How to Get Your Brain to Focus | Chris Bailey | TEDxManchester

In a compelling talk about our hyperstimulated digital lives, the speaker details his personal experiment of reducing phone usage to just 30 minutes a day, leading to increased attention span, creativity, and future planning. He delves into research revealing that our proximity to technology reduces our focus to mere seconds and that our brains are not just distracted but actively seeking stimulation through a "novelty bias." By embracing boredom and allowing the mind to wander—a state he terms "scatter focus"—he finds that our thoughts often drift toward the future, enhancing creativity and planning. The speaker advocates for creating mental space and reducing stimulation as a means to improve not only productivity and focus but also the overall quality of life.

• The speaker began to notice a discomfort with their own behavior regarding constant screen usage from morning until night.
• The day started with the phone and included various other screens like an iPad and a computer, with distractions from a smartwatch.
• The speaker identified the phone as the primary device where most time was wasted.

"A few years ago, I began to observesomething in my own behavior that made me a bit uncomfortable.. And that was that from the momentthat I woke up to the end of the day, my life was a series of screens.."

• This quote introduces the speaker's realization about their extensive screen time throughout the day.

"But there was one particular offenderout of all of these different devices that I wasted more time onthan anything else.. That was this dastardly thing: my phone."

• The speaker pinpoints the phone as the main device contributing to their excessive screen time.

• The speaker decided to limit phone usage to 30 minutes per day for a month to observe the effects on their life.
• The time restriction included all phone-related activities such as using maps, calling family, listening to music, and podcasts.
• The experiment led to an adjustment period and resulted in three significant changes: increased attention span, more ideas and thoughts, and more planning for the future.

"And so I decided to essentially,for all intents and purposes, get rid of the thing for a month.. As an experiment, I thought, 'I'm going to live on this thingfor just 30 minutes every single day at a maximum.'"

• The speaker describes the setup of their experiment to drastically reduce phone usage.

"It took about a week to adjust downward into a new,lower level of stimulation, but once I did, I noticed that threecurious things began to happen.. First, my attention span grew.."

• The speaker observes significant cognitive and behavioral changes after reducing phone usage.

• The speaker's observations led them on a quest to understand how to focus amidst distractions.
• They conducted extensive research, including reading numerous papers and meeting with experts.
• The speaker also performed self-experiments, amassing 25,000 words of research notes on the topic.

"Noticing this a few years backled me on this long journey to get to the bottom of what it takesto focus in a world of distraction."

• This quote explains the motivation behind the speaker's in-depth research on focus and attention.

"I pored over hundreds of research papersfrom front to back at my office.. I flew out to meet expertsaround the world who study focus; I conducted more experiments on myself until the point I had25,000 words of research notes about why this is the case."

• The speaker details the extent of their research efforts to understand the impact of technology on focus.

• The speaker discusses how work in front of a computer, with a phone nearby, leads to very short focus spans.
• On average, individuals focus on one thing for about 40 seconds before switching tasks.
• The presence of communication tools like Slack can reduce this focus time even further to 35 seconds.

"This is how we pay attentionto the world around us and how much controlwe have over our focus.. The research aroundthis particular area is fascinating.. It turns out that when we do workin front of a computer, especially when our phone is nearby, we focus on one thing for just 40 seconds before we switch to doing something else, and when we have things like Slack openas we're doing some work, this lowers to 35 seconds.."

• The quote presents research findings on the average duration of focus when using technology and the impact of additional digital tools on our ability to maintain attention.

• The speaker suggests that the common belief about distraction being a result of our brains being distracted is incorrect.
• The deeper issue identified is that our brains are overstimulated, leading to a craving for distractions.
• The "novelty bias" in our minds rewards us with dopamine for seeking out new and stimulating information.

"It's not that we're distracted; it's that our brains are overstimulated.. It's that we crave distraction in the first place.."

• This quote emphasizes the distinction between being merely distracted and having an overstimulated brain that actively seeks out distraction.

• The "novelty bias" is a mechanism where the brain rewards us with dopamine for engaging with new stimuli.
• The speaker compares the dopamine hit from engaging with social media to that of eating pizza or making love.
• This mechanism encourages the continual search for and consumption of distractions.

"There's even a mechanism in our mind called the 'novelty bias,' by which our mind rewards us with a hit of dopamine, one of those wonderful pleasure chemicals..."

• The quote explains the concept of the novelty bias and its role in the brain's reward system, highlighting its impact on our behavior.

• The speaker conducted an experiment to reduce stimulation further by making themselves bored for an hour a day, for a month.
• The experiment included a variety of intentionally boring activities suggested by readers of the speaker's website.

"So, I put out a call to the readers of my website and I asked them, 'What is the most boring thing that you can think of doing? I'm going to make myself bored for an hour a day, for a month.'"

• This quote describes the setup for the speaker's self-imposed boredom experiment, indicating an active pursuit of understanding the effects of reduced stimulation.

• The speaker observed similar effects to a previous smartphone experiment, with their mind adjusting to lower levels of stimulation after about a week.
• Research supports the idea that it takes around eight days for the mind to fully calm down, as observed during vacations.
• The speaker notes an expansion in their attention span and a decrease in the need for distraction.

"But I also noticed that my attention span expanded.. I was able to focus even more effortlessly because I wasn't surrounded by fewer distractions, but my mind was so much less stimulated that it did not seek the distraction in the first place.."

• The quote reflects the speaker's personal observation that a less stimulated mind is less inclined to seek out distractions, leading to an increased ability to focus.

• The speaker experienced the emergence of new ideas and plans that had not occurred to them before the experiment.
• This suggests that reduced stimulation can lead to increased creativity or the ability to think differently.

"But the fun part were these ideas and plans that struck me that didn't before..."

• This quote indicates a positive outcome of the boredom experiment, where the speaker encountered fresh ideas and plans as a result of their reduced mental stimulation.

• Mind wandering allows for the connection of ideas that wouldn't otherwise materialize.
• Best ideas often strike when not focused on something specific.
• Activities like showering can prompt creative ideation due to a relaxed state of mind.

"not all those who wander are lost,"

• Tolkien's quote is used to illustrate that a wandering mind isn't necessarily an unfocused or unproductive one.

"Maybe this morning you were taking a shower, or maybe some morning in the past, and then your mind had a chance to connect several of the constellations of ideas that were swirling around in your mind to create an idea that would never have materialized otherwise if you were focused on something else, on your phone, for example."

• This quote emphasizes that moments of unfocused activity can lead to the spontaneous connection of ideas.

• Scatter focus is the deliberate practice of letting the mind wander.
• It is shown to aid in coming up with new ideas and planning.
• Mind wandering is a natural process that can be harnessed for creativity and problem-solving.

"This is a mode, especially when we do this deliberately, when we deliberately let our mind wander; I call this mode 'scatter focus.'"

• The term "scatter focus" is introduced to describe the intentional practice of allowing the mind to roam freely to enhance creativity and planning.

• The mind naturally wanders to three main places: the past, the present, and the future.
• Past thoughts occur 12% of the time, often recalling ideas.
• Present thoughts account for 28% of mind wandering, helping to solve current problems.
• Future thoughts dominate mind wandering at 48%, aiding in planning and anticipation.
• The remaining percentage of time, the mind is dull or lacks time-rooted ideas.

"But here's the thing: our minds wander to think about the future more than the past and the present combined. Whenever our mind is wandering, we think about the future 48% of the time."

• This quote points out that the majority of mind wandering is future-oriented, which is significant for planning and foresight.

• Simple activities that don't fully engage attention can facilitate mind wandering.
• The speaker knits as a form of relaxation and ideation, using a notepad to capture ideas.
• Suggests that taking longer showers or baths can provide a similar benefit.
• Even walking without using a phone can give the mind space to wander and prepare for upcoming tasks.

"Mine happens to be something that is not necessarily stereotypic of my age and gender demographic, but I love to knit."

• The speaker shares a personal example of an activity that helps their mind wander, breaking typical demographic stereotypes.

"It could be simple; if you're at work walking from one room to another in the office - very simple change - but if you don't use your phone during that walk, your mind will go to the meeting that you're about to attend, it'll g"

• This incomplete quote suggests that even the simple act of walking without distraction can facilitate productive mind wandering, particularly in preparing for imminent events.

• The speaker emphasizes the creative benefits of allowing the mind to wander.
• Mind wandering can occur during simple activities like waiting in line or getting a massage.
• It is suggested to keep a notepad during activities that relax the mind to capture ideas that emerge.

It could be something as simple as waiting in line and just, I don't know, waiting in line.. It could be getting a massage.. You know, whatever it isthat lets your mind - I love this picture so much - (Laughter) whatever you love doing.. Here's a pro tip: Ask your masseuse to let youhave a notepad in the session because ideas always come to youand you're always incubating things, so capture them so you can act upon them later..

• This quote highlights the speaker's advice on being prepared to capture spontaneous ideas by having a notepad handy during activities that allow for mind wandering.

• The speaker challenges the common belief that we need to do more to be productive.
• They identify themselves as an "anti-hustler" and attribute their creativity to being one of the laziest people.
• The speaker believes that constant busyness prevents our minds from wandering and generating ideas.

We think that we need to fit more in - you know, there's all this talkabout "hustling.". I'm an anti-hustler.. I'm one of the laziest peopleyou'll ever meet, and I think that's what gives meso many ideas to talk and write about.. We don't need to fit more in.. We're doing enough; we're doing too much.. We're doing so muchthat our mind never wanders anymore..

• The quote criticizes the hustle culture and suggests that the speaker's ability to generate ideas is due to embracing laziness and allowing time for the mind to wander.

• The speaker compares traffic flow to work and life, suggesting that space, not speed, is what allows for progress.
• They argue that we need more space, or downtime, to let our best ideas and plans surface.

If you look at what allows trafficto move down a highway, what allows it to move forwardisn't how fast cars are moving, as you might expect, it's how much spaceexists between the cars that allows traffic to move forward..

• This quote uses the analogy of highway traffic to illustrate that space is essential for allowing movement and progress, implying that the same principle applies to our work and lives.

• Distraction is not the enemy of focus but a symptom of an overstimulated mind.
• The speaker suggests a two-week challenge to reduce mind stimulation and observe the effects on attention, ideas, focus, and planning.

The second shift: we like to think of distractionas the enemy of focus.. It is not.. It is a symptom of whywe find it difficult to focus, which is the factthat our mind is overstimulated..

• The quote points out that distraction is a result of overstimulation, challenging the common perception of distraction as the primary obstacle to focus.

• The speaker encourages using features on devices to minimize time wasted and increase idea generation.
• They endorse having a disconnection ritual, such as avoiding the internet from 8 pm to 8 am.
• A weekly "technology Sabbath" is recommended to disconnect from the digital and reconnect with the physical world.
• The speaker also suggests rediscovering boredom for short periods to see where the mind wanders.

There are so many great featureson phones, on devices that'll let us eliminate a lot of the timewe waste on our devices.. Use those features, not only to become awareof how you spend your time but how you can spend lessso you have more ideas..

• This quote advises utilizing device features designed to reduce screen time as a means to foster more ideas and enhance productivity.

• The speaker concludes that the state of our attention determines the quality of our lives.
• Moments of distraction and overstimulation accumulate, leading to a life that feels overwhelming and lacks clear direction.
• By calming the mind and reducing stimulation, we can not only improve productivity and creativity but also live better lives.

If there's one thingthat I have found to be true after doing this deep diveinto this world on how we focus, it's that the state of our attentionis what determines the state of our lives.. If we're distracted in each moment, those moments of distractionand overstimulation build up and accumulate to create a life that feelsmore distracted and overwhelming, like we don't have a clear direction..

• The quote summarizes the speaker's key message: the cumulative effect of our attention state shapes our overall life experience, and by managing our attention, we can improve our life's trajectory.