#RAPT ATTENTION AND THE FOCUSED LIFE HOW TO#
#RAPT ATTENTION AND THE FOCUSED LIFE PROFESSIONAL#
#RAPT ATTENTION AND THE FOCUSED LIFE SERIES#

Throughout the book, through the lens of psychology and modern neuroscience, Gallagher goes on to describe the role of attention in relationships, work, creativity, and decision making. Attention is a tool through which the mind can make order out of chaos. With a mind that is especially prone to rumination, anxiety, delusions, and thoughts and judgments that arenРІР‚в„ўt short of pure terror, it becomes a matter of life and death to be able to direct my attention to the aspects of my experience that are productive and useful.

#RAPT ATTENTION AND THE FOCUSED LIFE SERIES#

РІР‚СљIf you could just stay focused on the right things, your life would stop feeling like a reaction to stuff that happens to you and become something that you create: not a series of accidents, but a work of art.РІР‚СњР”Р„s an individual suffering from a mental illness, this idea that one can create a meaningful experience using the faculties of oneРІР‚в„ўs own mind is a profound one. While not a notion I completely agree with, itРІР‚в„ўs an idea that can be incredibly empowering in the face of adversity that it is not external circumstances that determine wellbeing but how one interprets and responds to reality. This echoes the Stoic notion that human flourishing can exist entirely independently of external circumstances.

martiniРІР‚В¦ Although that year was not my easiest, neither was it the hardest. РІР‚СљThrough months of chemo, surgery, more chemo, and daily radiation, I mostly stayed focused on taking care of business in the presentРІР‚вЂњsuddenly all I could count onРІР‚вЂњand on the things that matter most and make me feel best: big ones like my family and friends, spiritual life, and work, and smaller ones like moveies, walks, and a 6:30 p.m. How she responded to such dire circumstances is remarkable. The deliberate cultivation of oneРІР‚в„ўs attention allows a more effective and deliberate way to extract meaning from experience.Р”Р„t the beginning of the book, Gallagher says that this insight concerning attention was inspired by a personal adversity of her own: a cancer diagnosis. If we can use attention to choose what information to pay attention to and what to ignore, we can distill reality and make it more manageable,and choose our responses to reality more carefully. GallagherРІР‚в„ўs thesis, that attention is the filter through which we shape and determine our inner lives, inspires a sense of agency in every moment. This insight, that the quality of your life is largely dependent on what you pay attention to, is echoed by David Foster Wallace in his legendary commencement address, but this idea is no more eloquently developed than in Winifred GallagherРІР‚в„ўs unappreciated gem of a book: Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life, a wonderful and insightful ode to focus. He emerges with the final insight: training your attention is essential to building a good life. What you pay attention to, and what you allow to fester in and occupy your mind, can make the difference between an anxious, neurotic existence and deliberate, effective one. On a post titled РІР‚СљTreat Your Mind as You Would a Private GardenРІР‚Сњ, Newport responds to emails reflecting the chronic, stress saturated rumination and distraction that plagues the lives of many college students.

#RAPT ATTENTION AND THE FOCUSED LIFE HOW TO#

There are times, however, where Newport transcends practical learning techniques and РІР‚Сљlife hackРІР‚Сњ type productivity tips to offer some stunning insights concerning how to live and how to work.

#RAPT ATTENTION AND THE FOCUSED LIFE PROFESSIONAL#

This lead me to discover Cal Newport, a prolific computer scientist and professional advice giver whoРІР‚в„ўs blog posts and books provided troves of practical wisdom on how to succeed as a student and as a lifelong learner. Early in my college career, I was eager to find new ways to be a better student.

Rapt attention and the focused life