WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.879 I kind of feel like my attention span is dying. 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:04.221 [knocks on the door] 00:00:04.221 --> 00:00:06.690 It's just like, whenever I try and do anything, 00:00:06.690 --> 00:00:09.101 I start craving some sort of distraction. 00:00:09.101 --> 00:00:11.188 I can't just focus on one thing at a time, 00:00:11.188 --> 00:00:13.256 even if that thing is sleeping. 00:00:13.256 --> 00:00:14.659 But I have things I wanna do, 00:00:14.659 --> 00:00:15.945 things I want to focus on. 00:00:15.945 --> 00:00:18.737 I just don't, because refreshing Instagram 00:00:18.737 --> 00:00:21.561 is always gonna be easier... 00:00:28.027 --> 00:00:29.271 and it's a problem! 00:00:29.271 --> 00:00:30.263 And I'm tired of it. 00:00:30.263 --> 00:00:34.610 I am tired of feeling like my life is so far out of my own control. 00:00:34.750 --> 00:00:36.280 So today, 00:00:36.340 --> 00:00:38.648 we are figuring out how to stop scrolling, 00:00:38.648 --> 00:00:40.669 and how to start paying attention. 00:00:40.890 --> 00:00:43.203 Thank you to our Patrons for supporting the channel, 00:00:43.203 --> 00:00:45.571 and headspace for sponsoring a portion of this video. 00:00:45.571 --> 00:00:48.031 With focus music, motivational exercises, 00:00:48.031 --> 00:00:49.713 guided meditations, and more, 00:00:49.713 --> 00:00:51.951 Headspace has over a thousand pieces of content 00:00:51.951 --> 00:00:53.986 to help you be kind to your mind. 00:00:53.986 --> 00:00:56.554 If you wanna see how Headspace might be helpful to you, 00:00:56.554 --> 00:00:59.137 you can try it out completely for free for 60 days. 00:00:59.137 --> 00:01:02.043 All you have to do is sign up with our link in the description 00:01:02.043 --> 00:01:03.636 or scan the QR code on screen. 00:01:03.636 --> 00:01:04.236 [slam] 00:01:04.236 --> 00:01:05.273 So what's in the box? 00:01:05.273 --> 00:01:06.706 [box opening] 00:01:07.251 --> 00:01:10.211 This is an electroencephalogram, or an EEG. 00:01:10.211 --> 00:01:12.303 It measures electrical activity in the brain, 00:01:12.303 --> 00:01:14.788 which are associated with certain performance metrics 00:01:14.788 --> 00:01:17.164 like attention, excitement and stress. 00:01:17.164 --> 00:01:19.201 Does that look good? How's that - How do I look? 00:01:19.201 --> 00:01:22.546 Now these things usually look a little bit more threatening and wire-y, 00:01:22.546 --> 00:01:24.942 however, I reached out to this brand called Emotiv 00:01:24.942 --> 00:01:27.495 that creates more simplified consumer options. 00:01:27.495 --> 00:01:28.764 They gave me a little discount 00:01:28.764 --> 00:01:30.395 so I could actually afford this for the video. 00:01:30.395 --> 00:01:32.550 And I look like a cyborg. 00:01:32.550 --> 00:01:33.567 I think it looks cute! 00:01:33.567 --> 00:01:35.136 Okay so these are my brainwaves, 00:01:35.136 --> 00:01:37.954 and if I focus on it...really hard... 00:01:37.954 --> 00:01:40.444 it should be able to translate these 00:01:40.444 --> 00:01:44.109 into more understandable metrics, like... attention! 00:01:44.109 --> 00:01:44.951 Look at that! 00:01:44.951 --> 00:01:47.577 You see the building attention and spike in excitement; 00:01:47.577 --> 00:01:48.450 that's my brain! 00:01:48.450 --> 00:01:51.244 I kinda feel like a videogame character and these are my stats. 00:01:51.244 --> 00:01:52.004 This is cool. 00:01:52.004 --> 00:01:54.384 Now I should note that EEG data can be pretty noisy 00:01:54.384 --> 00:01:57.610 and things like movement can really impact the results. 00:01:57.610 --> 00:02:00.889 However, I think that having any level of recording is an improvement 00:02:00.889 --> 00:02:04.793 because I basically never pay attention to my attention. 00:02:04.793 --> 00:02:08.572 It only every really comes up when I'm feeling guilty about my screentime, 00:02:08.572 --> 00:02:11.323 or I realise that I've done nothing all day. 00:02:11.323 --> 00:02:16.027 And only having these really infrequent and negative interactions with my problem 00:02:16.027 --> 00:02:18.834 makes it really hard to be objective about the whole thing, 00:02:18.834 --> 00:02:21.069 to understand how bad it actually is 00:02:21.069 --> 00:02:23.926 and see if it's getting better... or worse. 00:02:23.926 --> 00:02:26.362 But now, with the help of this brainscanner, 00:02:26.362 --> 00:02:29.242 I finally got to measure a baseline for my attention span 00:02:29.242 --> 00:02:31.010 without getting bogged down by guilt, 00:02:31.010 --> 00:02:33.683 or forgetting to focus on my focus. 00:02:33.683 --> 00:02:34.453 [typing] 00:02:34.453 --> 00:02:38.407 I wore the EEG while I worked, ate, exercised and relaxed. 00:02:38.407 --> 00:02:41.844 I did take it off a few times because it could get pretty uncomfortable 00:02:41.844 --> 00:02:43.350 after really long stretches. 00:02:43.350 --> 00:02:44.104 Woah! 00:02:44.104 --> 00:02:46.006 But, overall, it was pretty easy to ignore 00:02:46.006 --> 00:02:48.362 while I just lived my life for the rest of the week. 00:02:48.362 --> 00:02:51.308 Alongside the EEG, I installed a program to automatically track 00:02:51.308 --> 00:02:53.496 how often I switched tasks on my computer, 00:02:53.496 --> 00:02:56.300 and I recorded how many times I picked up my phone. 00:02:56.300 --> 00:02:59.357 Did you know that you can't actually export your screentime data? 00:02:59.357 --> 00:03:02.652 Then I wrote a quick script to compile all this data and visualize it. 00:03:02.652 --> 00:03:05.165 Here is my life for the past three days. 00:03:05.576 --> 00:03:06.280 Ooh. 00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:09.475 The x-axis is the number of hours in a day. 00:03:09.475 --> 00:03:12.711 These blue bars represent the number of times I picked up my phone. 00:03:12.711 --> 00:03:15.427 This grey line tracks how productive I was at my computer, 00:03:15.427 --> 00:03:18.809 and these coloured lines are the median performance metrics from my EEG. 00:03:18.809 --> 00:03:22.148 Now, some highlights include... this moment, NOTE Paragraph 00:03:22.148 --> 00:03:25.493 where I picked up my phone to start debugging the app 00:03:25.493 --> 00:03:27.532 that I was using to scan my brain, 00:03:27.532 --> 00:03:33.617 and then I ended up, uh, opening Instagram and spending the next two hours on it. 00:03:33.617 --> 00:03:34.358 [laughs] 00:03:34.358 --> 00:03:36.265 However, during my meetings the next day 00:03:36.265 --> 00:03:40.222 I was like super interested and attentive, right? Great? No. 00:03:40.222 --> 00:03:43.183 It's because I kept picking up my phone! 00:03:43.183 --> 00:03:44.649 I was supposed to be on a call! 00:03:44.649 --> 00:03:46.290 I kept opening up Instagram! [laughs] 00:03:46.290 --> 00:03:47.526 But it's not all bad news: 00:03:47.526 --> 00:03:50.826 there are these instances where I put down my phone, 00:03:50.826 --> 00:03:54.389 I get into the zone, and my brain just lights up. 00:03:54.389 --> 00:03:59.008 The only issue is that in my 8-hour work day, it only happens for, like, an hour. 00:03:59.008 --> 00:04:03.723 It's over here at like 2 o'clock, or 5 o'clock, or 10 o'clock! 00:04:03.723 --> 00:04:06.763 Now something similar does happen to my brain when I am working out, 00:04:06.763 --> 00:04:09.429 but... how often am I doing that? 00:04:09.429 --> 00:04:13.474 All this is to say, is that for the 16-ish hours that I am awake, 00:04:13.474 --> 00:04:17.623 I'm only engaged and focused for like 12% of it. 00:04:17.623 --> 00:04:20.680 The rest of the time, the 88% of the time, 00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:24.357 I'm all over the place. I'm checked out or I'm distracted. 00:04:24.357 --> 00:04:28.235 This could be most of the rest of my life, unless we do something about it. 00:04:28.235 --> 00:04:29.345 So let's do that. 00:04:29.345 --> 00:04:34.193 So, I started looking for any books about attention, focus, and distractions, 00:04:34.193 --> 00:04:36.170 and I found a lot of them. 00:04:36.170 --> 00:04:39.012 There was just one problem - they're all identical! 00:04:39.012 --> 00:04:40.552 They invent different buzz words, 00:04:40.552 --> 00:04:44.255 and they switch up the personal anecdotes that they blur with legitimate science, 00:04:44.255 --> 00:04:47.910 but fundamentally, if you've read one, you've read them all. 00:04:47.910 --> 00:04:50.417 Fortunately, you don't need to read any of them, 00:04:50.417 --> 00:04:53.805 because here are the three things that you actually need to know 00:04:53.805 --> 00:04:55.772 if you want to fix your focus. 00:04:55.772 --> 00:04:58.368 1: Attention and focus are different things. 00:04:58.368 --> 00:05:02.367 Attention is a broad concept that boils down to our general awareness, 00:05:02.367 --> 00:05:06.271 while focus is one process that controls that awareness, 00:05:06.271 --> 00:05:08.961 concentrating it on something specific. 00:05:08.961 --> 00:05:12.816 2: Focus is a limited and exhaustible resource. 00:05:12.816 --> 00:05:16.046 So, you can only really focus on one thing at a time, 00:05:16.046 --> 00:05:20.272 and your ability to do that will tire out the further you get from rest. 00:05:20.272 --> 00:05:23.334 3: Focus also filters out distractions. 00:05:23.334 --> 00:05:27.182 The more there are, the more of your focus is being wasted. 00:05:27.182 --> 00:05:30.814 Now some research exists suggesting that certain forms of cognitive training 00:05:30.814 --> 00:05:33.785 can increase your capacity and ability to focus. 00:05:33.785 --> 00:05:37.043 But the type of training and the effectiveness has varying results. 00:05:37.043 --> 00:05:40.209 The brain is complicated and theres a lot of nuance in the details, 00:05:40.209 --> 00:05:42.868 especially when you're trying to find things that work for you 00:05:42.868 --> 00:05:44.506 and your specific circumstances. 00:05:44.506 --> 00:05:47.233 So to fix my focus, I'm actually only going to do a handful of 00:05:47.233 --> 00:05:50.220 very simple things that support what we know about focus. 00:05:50.220 --> 00:05:51.035 Here's the plan. 00:05:51.035 --> 00:05:55.168 First, I need to manage my distractions, starting with the obvious: my phone. 00:05:55.168 --> 00:05:56.932 I deleted the apps that I never use, 00:05:56.932 --> 00:05:59.374 set up time limits for the apps I use way too much, 00:05:59.374 --> 00:06:01.349 (everything except for my wallet) 00:06:01.349 --> 00:06:04.155 and muted basically all of my notifications. 00:06:04.155 --> 00:06:07.371 I also installed this app that replaces icons with text. 00:06:07.371 --> 00:06:10.509 So now I need to put in a little more effort before I open anything. 00:06:10.509 --> 00:06:12.462 I also changed my display to grey scale. 00:06:12.462 --> 00:06:15.206 [laughs] I have never wanted to use my phone less. 00:06:15.206 --> 00:06:16.558 God, this sucks. 00:06:16.558 --> 00:06:17.630 I wasn't kidding. 00:06:17.630 --> 00:06:21.647 Almost immediately, my phone pick-ups and screen time dropped dramatically. 00:06:21.647 --> 00:06:24.769 However, the silence made me notice the sheer number of 00:06:24.769 --> 00:06:27.191 internal distractions I have, too. 00:06:27.191 --> 00:06:29.636 These passing thoughts that just take me off task, 00:06:29.636 --> 00:06:31.990 like wondering if I need to buy more toilet paper, 00:06:31.990 --> 00:06:34.436 wishing I learned a musical instrument as a kid, 00:06:34.436 --> 00:06:36.737 or thinking about what I'm gonna have for dinner. 00:06:36.737 --> 00:06:37.928 They were rarely urgent, 00:06:37.928 --> 00:06:42.207 but often important enough that I didn't want to ignore or forget them. 00:06:42.207 --> 00:06:45.936 So, I dedicated a page in my notebook to quickly write them down for later. 00:06:45.936 --> 00:06:47.020 When later came, 00:06:47.020 --> 00:06:51.460 I sorted through those thoughts based on action, importance and time-sensitivity, 00:06:51.460 --> 00:06:56.720 and kept it in mind when I was building my schedule, which got way more specific. 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:00.202 Now, I'm usually the type of person who only puts, like, events in my calendar, 00:07:00.202 --> 00:07:01.527 - a normal person, 00:07:01.527 --> 00:07:03.807 however, a lot of the books that I've been reading 00:07:03.807 --> 00:07:05.274 have recommended time-blocking. 00:07:05.274 --> 00:07:06.849 Or time-boxing? I don't know. 00:07:06.849 --> 00:07:09.665 It's just setting aside time to do individual tasks. 00:07:09.665 --> 00:07:12.484 Apparently, it helps you avoid the temptation to multitask. 00:07:12.491 --> 00:07:13.693 [alarm beeps] 00:07:13.693 --> 00:07:17.756 So, every morning I took all of my work, chores, exercises and hobbies 00:07:17.756 --> 00:07:19.703 and plugged them into my calendar. 00:07:20.704 --> 00:07:22.456 Now, I found that the secret is that 00:07:22.456 --> 00:07:26.195 it's not as simple as just putting an hour aside for each thing. 00:07:26.195 --> 00:07:28.011 Since focus is an exhaustible resource, 00:07:28.011 --> 00:07:30.676 I need to take into account my energy levels throughout the day, 00:07:30.676 --> 00:07:32.944 and how much effort each task is gonna take. 00:07:32.944 --> 00:07:37.007 Like, reading research papers and writing takes a lot of focus for me. 00:07:37.007 --> 00:07:38.639 It's just really boring. 00:07:38.876 --> 00:07:40.908 [vacuum cleaner buzzes, while audiobook plays] 00:07:40.908 --> 00:07:44.077 but listening to audiobooks or animating... I'm locked in! 00:07:44.077 --> 00:07:47.847 I actually find it really hard to disengage from the tasks that I really enjoy. 00:07:47.847 --> 00:07:50.343 So, I find myself thinking about them, 00:07:50.343 --> 00:07:53.594 or even continuing to do them past their allotted time. 00:07:53.594 --> 00:07:56.397 Which means that I should probably think about those switching costs 00:07:56.397 --> 00:07:58.554 when I'm building my schedule out for the day. 00:07:58.554 --> 00:08:01.899 Eventually, I realised this process could be a little more automated, 00:08:01.899 --> 00:08:05.072 so I got Taha to put the process together in a notion template. 00:08:05.192 --> 00:08:07.924 Now I can input tasks, tag them, 00:08:07.924 --> 00:08:10.664 and it'll show me an order that I can drag into my calendar. 00:08:10.664 --> 00:08:12.946 I found it useful, and if you want to give it a try, 00:08:12.946 --> 00:08:14.798 I'll include it in our next newsletter. 00:08:14.798 --> 00:08:17.981 But, once I controlled my external and internal distractions, 00:08:17.981 --> 00:08:20.476 and built out a schedule that minimised multitasking 00:08:20.476 --> 00:08:22.365 and optimised for my energy levels, 00:08:22.365 --> 00:08:24.893 all that was left was... actually focusing. 00:08:24.893 --> 00:08:26.586 [suspenseful sound effect] 00:08:26.586 --> 00:08:28.428 It was amazing. 00:08:28.516 --> 00:08:31.385 I was using my phone less and getting more done. 00:08:32.518 --> 00:08:34.277 My brain was lighting up. 00:08:34.277 --> 00:08:37.829 I was way more engaged in everything I did. 00:08:37.829 --> 00:08:41.287 I found different soundtracks to make it easier to get in the zone, 00:08:41.287 --> 00:08:43.188 and life was great... 00:08:43.587 --> 00:08:44.696 until it wasn't. 00:08:45.154 --> 00:08:47.488 [uuhhhhh] 00:08:47.689 --> 00:08:50.281 It is... 12. 00:08:50.281 --> 00:08:51.839 I haven't left bed yet. 00:08:51.839 --> 00:08:54.239 I've just been using my phone, full color. 00:08:54.239 --> 00:08:59.473 Every 15 minutes I hit "remind me in 15 minutes." 00:08:59.473 --> 00:09:00.874 [sighs] 00:09:00.874 --> 00:09:03.366 And then 15 minutes later I do it again. 00:09:03.501 --> 00:09:05.941 Just feels like we're back where we started. 00:09:05.941 --> 00:09:08.716 I ended up using my phone for 7 hours that day - 00:09:08.716 --> 00:09:11.041 more than I had all week prior. 00:09:11.183 --> 00:09:12.600 I had things I could do. 00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:14.217 Things I should do. 00:09:14.350 --> 00:09:17.719 But I just... couldn't bring myself to get up. 00:09:19.195 --> 00:09:22.662 I am kind of proud that I managed to pull up my code on my phone 00:09:22.662 --> 00:09:24.759 and see if there were any clues in my data 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:26.599 that could explain what went wrong. 00:09:26.599 --> 00:09:28.211 [laughs] I know, it's pathetic! 00:09:28.211 --> 00:09:31.990 But, it was a small victory that led to an interesting discovery: 00:09:31.990 --> 00:09:34.654 the nights that I used my phone past midnight 00:09:34.654 --> 00:09:38.946 led to days where I felt more distracted and picked up my phone more often. 00:09:38.946 --> 00:09:41.938 I learned in an old video how important sleep could really be, 00:09:41.938 --> 00:09:44.823 so I decided to just give up on the day, 00:09:44.823 --> 00:09:47.324 get some sleep, and try again tomorrow. 00:09:51.238 --> 00:09:55.034 [sighs] 00:09:55.534 --> 00:09:56.982 aaaAAAHHH! 00:09:57.141 --> 00:09:59.774 [phone call answered] I feel like I'm drowning. 00:09:59.774 --> 00:10:02.024 It's like I'm not doing anything hard, right? 00:10:02.024 --> 00:10:05.717 I'm just doing my stuff. I'm just trying to focus on it more. 00:10:05.717 --> 00:10:13.577 Except, I'm trying so hard to focus, that everything is making me on edge. 00:10:13.577 --> 00:10:16.343 Like, my cat will try and get my attention 00:10:16.343 --> 00:10:20.027 and I'll be annoyed at him for wanting pats. 00:10:20.027 --> 00:10:25.667 It's like there's sand falling, and I'm trying to catch all of the sand. 00:10:25.667 --> 00:10:26.945 And you can't do it! 00:10:26.945 --> 00:10:29.145 Am I making any sense? 00:10:29.145 --> 00:10:32.621 I really need to make every grain of sand count, 00:10:32.621 --> 00:10:38.130 by, like, doing everything on target, and even if I'm enjoying something, 00:10:38.130 --> 00:10:42.156 I can't because I need to move and catch different grains of sand. 00:10:42.773 --> 00:10:44.889 Hold on, hold on, hold on. 00:10:44.889 --> 00:10:46.092 What did you just say? 00:10:46.092 --> 00:10:48.100 "Have you ever thought about just 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:52.526 meditating and doing... nothing? 00:10:52.526 --> 00:10:55.072 Taking a step back away from the thing that you're working on 00:10:55.222 --> 00:10:57.355 and... not working? 00:10:57.355 --> 00:10:58.743 Like taking a break?" 00:11:02.393 --> 00:11:04.296 Maybe it was because I was desperate. 00:11:04.296 --> 00:11:06.901 Actually, it is totally because I was desperate. 00:11:06.901 --> 00:11:09.129 But, I decided to try meditation. 00:11:09.129 --> 00:11:10.637 The only issue is... 00:11:10.637 --> 00:11:12.347 I have no idea how. 00:11:12.347 --> 00:11:14.425 Luckily, I have headspace. 00:11:14.425 --> 00:11:17.245 I should probably turn the color on just so that you guys can see 00:11:17.245 --> 00:11:18.674 what the app actually looks like. 00:11:18.674 --> 00:11:20.704 When I asked headspace to sponsor a portion of this video, 00:11:20.704 --> 00:11:24.159 I genuinely thought I was only going to use their focus music and white noise, 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:26.366 because I love listening to those to the point that 00:11:26.366 --> 00:11:29.346 it is ruining my YouTube recommendations and Spotify Wrapped. 00:11:29.346 --> 00:11:31.644 So it's just great to have access to headspace's collection. 00:11:31.644 --> 00:11:36.278 But Headspace also has stretches, workouts, podcasts, and meditation. 00:11:36.278 --> 00:11:38.601 They have content specifically for beginners, like me, 00:11:38.601 --> 00:11:41.158 who don't know where to start. It's in their basics course. 00:11:41.158 --> 00:11:44.078 But if you don't wanna commit to that, they also have shorter exercises 00:11:44.078 --> 00:11:47.134 including my favourite thing that I discovered on this app, 00:11:47.134 --> 00:11:51.101 which is "Star Wars: Breathe with Yoda." 00:11:51.101 --> 00:11:54.931 It's a 1-minute breathing exercise, and Yoda's just sitting there, levitating rocks. 00:11:54.931 --> 00:11:55.961 I love it. 00:11:55.961 --> 00:11:58.331 However, they also have longer, less structured stuff 00:11:58.331 --> 00:11:59.754 for people with more experience. 00:11:59.754 --> 00:12:03.797 Just the sheer amount of variety is probably my favorite thing about Headspace. 00:12:03.797 --> 00:12:07.677 They bring together so many resources to help you be kind to your mind; 00:12:07.677 --> 00:12:11.602 so, even if meditation doesn't end up helping, maybe movement will. 00:12:11.602 --> 00:12:15.604 Or, another cool thing that I found - this is so sick - they have ASMR 00:12:15.604 --> 00:12:19.100 and there's like a thing at the bottom that lets you control the balance 00:12:19.100 --> 00:12:21.905 between voice and, like, environmental noise. 00:12:21.905 --> 00:12:23.543 Headspace, do more of this! 00:12:23.543 --> 00:12:26.844 If you want to try out Headspace, completely for free for 60 days, 00:12:26.844 --> 00:12:30.811 you can sign up using the link in the description, or scan the QR code. 00:12:30.811 --> 00:12:33.110 Okay, lets learn how to meditate. 00:12:33.110 --> 00:12:35.365 "Hi, and welcome to-" "-Hi" 00:12:35.365 --> 00:12:39.428 My first experience with meditation was... strange? 00:12:39.428 --> 00:12:42.797 Now, the voice kept telling me to focus on my breathing, 00:12:42.797 --> 00:12:44.999 but, I might have focused a little too hard, 00:12:44.999 --> 00:12:48.160 because I was worried I forgot how to breathe. 00:12:48.160 --> 00:12:50.299 I should wear my head scanner thing for this! 00:12:50.299 --> 00:12:51.678 Back to breathing. [exhales] 00:12:51.678 --> 00:12:53.778 But eventually, I think I got the hang of it, 00:12:53.778 --> 00:12:55.908 and, after 10 minutes... 00:12:55.908 --> 00:12:56.913 [phone call answered] 00:12:56.913 --> 00:13:00.334 How am I supposed to know if meditation is working? 00:13:00.334 --> 00:13:02.133 Is there a light? Like what happens? 00:13:12.097 --> 00:13:14.227 I don't know! [laughs] 00:13:14.227 --> 00:13:16.179 Do you just keep doing it? 00:13:20.789 --> 00:13:22.942 So I just trust the process? 00:13:23.022 --> 00:13:24.409 So, for the next few days, 00:13:24.409 --> 00:13:27.238 I continued with my focus schedule and wore my EEG. 00:13:27.238 --> 00:13:30.365 But I also tried to meditate in the morning, or evening, 00:13:30.365 --> 00:13:32.798 or just random moments when I felt like it. 00:13:32.798 --> 00:13:34.046 [inhales] 00:13:35.852 --> 00:13:38.820 And then, something kind of wild happened. 00:13:39.353 --> 00:13:41.250 Meditation works! 00:13:41.250 --> 00:13:43.155 And I wish I could tell you this because 00:13:43.155 --> 00:13:46.218 I've achieved enlightenment or I have a new found sense of peace, 00:13:46.218 --> 00:13:51.147 but, no... I just feel... normal. 00:13:51.147 --> 00:13:52.364 About as normal... 00:13:52.364 --> 00:13:55.695 as the distribution of the sample means of my experimental populations, 00:13:55.695 --> 00:13:59.123 justifying the use of a two-sample t-test resulting in... these p-values. 00:13:59.123 --> 00:14:01.348 Ooo! How significant! 00:14:01.348 --> 00:14:03.256 This EEG has seriously paid off 00:14:03.256 --> 00:14:05.540 because, even though I don't feel that different, 00:14:05.540 --> 00:14:08.209 I was able to use its measurements to do some statistics, 00:14:08.209 --> 00:14:12.374 and find that meditation has improved basically all of my performance metrics: 00:14:12.374 --> 00:14:16.034 engagement, excitement, interest! 00:14:16.034 --> 00:14:18.620 Also, stress... but that might be because I was wearing this 00:14:18.620 --> 00:14:21.530 when you guys sold out our last merch drop in less than 24 hours. 00:14:21.530 --> 00:14:22.688 Thank you for that. 00:14:22.688 --> 00:14:23.919 So, good stress! 00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:27.355 The coolest thing is that all of this is on top of what I already gained 00:14:27.355 --> 00:14:30.062 by minimising distractions and avoiding multitasking. 00:14:30.062 --> 00:14:32.073 At least according to these regressions I ran. 00:14:32.073 --> 00:14:34.787 But the benefits of meditation came at a surprising cost. 00:14:34.787 --> 00:14:36.599 You see these peaks of intense focus? 00:14:36.599 --> 00:14:38.253 Yeah, those stopped happening. 00:14:38.253 --> 00:14:41.928 But I also stopped experiencing these huge dips. Now I'm just fine. 00:14:41.928 --> 00:14:45.583 This whole thing is just... fine. 00:14:45.583 --> 00:14:49.631 I started this video because I wanted to feel more in control of my attention. 00:14:49.631 --> 00:14:53.324 I didn't want to have to rely on being distracted every single second. 00:14:53.324 --> 00:14:54.973 And you know what? 00:14:54.973 --> 00:14:55.734 Done! NOTE Paragraph 00:14:55.734 --> 00:14:58.607 I am literally, statistically more engaged! 00:14:58.607 --> 00:15:01.348 And anecdotally, I was doing the dishes the other day 00:15:01.348 --> 00:15:03.449 and I started playing a podcast out of habit, 00:15:03.449 --> 00:15:07.401 and then I realized... I'd rather just clean in silence. 00:15:07.401 --> 00:15:08.833 Who am I? 00:15:08.833 --> 00:15:10.182 I know I should be happy. 00:15:10.182 --> 00:15:12.815 Happy that for folks without attention disorders, 00:15:12.815 --> 00:15:16.176 fixing your focus is as simple as minimizing distractions, 00:15:16.176 --> 00:15:20.330 avoiding multitasking, and maybe meditating if it all gets too much. 00:15:20.330 --> 00:15:22.904 I should be happy! But I'm not. 00:15:22.904 --> 00:15:25.642 Like, I think it's really cool that meditation can work 00:15:25.642 --> 00:15:28.523 even if you don't know how it works, 00:15:28.523 --> 00:15:30.109 but I'm me... 00:15:30.109 --> 00:15:31.282 and I need to know how. 00:15:31.282 --> 00:15:34.614 So I guess if you only cared about fixing your focus, the video's done! 00:15:34.614 --> 00:15:35.665 You heard my advice. 00:15:35.665 --> 00:15:39.080 But, if you're like me, and you wanna know why... 00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:41.372 come with me, 'cause we're gonna find out. 00:15:41.372 --> 00:15:43.597 It was strange getting to the bottom of this, 00:15:43.597 --> 00:15:47.384 because I was looking for an answer when I didn't really have a question. 00:15:47.384 --> 00:15:51.839 I just had a sense of unease because I had solved my original problem, 00:15:51.839 --> 00:15:56.740 without understanding how or why my solution really worked. 00:15:56.740 --> 00:15:59.319 It was only after spending the day in the library, 00:15:59.319 --> 00:16:02.164 flipping through any book I could find about meditation, 00:16:02.164 --> 00:16:05.101 when I realized my question, and its answer. 00:16:05.101 --> 00:16:08.857 You see, earlier we learned how focus works according to science, 00:16:08.857 --> 00:16:12.532 and the tips I found in those productivity books were in line with that. 00:16:12.532 --> 00:16:14.497 They should have helped me stay focused. 00:16:14.497 --> 00:16:17.117 But they didn't, not in the long run. 00:16:17.117 --> 00:16:21.030 However, when I added meditation to the mix, it all worked. 00:16:21.030 --> 00:16:22.693 The question is how? 00:16:22.693 --> 00:16:24.896 Specifically, how did meditation 00:16:24.896 --> 00:16:28.505 influence my focus differently than productivity tips? 00:16:29.184 --> 00:16:33.242 Okay. So, meditation as we know it originated in India with... 00:16:33.357 --> 00:16:35.191 Theravada Buddhism. 00:16:35.191 --> 00:16:37.953 However, it's since evolved into a wide range of practices 00:16:37.953 --> 00:16:39.203 used throughout the world, 00:16:39.203 --> 00:16:42.258 including more secularized and instrumentalized forms 00:16:42.258 --> 00:16:46.264 that became popular in the west with books like Wherever You Go There You Are. 00:16:46.264 --> 00:16:50.205 This approach to meditation became known as mindfulness based interventions 00:16:50.205 --> 00:16:51.849 and it has two main forms: 00:16:51.849 --> 00:16:56.729 open monitoring, where you observe your experiences in real time without reacting. 00:16:56.729 --> 00:16:59.224 You just recognize things as they are; 00:16:59.224 --> 00:17:01.311 and focused attention, where you concentrate 00:17:01.311 --> 00:17:03.437 on something specific, like breathing. 00:17:03.437 --> 00:17:06.854 Now the interesting thing is that this religiously informed framework, 00:17:06.854 --> 00:17:11.131 with origins from thousands of years ago, has a lot of surprising parallels 00:17:11.131 --> 00:17:14.733 with our modern scientific understanding of attention. 00:17:14.733 --> 00:17:18.400 In fact, some Buddhist practitioners have been found to out-perform the norm 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:19.928 at attention-related tasks, 00:17:19.928 --> 00:17:24.373 suggesting that meditation is, at least in part, helping them focus. 00:17:24.373 --> 00:17:26.495 Now, I should probably say that 00:17:26.495 --> 00:17:30.145 a lot of this research, while promising, is still inconclusive. 00:17:30.145 --> 00:17:34.113 Meditation, and even attention, are still kind of nebulous concepts 00:17:34.113 --> 00:17:37.870 that make it difficult to achieve rigourous, scientific consensus. 00:17:37.870 --> 00:17:41.570 However, despite the similarities I found between religious theory 00:17:41.570 --> 00:17:44.314 and these pop science attention books, 00:17:44.314 --> 00:17:46.558 I did notice, one key difference: 00:17:46.558 --> 00:17:48.866 how they manage distractions. 00:17:48.866 --> 00:17:51.438 You see, the pop science and productivity books I read 00:17:51.438 --> 00:17:53.394 emphasized cutting out distractions 00:17:53.394 --> 00:17:57.743 and building walls in your space and schedule to protect your focus. 00:17:57.743 --> 00:18:01.198 This is straight forward in concept, but really difficult to maintain 00:18:01.198 --> 00:18:04.686 if have a lot of responsibilities that are outside your control. 00:18:04.686 --> 00:18:08.335 In contrast, the mindfulness approach targets your focus directly, 00:18:08.335 --> 00:18:12.415 cultivating it to be easier to command and resilient to distractions. 00:18:12.415 --> 00:18:14.068 This forms a sort of spectrum, 00:18:14.068 --> 00:18:18.479 where you either reshape your environment to restore your attention, 00:18:18.479 --> 00:18:21.694 or reinforce your attention to endure the world. 00:18:21.694 --> 00:18:22.694 Now here's the thing, 00:18:22.694 --> 00:18:26.993 when you feel your attention span slipping through your fingers, 00:18:26.993 --> 00:18:31.096 that pop science, productivity approach is really tempting. 00:18:31.096 --> 00:18:32.716 Not only because it's unavoidable, 00:18:32.716 --> 00:18:35.349 like, a lot of the content around reclaiming your focus 00:18:35.349 --> 00:18:37.928 is for the sake of using it on something else. 00:18:37.928 --> 00:18:41.072 But it is also tempting because the advice is so tangible. 00:18:41.072 --> 00:18:43.879 You turn off your notifications, you build out a schedule, 00:18:43.879 --> 00:18:47.407 you get rid of the distractions, and see it replaced with things 00:18:47.407 --> 00:18:48.882 that you do care about. 00:18:48.882 --> 00:18:51.158 Compare that to meditation, which is so subtle 00:18:51.158 --> 00:18:54.249 that if I wasn't wearing an EEG for three weeks, 00:18:54.249 --> 00:18:56.620 I would have just assumed that it did nothing. 00:18:56.620 --> 00:18:58.811 However, the average person like you or I, 00:18:58.811 --> 00:19:01.109 can never fully control our environments. 00:19:01.109 --> 00:19:04.456 And the supports we use to try are shockingly fragile. 00:19:04.456 --> 00:19:05.873 So if they break, 00:19:05.873 --> 00:19:07.683 when they break... 00:19:07.683 --> 00:19:11.190 all we're left with is our core ability to focus. 00:19:11.190 --> 00:19:14.106 And if that sucks, we end up where we started. 00:19:14.106 --> 00:19:16.298 That's why I think meditation helped me out. 00:19:16.298 --> 00:19:20.085 The whole exercise is realizing that your mind naturally wanders, 00:19:20.085 --> 00:19:21.913 but, you also have the power 00:19:21.913 --> 00:19:24.419 to nudge it back to where you want it to be. 00:19:24.419 --> 00:19:26.646 Now, I'm obviously not going to go full tilt 00:19:26.646 --> 00:19:29.905 and become a Buddhist Monk because, to be honest... 00:19:29.905 --> 00:19:31.755 I can't pull off orange. 00:19:31.755 --> 00:19:34.506 However, the great thing about a spectrum is 00:19:34.506 --> 00:19:37.549 that we can find ourselves somewhere in the middle: 00:19:37.549 --> 00:19:40.628 structuring our days more thoughtfully, and lowering the noise, 00:19:40.628 --> 00:19:43.773 not to a silence, but to a gentle hum 00:19:43.773 --> 00:19:46.673 that we can enjoy at our own pace. 00:19:46.673 --> 00:19:47.990 But either way, 00:19:47.990 --> 00:19:49.817 have a lovely day.