 led to days where I felt more distracted and picked up my phone more often. 225 00:09:38,946 --> 00:09:41,938 I learned in an old video how important sleep could really be, 226 00:09:41,938 --> 00:09:44,823 so I decided to just give up on the day, 227 00:09:44,823 --> 00:09:47,324 get some sleep, and try again tomorrow. 228 00:09:49,448 --> 00:09:55,974 [sigh] 229 00:09:55,974 --> 00:09:57,491 [aaaAAAHHH] 230 00:09:57,742 --> 00:09:59,774 I feel like I'm drowning. 231 00:09:59,774 --> 00:10:02,024 It's like I'm not doing anything hard, right? 232 00:10:02,024 --> 00:10:03,558 I'm just doing my stuff. 233 00:10:03,558 --> 00:10:05,717 I'm just trying to focus on it more. 234 00:10:05,717 --> 00:10:09,242 Except, I'm trying so hard to focus 235 00:10:09,242 --> 00:10:13,577 that everything is making me on edge. 236 00:10:13,577 --> 00:10:16,343 Like, my cat will try and get my attention 237 00:10:16,343 --> 00:10:20,027 and I'll be annoyed at him for wanting pats. 238 00:10:20,027 --> 00:10:22,403 It's like there's sand falling 239 00:10:22,403 --> 00:10:25,697 and I'm trying to catch all of the sand. 240 00:10:25,697 --> 00:10:26,945 And you can't do it! 241 00:10:26,945 --> 00:10:29,145 Am I making any sense? 242 00:10:29,308 --> 00:10:32,621 I really need to make every grain of sand count 243 00:10:32,621 --> 00:10:35,571 by like doing everything on target 244 00:10:35,571 --> 00:10:38,130 and even if I'm enjoying something, 245 00:10:38,130 --> 00:10:42,156 I can't because I need to move and catch different grains of sand. 246 00:10:42,773 --> 00:10:44,889 Hold on, hold on, hold on. 247 00:10:44,889 --> 00:10:46,092 What did you just say? 248 00:10:46,092 --> 00:10:48,100 "Have you ever thought about just 249 00:10:48,100 --> 00:10:52,526 meditating and doing... nothing? 250 00:10:52,526 --> 00:10:55,072 Taking a step back away from the thing that you're working on 251 00:10:55,222 --> 00:10:57,355 and not working? 252 00:10:57,355 --> 00:10:58,743 Like taking a break?" 253 00:11:02,563 --> 00:11:04,372 Maybe it was because I was desperate. 254 00:11:04,372 --> 00:11:06,981 Actually, it is totally because I was desperate 255 00:11:06,981 --> 00:11:09,209 but I decided to try meditation. 256 00:11:09,209 --> 00:11:10,717 The only issue is... 257 00:11:10,983 --> 00:11:12,583 I have no idea how. 258 00:11:12,684 --> 00:11:14,985 Luckily, I have headspace. 259 00:11:14,985 --> 00:11:17,395 I should probably turn the colour on 260 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 just so you guys can see what the app actually looks like. 261 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 When I asked headspace to sponsor a portion of this video, 262 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I genuinely thought I was only going to use their focus music and white noise, 263 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because I love listening to those to the point that 264 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it is ruining my YouTube recommendations and Spotify Wrapped. 265 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So it is just great to have access to headspace's collection. 266 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But headspace also has stretches, workouts, podcasts and meditation. 267 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They have content specifically for beginners, like me, 268 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 who don't know where to start. 269 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's in their basics course. 270 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But if you don't want to commit to that, 271 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they also have shorter exercises 272 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 including my favourite thing I discovered on this app, 273 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which is "Star Wars: Breathe with Yoda." 274 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's a 1-minute breathing exercise 275 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and Yoda's just sitting there levitating rocks. I love it. 276 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, they also have longer, less structured stuff 277 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 for people with more experience. 278 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Just the sheer amount of variety is probably my favorite thing about headspace. 279 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They bring together so many resources to help you be kind to your mind; so, 280 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 even if meditation doesn't end up helping, maybe movement will. 281 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Or, another cool thing that I found - this is so sick - they have ASMR 282 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and there's like a thing at the bottom that lets you control the balance between 283 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 voice and, like, environmental noise. 284 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Headspace, do more of this! 285 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If you want to try out headspace, 286 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 completely for free for 60 days, 287 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you can sign up using the link in the description, or scan the QR code. 288 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Okay, lets learn how to meditate. 289 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "Hi, and welcome to-" "-Hi" 290 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 My first experience with meditation was... 291 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 strange? Now, the voice kept telling me to 292 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 focus on my breathing, 293 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I might have focused a little too hard 294 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because I was worried I forgot how to breathe. 295 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I should wear my head scanner thing for this! 296 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Back to breathing. [exhales] 297 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But eventually, I think I got the hang of it 298 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and after 10 minutes 299 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 -How am I supposed to know if meditation is working? 300 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Is there a light? Like what happens? 301 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "I don't think there is an exact science to it. 302 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's just - you're supposed to just feel better. 303 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Or feel changed. 304 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Did it do anything?" 305 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I don't know! 306 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Do you just keep doing it? 307 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "That's kind of it. 308 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear, but-" 309 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So I just trust the process? 310 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, for the next few days, 311 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I continued with my focus schedule and wore my EEG. 312 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But I also tried to meditate in the morning, or evening, 313 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or just random moments when I felt like it. 314 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And then, something kind of wild happened. 315 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Meditation works! 316 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And I wish I could tell you this because 317 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I have achieved enlightenment or I have a new found sense of peace, 318 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but, no. I just feel normal . 319 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 About as normal as the distribution of 320 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the sample means of my experimental populations, justifying the use of 321 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 a two-sampled t-test resulting in these p-values. 322 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Ooh! How significant. 323 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This EEG has seriously paid off 324 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because even though I don't feel that different, 325 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I was able to use its measurements to do some statistics 326 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and find that meditation has improved basically all of my performance metrics: 327 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 engagement, excitement, interest. 328 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Also, stress, but that might be because 329 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I was wearing this when you guys 330 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 sold out our last merch drop in less than 24 hours. Thank you for that. 331 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So good stress. 332 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The coolest thing is that all of this is on top of what I already gained 333 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 by minimising distractions and avoiding multitasking. 334 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 At least according to these regressions 335 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I ran. 336 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But the benefits of meditation came at a surprising cost. 337 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You see these peaks of intense focus? 338 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yeah, those stopped happening. 339 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But I also stopped experiencing these huge dips. Now I'm just fine. 340 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This whole thing is just... fine. 341 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. 342 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I didn't want to rely on being distracted every single second. And you know what? 343 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Done. 344 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I am literally, statistically more engaged 345 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and anecdotally, I was doing the dishes the other day and 346 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I started playing a podcast out of habit, then I realised: 347 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'd rather just clean in silence. 348 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Who am I? 349 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I know I should be happy. 350 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Happy that for folks without attention disorders, 351 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 fixing your focus is as simple as 352 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 minimising distractions, avoiding multitasking, 353 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and maybe meditating if it all gets too much. 354 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I should be happy. 355 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But I'm not. 356 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Like I think it's really cool that meditation can work 357 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 even if you don't know how it works, 358 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I'm me... 359 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I need to know how. 360 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So I guess if you only cared about fixing your focus, 361 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the video is done. 362 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You heard my advice. 363 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But, if you're like me 364 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and you want to know why, 365 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 come with me 'cause we're gonna find out. 366 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It was strange getting to the bottom of this. 367 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because I was looking for an answer when I didn't really have a question. 368 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I just had a sense of unease because I had solved my original problem 369 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 without understanding how or why my solution really worked. 370 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It was only after spending the day in the library, 371 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 flipping through any book I could find about meditation, 372 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when I realised my question and its answer. 373 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You see, earlier we learned how focus works according to science, 374 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and the tips I found in those productivity books were in line with that. 375 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They should have helped me stay focused. 376 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But they didn't. 377 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Not in the long run. 378 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, when I added meditation to the mix, it all worked. 379 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The question is how. 380 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Specifically, how did meditation influence my focus 381 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 differently than productivity tips. 382 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Okay. So, meditation as we know it 383 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 originated in India with 384 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Theravada Buddhism. 385 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, it's since evolved into a wide range of practices 386 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 used throughout the world, 387 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 including more securlarised and intrumentalised forms 388 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that became popular in the west with books like Wherever You Go There You Are. 389 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This approach to meditation became known as mindfulness based interventions 390 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and has two main forms: 391 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 open monitoring, where you observe your experiences in real time without reacting 392 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you just recognise things as they are; 393 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and focused attention, where you concentrate on something specific like breathing. 394 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now the interesting thing is that 395 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 this religiously informed framework, 396 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with origins from thousands of years ago, 397 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 has a lot of surprising parallels 398 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with our modern scientific understanding of attention. 399 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In fact, some Buddhist practitioners have 400 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 been found to out-perform the norm at attention-related tasks, 401 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 suggesting that meditation is, 402 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 at least in part, helping them focus. 403 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now, I should probably say that 404 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 a lot of this research, while promising, 405 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 is still inconclusive. 406 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Meditation, and even attention, are still kind of nebulous concepts 407 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that make it difficult to achieve rigourous, scientific consensus. 408 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, despite the similarities I found between religious theory 409 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and these pop science attention books, 410 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I did notice, one key difference: 411 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 how they manage distractions. 412 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You see, the pop science and productivity books I read 413 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 emphasized cutting out distractions 414 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and building walls in your space and schedule to protect your focus. 415 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This is straight forward in concept 416 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but really difficult to maintain 417 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if have a lot of responsibilities that are outside your control. 418 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In contrast, the mindfulness approach targets your focus directly, 419 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 cultivating it to be easier to command and resilient to distractions. 420 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This forms a sort of spectrum 421 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 where you either reshape your environment to restore your attention, or 422 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 reinforce your attention to endure the world. 423 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now here's the thing, 424 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when you feel your attention span 425 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 slipping through your fingers, 426 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that pop science, productivity approach is really tempting. 427 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But only because it's unavoidable, 428 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like, a lot of the content around reclaiming your focus 429 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 is for the sake of using it on something else. 430 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But it is also tempting because the advice is so tangible. 431 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You turn off your notifications, 432 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you build out a schedule, 433 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you get rid of the distractions 434 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and see it replaced with things you do care about. 435 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Compare that to meditation 436 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which is so subtle that, 437 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if I wasn't wearing an EEG for three weeks, 438 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I would have just assumed that it did nothing. 439 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, the average person like you or I, 440 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 can never fully control our environments. 441 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And the supports we use to try are shockingly fragile. 442 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So if they break, 443 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when they break, 444 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 all we're left with is our core ability to focus. 445 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And if that sucks, 446 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we end up where we started. 447 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 That's why I think meditation helped me out. 448 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The whole exercise is realising that your mind naturally wanders, 449 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but you also have the power 450 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to nudge it back to where you want it to be. 451 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Now, I'm obviously not going to go full tilt 452 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and become a Buddhist Monk because - to be honest - 453 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I can't pull off orange. 454 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 However, 455 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the great thing about a spectrum is 456 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that we can find ourselves somewhere in the middle: 457 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 structuring our days more thoughtfully 458 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and lowering the noise, 459 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 not to a silence, 460 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but to a gentle hum 461 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that we can enjoy at our own pace. 462 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But either way, 463 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 have a lovely day.