WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.925 I kind of feel like 00:00:00.925 --> 00:00:02.879 my attention span is dying 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:04.301 knocks on the door 00:00:04.301 --> 00:00:05.060 it's just like 00:00:05.060 --> 00:00:06.690 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 --> 00:00:15.889 things I want to focus on 00:00:15.889 --> 00:00:16.840 I just don't 00:00:16.846 --> 00:00:18.966 because refreshing Instagram is 00:00:18.966 --> 00:00:21.561 always going to 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 --> 00:00:34.464 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, 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:38.648 we are figuring out how to stop scrolling, 00:00:38.648 --> 00:00:40.706 and how to start paying attention. 00:00:40.785 --> 00:00:42.875 Thank you to our Patreons for supporting the channel, 00:00:42.877 --> 00:00:44.217 and headspace for sponsoring 00:00:44.293 --> 00:00:45.531 a portion of this video. 00:00:45.531 --> 00:00:47.879 With focused music, motivational exercises, 00:00:47.879 --> 00:00:49.472 guided meditations, and more, 00:00:49.472 --> 00:00:51.919 Headspace has over a thousand pieces of content 00:00:51.919 --> 00:00:54.058 to help you be kind to your mind. 00:00:54.058 --> 00:00:56.242 If you want to see how Headspace might be helpful to you, 00:00:56.242 --> 00:00:58.940 you can try it out completely for free for 60 days. 00:00:58.940 --> 00:01:00.483 All you have to do is sign up 00:01:00.483 --> 00:01:01.733 with our link in the description 00:01:01.733 --> 00:01:03.636 or scan the QR code on screen. 00:01:03.636 --> 00:01:04.236 [slam] 00:01:04.236 --> 00:01:05.227 So, what's in the box? 00:01:05.231 --> 00:01:07.251 [box opening] 00:01:07.251 --> 00:01:10.159 This is an electroencephalogram, or an EEG. 00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:12.000 It measures electrical activity in the brain 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:14.529 which are associated with certain performance metrics 00:01:14.529 --> 00:01:17.109 like attention, excitement and stress. 00:01:17.109 --> 00:01:18.998 Does that look good? How's that - How do I look? 00:01:18.998 --> 00:01:20.671 Now these things usually look a little bit more 00:01:20.671 --> 00:01:23.011 threatening and wire-y, however 00:01:23.011 --> 00:01:24.942 I reached out to this brand called Emotiv 00:01:24.942 --> 00:01:27.328 that creates more simplified consumer options. 00:01:27.328 --> 00:01:28.647 They gave me a little discount 00:01:28.647 --> 00:01:30.353 so I could actually afford this for the video. 00:01:30.353 --> 00:01:32.566 And I look like a cyborg. 00:01:32.566 --> 00:01:33.596 I think it looks cute. 00:01:33.942 --> 00:01:34.714 Okay, so these are my brainwaves 00:01:34.714 --> 00:01:36.353 and if I focus on it 00:01:36.353 --> 00:01:37.719 really hard 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:40.444 it should be able to translate these 00:01:40.444 --> 00:01:42.655 into more understandable metrics... 00:01:42.655 --> 00:01:44.880 like attention! Look at that! 00:01:44.880 --> 00:01:47.331 You see the building of tension and spike in excitement; 00:01:47.331 --> 00:01:48.485 that's my brain! 00:01:48.485 --> 00:01:51.202 I kind of feel like a videogame character and these are my stats. 00:01:51.202 --> 00:01:51.800 It's cool. 00:01:51.800 --> 00:01:54.231 Now I should note that EEG data can be pretty noisy 00:01:54.506 --> 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 --> 00:02:16.063 And only having these really infrequent and negative interactions with my problem 00:02:16.063 --> 00:02:18.786 makes it really hard to be objective about the whole thing, 00:02:18.786 --> 00:02:21.069 to understand how bad it actually is 00:02:21.069 --> 00:02:23.774 and see if it's getting better or worse. 00:02:23.774 --> 00:02:26.136 But now, with the help of this brainscanner, 00:02:26.136 --> 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 --> 00:02:33.743 or forgetting to focus on my focus. 00:02:33.743 --> 00:02:34.197 [typing] 00:02:34.197 --> 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 gets pretty uncomfortable 00:02:41.844 --> 00:02:43.380 after really long stretches. 00:02:43.380 --> 00:02:43.959 Woah! 00:02:43.959 --> 00:02:46.032 But, overall, it was pretty easy to ignore 00:02:46.032 --> 00:02:47.948 while I just lived my life for the rest of the week. 00:02:47.948 --> 00:02:51.233 Alongside the EEG, I installed a program to automatically track 00:02:51.233 --> 00:02:53.384 how often I switched tasks on my computer, 00:02:53.384 --> 00:02:56.212 and I recorded how many times I picked up my phone. 00:02:56.212 --> 00:02:59.167 Did you know that you can't actually export you screentime data! 00:02:59.167 --> 00:03:02.306 Then I wrote a quick script to compile all this data and visualise it. 00:03:02.306 --> 00:03:05.137 Here is my life for the past three days. 00:03:05.137 --> 00:03:06.226 Ooh. 00:03:06.226 --> 00:03:09.605 The x-axis is the number of hours in a day. 00:03:09.605 --> 00:03:12.789 These blue bars represent the number of times I picked up my phone. 00:03:12.789 --> 00:03:15.313 This grey line tracks how productive I was at my computer, 00:03:15.313 --> 00:03:18.699 and these coloured lines are the median performance metrics from my EEG. 00:03:18.699 --> 00:03:22.037 Now, some highlights include this moment 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, 00:03:27.568 --> 00:03:33.939 and then I ended up [uh] opening Instagram and spending the next two hours on it. 00:03:33.939 --> 00:03:34.508 [laughs] 00:03:34.508 --> 00:03:36.133 However, during my meeting the next day 00:03:36.133 --> 00:03:38.899 I was like super interested and attentive, 00:03:38.899 --> 00:03:40.257 right? Great? No. 00:03:40.257 --> 00:03:43.189 It's because I kept picking up my phone! 00:03:43.189 --> 00:03:44.649 I was supposed to be on call! 00:03:44.649 --> 00:03:46.235 I kept opening up Instagram! 00:03:46.235 --> 00:03:47.250 But it's not all bad news: 00:03:47.250 --> 00:03:50.512 there are these instances where I put down my phone, 00:03:50.512 --> 00:03:54.389 I get into the zone, and my brain just lights up. 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. 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! 00:04:03.786 --> 00:04:06.688 Now something similar does happen to my brain when I am working out, 00:04:06.688 --> 00:04:09.408 but... how often am I doing that? 00:04:09.408 --> 00:04:13.426 All this is to say, is that for the 16-ish hours that I am awake, 00:04:13.426 --> 00:04:17.419 I am only engaged and focused for like 12% of it. 00:04:17.419 --> 00:04:20.509 The rest of the time - the 88% of the time - 00:04:20.509 --> 00:04:24.413 I'm all over the place: I'm checked out or I'm distracted. 00:04:24.413 --> 00:04:28.067 This could be most of the rest of my life unless we do something about it. 00:04:28.067 --> 00:04:29.238 So let's do that. 00:04:29.238 --> 00:04:34.183 So, I started looking for any books about attention, focus and distractions 00:04:34.183 --> 00:04:35.983 and I found a lot of them. 00:04:35.983 --> 00:04:38.979 There was just one problem - they're all identical! 00:04:38.979 --> 00:04:40.755 They invent different buzz words and 00:04:40.755 --> 00:04:42.413 and they switch out the personal anecdotes 00:04:42.413 --> 00:04:44.198 that they blur with legitimate science, 00:04:44.198 --> 00:04:47.804 but fundamentally, if you've read one, you've read them all. 00:04:47.804 --> 00:04:52.129 Fortunately, you don't need to read any of them because here are the three things 00:04:52.129 --> 00:04:55.622 that you actually need to know if you want to fix your focus. 00:04:55.869 --> 00:04:58.189 1: Attention and focus are different things. 00:04:58.189 --> 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 --> 00:05:08.701 concentrating it on something specific. 00:05:08.701 --> 00:05:12.679 2: Focus is a limited and exhaustible resource. 00:05:12.679 --> 00:05:15.936 So, you can only really focus on one thing at a time 00:05:15.936 --> 00:05:20.131 and your ability to do that will tire out the further you get from rest. 00:05:20.131 --> 00:05:23.322 3: Focus also filters out distractions. 00:05:23.322 --> 00:05:26.771 The more there are, the more of your focus is being wasted. 00:05:26.771 --> 00:05:30.742 Now some research exists suggesting that certain forms of cognitive training 00:05:30.742 --> 00:05:33.785 can increase your capacity and ability to focus. 00:05:33.785 --> 00:05:37.126 But the type of training and the effectiveness has varying results. 00:05:37.126 --> 00:05:40.108 The brain is complicated and there is a lot of nuance in the details - 00:05:40.108 --> 00:05:42.669 especially when you are trying to find things that work for you 00:05:42.669 --> 00:05:44.619 and your specific circumstances. 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 00:05:48.106 --> 00:05:50.287 that support what we know about focus. 00:05:50.287 --> 00:05:51.100 Here's the plan. 00:05:51.100 --> 00:05:55.075 First I need to manage my distractions, starting with the obvious: my phone. 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 00:05:58.446 --> 00:06:01.343 way too much (everything except for my wallet) 00:06:01.343 --> 00:06:04.005 and muted basically all of my notifications. 00:06:04.005 --> 00:06:07.399 I also installed this app that replaces icons with text. 00:06:07.399 --> 00:06:10.464 So now I need to put in a little more effort before I open anything. 00:06:10.464 --> 00:06:12.561 I also changed my display to grey scale. 00:06:12.561 --> 00:06:15.244 I have never wanted to use my phone less. 00:06:15.244 --> 00:06:16.243 God, this sucks. 00:06:16.243 --> 00:06:17.494 I wasn't kidding. 00:06:17.494 --> 00:06:21.597 Almost immediately, my phone pick-ups and screen time dropped dramatically. 00:06:21.597 --> 00:06:24.724 However, the silence made me notice the sheer number of 00:06:24.724 --> 00:06:27.172 internal distractions I have, too. 00:06:27.172 --> 00:06:29.636 These passing thoughts that just take me off task, 00:06:29.636 --> 00:06:31.936 like wandering if I need to buy more toilet paper, 00:06:31.936 --> 00:06:34.436 wishing I learned a musical instrument as a kid 00:06:34.436 --> 00:06:36.793 or thinking about what I'm going to have for dinner. 00:06:36.793 --> 00:06:37.876 They were rarely urgent, 00:06:37.876 --> 00:06:42.179 but often important enough that I didn't want to ignore or forget them. 00:06:42.179 --> 00:06:45.884 So, I dedicated a page in my notebook to quickly write them down for later. 00:06:45.884 --> 00:06:46.930 When later came, 00:06:46.930 --> 00:06:51.377 I sorted through those thoughts based on action, importance and time-sensitivity, 00:06:51.377 --> 00:06:56.643 and kept it in mind when I was building my schedule which got way more specific. 00:06:56.643 --> 00:06:59.168 Now, I'm usually the type of person who 00:06:59.168 --> 00:07:02.029 only puts, like, events in my calendar - a normal person - however, 00:07:02.029 --> 00:07:05.194 a lot of the books that I've been reading have recommended time-blocking 00:07:05.194 --> 00:07:06.711 or time-boxing. I don't know. 00:07:06.711 --> 00:07:09.650 It's just setting aside time to do individual tasks. 00:07:09.650 --> 00:07:12.447 Apparently, it helps you avoid the temptation to multitask. 00:07:12.447 --> 00:07:13.100 [alarm beeps] 00:07:13.100 --> 00:07:15.401 So, every morning, I took all of my work, 00:07:15.401 --> 00:07:17.676 chores, exercises and hobbies 00:07:17.676 --> 00:07:19.533 and plugged them into my calendar. 00:07:20.883 --> 00:07:22.343 Now, I found that the secret is that 00:07:22.343 --> 00:07:26.112 it's not as simple as just putting an hour aside for each thing. 00:07:26.112 --> 00:07:27.907 Since focus is an exhaustible resource, 00:07:27.907 --> 00:07:30.449 I need to take into account my energy levels throughout the day 00:07:30.449 --> 00:07:32.833 and how much effort each task is going to take. 00:07:32.833 --> 00:07:36.784 Like, reading research papers and writing takes a lot of focus for me. 00:07:36.784 --> 00:07:38.327 It's just really boring. 00:07:38.327 --> 00:07:40.709 [vacuum cleaner with audiobook playing] 00:07:40.709 --> 00:07:42.893 but listening to audiobooks or animating, 00:07:42.893 --> 00:07:44.077 I'm locked in. 00:07:44.077 --> 00:07:47.894 I actually find it really hard to disengage from the tasks that I really enjoy. 00:07:47.894 --> 00:07:51.753 So I find myself thinking about them or even continuing to do them 00:07:51.753 --> 00:07:53.654 past their allotted time. 00:07:53.654 --> 00:07:56.295 Which means that I should probably think about those switching costs 00:07:56.295 --> 00:07:58.554 when I'm building my schedule out for the day. 00:07:58.554 --> 00:08:01.788 Eventually, I realised this process could be a little more automated, 00:08:01.788 --> 00:08:05.072 so I got Taha to put the process together in a notion template. 00:08:05.072 --> 00:08:08.906 Now I can input tasks, tag them and it will show me an order 00:08:08.906 --> 00:08:10.748 that I can drag into my calendar. 00:08:10.748 --> 00:08:11.764 I found it useful, 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. 00:08:14.748 --> 00:08:17.983 But once I controlled my external and internal distractions, 00:08:17.983 --> 00:08:20.416 and built out a schedule that minimised multitasking 00:08:20.416 --> 00:08:22.335 and optimised for my energy levels, 00:08:22.335 --> 00:08:24.866 all that was left was actually focusing. 00:08:26.636 --> 00:08:28.428 It was amazing. 00:08:28.583 --> 00:08:31.385 I was using my phone less and getting more done. 00:08:31.385 --> 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 [uhh] 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. 00:09:14.410 --> 00:09:17.609 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 --> 00:09:24.753 and see if there were any clues in my data 00:09:24.753 --> 00:09:26.651 that could explain what went wrong. 00:09:26.651 --> 00:09:28.211 I know, it's pathetic, 00:09:28.211 --> 00:09:32.236 but it was a small victory that led to an interesting discovery: 00:09:32.236 --> 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. 00:09:49.448 --> 00:09:55.974 [sigh] 00:09:55.974 --> 00:09:57.491 [aaaAAAHHH] 00:09:57.742 --> 00:09:59.774 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 --> 00:10:03.558 I'm just doing my stuff. 00:10:03.558 --> 00:10:05.717 I'm just trying to focus on it more. 00:10:05.717 --> 00:10:09.242 Except, I'm trying so hard to focus 00:10:09.242 --> 00:10:13.577 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 --> 00:10:22.403 It's like there's sand falling 00:10:22.403 --> 00:10:25.697 and I'm trying to catch all of the sand. 00:10:25.697 --> 00:10:26.945 And you can't do it! 00:10:26.945 --> 00:10:29.145 Am I making any sense? 00:10:29.308 --> 00:10:32.621 I really need to make every grain of sand count 00:10:32.621 --> 00:10:35.571 by like doing everything on target 00:10:35.571 --> 00:10:38.130 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 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:52.526 just 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?" 00:11:02.563 --> 00:11:04.372 Maybe it was because I was desperate. 00:11:04.372 --> 00:11:06.981 Actually, it is totally because I was desperate 00:11:06.981 --> 00:11:09.209 but I decided to try meditation. 00:11:09.209 --> 00:11:10.717 The only issue is... 00:11:10.983 --> 00:11:12.583 I have no idea how. 00:11:12.684 --> 00:11:14.985 Luckily, I have headspace. 00:11:14.985 --> 00:11:17.395 I should probably turn the colour on 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 just so you guys can see what the app actually looks like. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When I asked headspace to sponsor a portion of this video, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I genuinely thought I was only going to use their focus music and white noise, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because I love listening to those to the point that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it is ruining my YouTube recommendations and Spotify Wrapped. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So it is just great to have access to headspace's collection. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But headspace also has stretches, workouts, podcasts and meditation. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They have content specifically for beginners, like me, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who don't know where to start. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's in their basics course. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But if you don't want to commit to that, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they also have shorter exercises 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 including my favourite thing I discovered on this app, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 which is "Star Wars: Breathe with Yoda." 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's a 1-minute breathing exercise 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and Yoda's just sitting there levitating rocks. I love it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 However, they also have longer, less structured stuff 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for people with more experience. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Just the sheer amount of variety is probably my favorite thing about headspace 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They bring together so many resources to help you be kind to your mind; so, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 even if meditation doesn't end up helping, maybe movement will. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Or, another cool thing that I found - this is so sick - they have ASMR 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and there's like a thing at the bottom that lets you control the balance between 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 voice and, like, environmental noise. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Headspace, do more of this! 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If you want to try out headspace, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 completely for free for 60 days, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you can sign up using the link in the description, or scan the QR code. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Okay, lets learn how to meditate. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "Hi, and welcome to-" "-Hi" 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 My first experience with meditation was... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 strange? Now, the voice kept telling me to 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 focus on my breathing, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but I might have focused a little too hard 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because I was worried I forgot how to breathe. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I should wear my head scanner thing for this! 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Back to breathing. [exhales] 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But eventually, I think I got the hang of it 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and after 10 minutes 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 -How am I supposed to know if meditation is working? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Is there a light? Like what happens? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "I don't think there is an exact science to it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's just - you're supposed to just feel better. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Or feel changed. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Did it do anything?" 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I don't know! 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Do you just keep doing it? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "That's kind of it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear, but-" 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So I just trust the process? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So, for the next few days, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I continued with my focus schedule and wore my EEG. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But I also tried to meditate in the morning, or evening, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or just random moments when I felt like it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And then, something kind of wild happened. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Meditation works! 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And I wish I could tell you this because 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I have achieved enlightenment or I have a new found sense of peace, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but, no. I just feel normal . 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 About as normal as the distribution of 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the sample means of my experimental populations, justifying the use of 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a two-sampled t-test resulting in these p-values. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Ooh! How significant. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This EEG has seriously paid off 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because even though I don't feel that different, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I was able to use its measurements to do some statistics 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and find that meditation has improved basically all of my performance metrics: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 engagement, excitement, interest. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Also, stress, but that might be because 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I was wearing this when you guys 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 sold out our last merch drop in less than 24 hours. Thank you for that. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So good stress. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The coolest thing is that all of this is on top of what I already gained 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 by minimising distractions and avoiding multitasking. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 At least according to these regressions 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I ran. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But the benefits of meditation came at a surprising cost. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You see these peaks of intense focus? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Yeah, those stopped happening. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But I also stopped experiencing these huge dips. Now I'm just fine. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This whole thing is just... fine. 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. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I didn't want to rely on being distracted every single second. And you know what? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Done. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I am literally, statistically more engaged 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and anecdotally, I was doing the dishes the other day and 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I started playing a podcast out of habit, then I realised: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I'd rather just clean in silence. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Who am I? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I know I should be happy. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Happy that for folks without attention disorders, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 fixing your focus is as simple as 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 minimising distractions, avoiding multitasking, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and maybe meditating if it all gets too much. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I should be happy. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But I'm not. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Like I think it's really cool that meditation can work 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 even if you don't know how it works, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but I'm me... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and I need to know how. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So I guess if you only cared about fixing your focus, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the video is done. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You heard my advice. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But, if you're like me 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and you want to know why, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 come with me 'cause we're gonna find out. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It was strange getting to the bottom of this. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because I was looking for an answer when I didn't really have a question. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I just had a sense of unease because I had solved my original problem 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 without understanding how or why my solution really worked. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It was only after spending the day in the library, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 flipping through any book I could find about meditation, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when I realised my question and its answer. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You see, earlier we learned how focus works according to science, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and the tips I found in those productivity books were in line with that. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They should have helped me stay focused. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But they didn't. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Not in the long run. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 However, when I added meditation to the mix, it all worked. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The question is how. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Specifically, how did meditation influence my focus 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 differently than productivity tips. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Okay. So, meditation as we know it 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 originated in India with 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Theravada Buddhism. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 However, it's since evolved into a wide range of practices 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 used throughout the world, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 including more securlarised and intrumentalised forms 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that became popular in the west with books like Wherever You Go There You Are. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This approach to meditation became known as mindfulness based interventions 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and has two main forms: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 open monitoring, where you observe your experiences in real time without reacting 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you just recognise things as they are; 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and focused attention, where you concentrate on something specific like breathing. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Now the interesting thing is that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 this religiously informed framework, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with origins from thousands of years ago, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 has a lot of surprising parallels 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with our modern scientific understanding of attention. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In fact, some Buddhist practitioners have 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 been found to out-perform the norm at meditative tasks, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 suggesting that meditation is, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 at least in part, helping them focus. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Now, I should probably say that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a lot of this research, while promising, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is still inconclusive. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Meditation, and even attention, are still kind of nebulous concepts 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that make it difficult to achieve rigourous, scientific consensus. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 However, despite the similarities I found between religious theory 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and these pop science attention books, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I did notice, one key difference: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 how they manage distractions. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You see, the pop science and productivity books I read 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 emphasised cutting out distractions 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and building walls in your space and schedule to protect your focus. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This is straight forward in concept 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but really difficult to maintain 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 if have a lot of responsibilities that are outside your control. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In contrast, the mindfulness approach targets your focus directly, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 cultivating it to be easier to command and resilient to distractions. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This forms a sort of spectrum 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 where you either reshape your environment to restore your attention, or 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 reinforce your attention to endure the world. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Now here's the thing, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when you feel your attention span 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 slipping through your fingers, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that pop science, productivity approach is really tempting. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But only because it's unavoidable, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 like, a lot of the content around reclaiming your focus 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is for the sake of using it on something else. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But it is also tempting because the advice is so tangible. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You turn off your notifications, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you build out a schedule, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you get rid of the distractions 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and see it replaced with things you do care about. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Compare that to meditation 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 which is so subtle that, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 if I wasn't wearing an EEG for three weeks, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I would have just assumed that it did nothing. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 However, the average person like you or I, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 can never fully control our environments. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And the supports we use to try are shockingly fragile. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So if they break, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when they break, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 all we're left with is our core ability to focus. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And if that sucks, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we end up where we started. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That's why I think meditation helped me out. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The whole exercise is realising that your mind naturally wanders, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but you also have the power 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to nudge it back to where you want it to be. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Now, I'm obviously not going to go full tilt 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and become a Buddhist Monk because - to be honest - 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I can't pull of orange. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 However, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the great thing about a spectrum is 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that we can find ourselves somewhere in the middle: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 structuring our days more thoughtfully 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 end lowering the noise, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 not to a silence, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but to a gentle hum 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that we can enjoy at our own pace. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But either way, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 have a lovely day.