Hyperfocus • Book Review

"Work less and achieve more," really? I wanted the book right when I saw that. Although I hadn't heard of Chris Bailey before, if he really was anything like my favorite productivity experts like Newport and Abdaal, I knew I was in for some treat. But there was only one way to find out.

There's something different with more recent books when you compare them to the ones from even two or three decades ago. More than just the writing, they are a little more nuanced with their covers, table of content and formatting. You see the cover art of Hyperfocus; I'll say it calls for attention. And speaking of which, that's pretty much what the book is focused on—attention.

By now, if you're still reading, something has already tried to pull your attention. Chances are it's some notification. And this is a small example. Staying focused is generally hard as the world is now, and what's in this book is interesting and possibly expands our attentional space.

If you're in for tips and tricks and how to manage your time and get better results by doing less, you'll find much of that. Rather than "do this and that," however, it's more like discovering the whys to strengthen the hows. In other words, there's a good amount of research done for this book and in it are plausible explanations and insights to help one tune their attention better.

I've said the word "attention" a couple of times already, and that's really because, as Chris put it, "You are what you pay attention to." Much like what you eat, as the saying goes. But while the book teaches how to lock on to something, it also teaches how to lock on to nothing. Hyperfocus explores two modes of the brain to tap from -- hyperfocus and scatterfocus.

You'd want to use the first mode on tasks and work generally to get things done. In the second mode, you switch over to being more creative, focusing on what's internal rather than on doing something. Planning for the future, brainstorming, relaxing, and being in a totally different world—these are examples of focusing on nothing in particular. Like how the solution to a long, challenging problem just randomly pops into your head in the shower.

The other half of the book on scatterfocus was firstly a bit confusing. It is the polar opposite of hyperfocus. Maybe it's because the book was a little more scientific than I could have imagined, but I soon enough grew to appreciate it even more.

Practical indeed, I'll say. The reality is, there are sometimes things that are outside our control when we're trying to not be distracted.

When a loved one shows up, for example. Say, they want to urgently talk about something. Rather than see it as unplanned and perhaps distracting, one could wholly enjoy it and take the opportunity to invest in the relationship by being present. It's not about always obliging but about intentionally choosing what's in our attentional space and how it affects us.

Hyperfocus isn't exactly an exciting book. Some parts of it may come off as boring, but that's the reality of useful and practical productivity insights sometimes. I know I'll revisit some parts of it often.