ML196: Focus, ADHD & The Attention Economy
In this episode Nasos & Andrea discuss: how to focus in a world full of distractions, the challenges of ADHD and how to deal with it and why myths about attention are harming you.
Show Notes
- Why is attention a critical aspect to discuss? [01:39]
- Nasos and Andrea on having ADHD and figuring out [03:02]
- What are current conversations about ADHD? Why does Nasos think that modern society is prone to ADHD? [05:44]
- How does Gabor Maté’s approach to ADHD differ from Russel Barkley’s? [08:24]
- What are the two different modes of attention? [09:58]
- The secret to happiness as told in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist [12:19]
- Andrea on struggling to find the balance between the macro and the micro details in life [16:28]
- How do people commonly define attention? How does one relate to and frame attention better? [18:16]
- Does attention as currency work for society? How can the attention economy affect the quality of ideas and relationships? [23:46]
- How can social media be most beneficial to humans? [28:37]
- How has Andrea tried to be more conscious with his attention and where he directs it? [32:41]
- Why is attention dynamic? How does Nasos come up with solutions to attention deficit? [34:57]
- How does Nasos currently think about his relationship with attention? [40:28]
- Why does externalising a problem or an idea help in figuring it out? Why is it more efficient to focus on the quality of attention rather than quantity? [42:46]
- When does self-reflection start to become futile? [45:29]
- Why the key to paying more attention to things is to pay less attention to oneself [47:54]
- How does keeping attention dynamic give way to insight and creativity? [49:02]
- On why it is vital to pay attention to all the different aspects of life [51:43]
- Why is rest fundamental to learning? How is starting small more productive than going big? [59:08]
- What are the things that one should focus on in life? How do one’s values affect one’s priorities? [01:01:52]
- How can one deal with unclosed loops or open loops? How does one find peace in all the unfinished bits of life? [01:08:33]
- Why taking responsibility for mental disorders and behaviour patterns is crucial to having better discussions around mental health [01:13:05]
- Closing remarks [01:15:46]
Resources
- Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder by Gabor Maté
- Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Russell Barkley
- The Matter With Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World by Iain McGilchrist
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- The Power of Mindful Learning by Ellen J. Langer