Do you find yourself being pulled in too many directions? In this episode, Thanh and Mike talk about how your attention determines your future and why a simple mindset shift to regain control of your attention can provide stability and direction for all areas of your life. We talk about how being careless about how you spend your attention results in a condition called “attention slavery” and share some strategies to help you escape it. If you feel overwhelmed by everything or like you just can’t keep up, this episode is for you.

Cheat Sheet

Tactical tips for directing your attention that can provide immediate focus 1:52

Why scheduling focused time for being offline can be beneficial to your productivity 5:30

How to get focused work done in an open office plan 8:12

Advice for short bursts of focus 16:39

How to focus your attention on the tasks that really matter 21:06

What "flow" is and how to get into it on a consistent basis 30:17

Why former social media executives are recognizing the adverse effects of social media platforms 36:11

How to use social media intentionally 41:06

How to start regaining your attention 46:17

The many advantages from tracking your time 52:41

How to develop mindfulness 54:18

Ways to decide what is not important to focus your time on 59:46

Personal stories from Mike and Thanh on how they became focused on their tasks 1:04:55

Why it's important to associate yourself with the right people 1:07:57

Links

Pomodoro Technique blog post

Esington Glass

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

Timing

Thinking Time: the Counterintuitive Approach to Growth (TPS162)

Rework podcast episode 13

FlowLight article

Brain.fm

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

Hurry Slowly podcast episode 03

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

Calm

Headspace

Toggl

Harvest

The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results

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