Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention

I think this is one of the most important books I read this year. It starts by explaining what is wrong with our ability to focus and what we could do about it but goes on to explain that finding the solution in ourselves is a challenging task and probably a losing battle for most. It turns into a manifesto that claims that we could spend our life fixing the problem in ourselves but we have to realize that the problem, the root problem, is elsewhere.

The author takes us through a series of reasons that explain the loss of our ability to pay attention. All of this is backed by scientific studies and in cases where the interpretation is subjective, the author makes it a point to clarify that. In this manner, the author takes us through ranging from our loss of flow states due to distractions, the constant FOMO due to social media, and overwhelming information being bombarded on all our senses, to our diets, pollution, our attitude towards empowering children, and the expectation of our society to find individual and heroic solutions. It is safe to say that I have not seen this elaborate coverage on the topic of attention anywhere else.

It is an important book to read and I strongly recommend this as one of the most pressing books of this time.