Book SummaryHyperfocus, by Chris Bailey

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Hyperfocus

Most of us believe that the secret to productivity lies in our ability to manage our time—but in 2018’s Hyperfocus, productivity expert Chris Bailey presents an alternate hypothesis: The key to becoming the most productive, creative version of yourself lies not in managing your time but in managing your attention.

In Hyperfocus, Bailey shares two main methods of deliberately managing your attention: hyperfocus and scatterfocus (intentional mind-wandering). When you hyperfocus, you maximize your productivity. And when you scatterfocus, you maximize your creativity.

In this guide, we’ll first discuss how to determine where your attention goes most often. Then, we’ll share the five-step process of hyperfocus. Finally, we’ll describe what intentional mind-wandering is, and how it can boost your rest and your creativity. Throughout, we’ll compare Bailey’s strategies to recommendations from other productivity experts and neuroscientists, noting where they differ and supplementing Bailey’s strategies as needed.

Before You Hyperfocus: Understanding Where Your Attention Goes

In order to understand why you need to deliberately manage your attention, you must first discover how little time you spend deliberately directing your attention now and what you could accomplish if you did. To understand the current state of your attention, Bailey recommends that you first create an attention management matrix.

To create your attention management matrix, sort your tasks into four quadrants.

• Quadrant 1 contains tasks that are unnecessary, which are tasks that are both unproductive and unenjoyable—like sorting your pen drawer.
• Quadrant 2 contains tasks that are distracting, which are enjoyable but unproductive—like distracting smartphone games.
• Quadrant 3 contains tasks that are necessary, which are productive but unenjoyable—like filling out medical charts if you’re a doctor.
• Quadrant 4 is tasks that are meaningful, which are both productive and enjoyable. These tasks are the very few tasks that help you fulfill your broader purpose in life—like diagnosing and treating patients if you’re a doctor.

(Shortform note: Bailey’s attention management matrix echoes a time management tool known as the Eisenhower matrix. Originally developed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Eisenhower matrix splits tasks into four quadrants based on their urgency and importance.)

When you’re finished, review the matrix. You likely spend most of your time on Quadrant 1 and 2 tasks, which means you’re operating on autopilot mode: Instead of deliberately directing your attention, you react automatically to external triggers that pique your interest—especially if it’s new, potentially dangerous, or gratifying. (Shortform note: One marketing expert also suggests that you may automatically react to things based on your personal associations with them.) So when you’re in autopilot mode, you naturally focus on less valuable tasks. But when you learn how to deliberately manage your attention, you can focus more on Quadrant 3 and 4 tasks. (Shortform note: We’ll return to this in Step 1 of hyperfocus.)

The 5 Steps of Hyperfocus

How do you deliberately manage your attention? Bailey recommends that you hyperfocus: In hyperfocus, you deliberately direct your attention to a single task. (Shortform note: Bailey’s description of hyperfocus is occasionally contradictory. For clarity, we’ve defined hyperfocus based on what Bailey states is its “most important aspect”—the fact that you’re focused on a single task.)

Why just one task? Because, as Bailey explains, it fits comfortably in your working memory, or “attentional space.” Bailey explains that whenever you do a task, it occupies some portion of your working memory, which holds information your mind is actively processing. Your working memory has a limited working memory capacity: You can only focus on a finite number of things. (Shortform note: Bailey’s definition of “attentional space” combines definitions of short-term and working memory, but since neuroscientists don’t agree on the distinctions between the two terms and Bailey’s main point is that your attentional space is limited, we’ll refer exclusively to working memory.)

If you try to focus on more than you’re capable of, you’ll crowd information out of your working memory and forget it. To avoid this, focus only on what fits in your working memory. And since the amount of working memory a task takes up depends on how complex it is, you can fit only one complex task fully in your working memory. (Shortform note: Research suggests that your working memory capacity peaks at young adulthood and declines as you age—so if you’re older, you might not be able to focus on the same complexity of tasks or the same amount of information as you used to without forgetting it.)

We’ve divided Bailey’s method into the following five-step process:

• Step 0: Choose When to Focus
• Step 1: Choose What to Focus On
• Step 2: Limit and Manage Distractions
• Step 3: Focus for a Set Period
• Step 4: Maintain Your Focus

(Shortform note: Bailey’s method has only four stages, but we added Step 0 since he also presented several recommendations for what to do before you begin hyperfocusing.)

Step 0: Choose When to Hyperfocus

To hyperfocus, first plan when and for how long you’ll hyperfocus.

Bailey suggests that choosing how long to focus is simple: Pick a duration you’re comfortable with and won’t put you off from focusing tomorrow, since hyperfocus works best as a daily habit. As you get used to hyperfocusing, you’ll become used to focusing for longer...

Hyperfocus Summary Shortform Introduction

In a world full of distractions, most modern-day knowledge workers believe that the secret to productivity lies in your ability to manage your time. In 2018’s Hyperfocus, productivity expert Chris Bailey presents an alternate hypothesis: The key to becoming the most productive, creative version of yourself lies not in managing your time but in managing your attention.

In his book, Bailey teaches two main methods of managing your attention. First, he presents several strategies to help you “hyperfocus,” or single-task, so that you can be as productive as possible. Then, he presents several strategies to help you “scatterfocus,” or intentionally mind-wander so you can be more creative and have more energy.

About the Author

Chris Bailey is a Canadian productivity expert. His first book, 2016’s The Productivity Project, was a Canadian non-fiction bestseller that chronicled the year-long productivity experiment Bailey undertook during his post-university sabbatical. Bailey also chronicled the experiment on his blog, which he continues under the name “A Life of...

Hyperfocus Summary Introduction

In a world full of distractions, most modern-day knowledge workers believe that the secret to productivity lies in your ability to manage your time.

In 2018’s Hyperfocus, productivity expert Chris Bailey presents an alternate hypothesis: The key to becoming the most productive, creative version of yourself lies not in managing your time but in managing your attention.

When you deliberately manage your attention, you direct your attention to the most impactful tasks and activities. You also become better able to ignore modern-day...

Hyperfocus Summary Part 1 | Chapter 1: How Your Biology Makes It Hard to Focus

Due to advancements in industry and technology, our world has evolved rapidly over the last several decades. Unfortunately, our brains have not. The fundamental functioning of your brain hasn’t changed since ancient times. Your brain is biologically optimized for a world that no longer exists.

So at best, your brain is not biologically equipped to handle the demands of the modern world as well as it could. At worst, the neurobiological phenomena that kept us alive as cavemen hinder our ability to succeed today by actively preventing us from focusing.

In this section, we’ll discuss the three biological tendencies that Bailey argues make our brains ill-prepared for the demands of the modern world.

Tendency #1: We default to autopilot mode.

Tendency #2: We can only pay attention to a limited amount of information.

Tendency #3: We love to task-shift.

#1: We default to autopilot mode.

Bailey explains that, by default, our brains expend our attention in autopilot mode: Instead of choosing what to focus on in advance, we react to the external triggers that pique our interest. Bailey notes that we’re especially prone to reacting to anything new, potentially dangerous, or...

Hyperfocus Summary Chapter 2: Tracking Your Attention and Avoiding Attention Overload

In the previous section, you learned the biological reasons you struggle to succeed in the modern world.

In this section, you’ll discover exactly how these struggles manifest in your day-to-day life by learning how to understand the current state of your attention. Using Bailey’s techniques, you’ll realize how little time you spend deliberately directing your attention—and the insignificance of the tasks that take up your time when you spend most of your day in autopilot mode. You’ll also discover what important tasks you could be spending more time on if you deliberately directed your attention.

Moreover, Bailey argues, just by practicing meta-awareness—awareness of your attention—you become better at deliberately directing where your attention goes. This also improves your productivity: You notice more quickly when you’re distracted and thus can refocus faster. (Shortform note: Don’t confuse the term “meta-awareness” with “metacognition,” which refers to thinking about thinking, and is more commonly used in discussions about learning. You may also recognize the term as [the blue hat Edward de Bono describes in Six Thinking...

Hyperfocus Summary Chapter 3: Hyperfocus Steps 0-1: Prepare

Now that you understand the biological limitations on your attention and why deliberately directing your attention is necessary, you’ll learn how to work with the biology of your brain to deliberately direct your attention for maximum productivity.

Bailey calls this method “hyperfocus.” In this section, we’ll first define what hyperfocus is and why it matters. We’ll then present the five stages of hyperfocus before elaborating on the first two.

Hyperfocus: What It Is and Why It Matters

Bailey suggests that you can be your most productive self through hyperfocus.

In hyperfocus, you direct your focus on a single task.

Shortform’s Definition of Hyperfocus

Bailey’s description of hyperfocus is contradictory. Initially, he describes hyperfocus as a state in which a single task “fills your attentional space completely.” (As you may recall, “attentional space” is Bailey’s term for working memory capacity.) But later in the same chapter, he espouses many benefits of hyperfocus that are only possible because you “have some attentional space to spare” during hyperfocus.

Bailey doesn’t directly address this apparent contradiction in his definition of “hyperfocus,”...

Hyperfocus Summary Chapter 4.1: Hyperfocus Step 2: Limit Distractions

Hyperfocus involves single-tasking for a prolonged period of time. Distractions, which Bailey defines as anything that diverts our attention from our original purpose, thwart our ability to hyperfocus. Therefore, the second step of hyperfocus is to limit distractions.

In this section, we’ll discuss just how bad we are at avoiding distractions and why we’re so bad at avoiding them. You’ll then learn how to limit both distractions you can’t control and distractions you can control.

Why We’re So Easily Distracted

In Chapter 4, Bailey further highlights how our biological tendencies hamper our ability to do modern-day knowledge work: They make us terrible at avoiding modern-day distractions. Bailey references several studies as evidence. One study found that when you work on a computer, you get distracted every 40 seconds. Another found that you toggle between apps on your computer 566 times each workday—both for work and non-work-related tasks. And we’ve already seen how bad task-shifting is for our productivity. (Shortform note: Your age also affects your distractibility: The older you are, the more...

Hyperfocus Summary Chapter 4.2: Hyperfocus Step 2b: Manage Distractions

Now that we’ve discussed Bailey’s strategy for dealing with distractions you can’t control, we’ll discuss his strategies for dealing with distractions you can control.

Strategies for Dealing With Distractions You Can Control

#1: Track your distractions.

We previously discussed how to keep track of the things that distract you with an attention alarm. Similarly, Bailey suggests that writing your potential and actual distractions down reduces your mind’s inherent tendency to wander during focus sessions: Before your hyperfocus session, write down anything that could distract you—like to-dos you haven’t completed. During your hyperfocus session, write down anything that does distract you—like the argument with your spouse you keep replaying at inopportune times.

(Shortform note: Instead of keeping a list of actual or potential distractions, Eyal recommends scheduling a 20-minute block or “timebox” each week to reflect on what you got distracted by and how to adjust your schedule to reduce those in the future. Adjusting your schedule may include adding time to list your to-dos.)

Citing the work of...

Hyperfocus Summary Chapter 5.1: Hyperfocus Step 3: Use Mindfulness to Improve Focus

In Step 3 of hyperfocus, you focus on your intended task for a set period of time. This is a surprisingly difficult endeavor you can make easier by following the various strategies you learned in Steps 0 - 2. Bailey also names two daily habits that can make hyperfocusing easier: meditation and mindfulness. Meditation and mindfulness improve your ability to hyperfocus because they increase your working memory capacity. Furthermore, they offer several other benefits because they improve the quality of your attention in general.

In this section, we’ll first discuss what meditation and mindfulness are. We’ll then discuss how increasing your working memory capacity—a major benefit of meditation and mindfulness—improves your ability to hyperfocus. You’ll then learn three other ways that meditation and mindfulness improve the quality of your attention. Finally, we’ll describe Bailey’s strategies for effectively incorporating meditation and mindfulness into your daily life.

Understanding Meditation and Mindfulness

While many people use the terms meditation and mindfulness interchangeably, Bailey does not. Bailey explains that **when you meditate, you focus on a single...

Shortform Exercise: Schedule Your Meditation

Now that you’ve learned the importance of meditation and mindfulness for hyperfocus, you can take steps to ensure you perform them in your daily life.

Think about how much your schedule differs on a daily basis and decide whether you’d rather be mindful or meditate. Is there a task you do every single day without fail during which you can realistically be mindful, or would it make more sense to implement a new habit of meditating?

Hyperfocus Summary Chapter 5.2: Hyperfocus Step 4: Maintain Your Focus

There are two parts to maintaining focus: 1) redirecting your attention to your task when you become distracted, and 2) preventing your mind from wandering. We discussed strategies for redirecting your attention using mindfulness and meditation in Step 3. In this chapter, we'll discuss Bailey’s two main strategies for the second piece of maintaining focus, preventing your mind from wandering: Match your tasks to your skill level, and increase how many high-impact tasks you do.

#1: Match Your Tasks to Your Skill Level

If your mind wanders a lot as you focus on various tasks, you might be bored or anxious.

Citing Flow, Bailey explains that boredom occurs when your tasks are too easy, and stress occurs when your tasks are too difficult. Both are known causes of mind-wandering. Therefore, excessive mind wandering may be a sign that your current job is too easy or too hard. Reduce mind-wandering by adjusting your daily tasks to your current skill level.

(Shortform note: Even if you find that your job is not matching your skill level, you don’t have to quit. One Harvard Business Review article suggests [having two careers can make you happier and more...

Hyperfocus Summary Part 2 | Chapter 6: Understanding Intentional Mind-Wandering

In Part 1, Bailey espouses the benefits of deliberately managing your attention for productivity: By focusing on a single task for a prolonged period, you can be as productive as possible.

In Part 2, Bailey switches gears to explore a seemingly contradictory idea: that sometimes, deliberately managing your attention involves intentional mind-wandering, which he calls “scatterfocus”—and that intentional mind-wandering can improve your life.

In this section, we’ll explain what intentional mind-wandering is, why you resist it, and why you should do it anyway. Then, we’ll introduce Bailey’s three main intentional mind-wandering techniques. Finally, we’ll discuss when, how long, and how often to intentionally mind-wander.

Intentional Mind-Wandering: What It Is, Why You Resist It, and Why You Should Do It Anyway

When you hyperfocus, you direct your attention to a cognitively demanding task that takes up most of your working memory. Bailey explains that in order to intentionally mind-wander, you do the opposite: You deliberately leave a lot of room in your working memory, which causes the mind to wander.

Why Does Your Mind Wander?

Bailey states that leaving...

Shortform Exercise: Find Your Habitual Task

Now that you’ve learned that focusing on a fun, simple task you can use to mind-wander, you can start to think about which fun, simple task you’d like to use.

What do you like to do that’s fun and easy? For example, do you like to sew or take long walks? List everything that comes to mind, even if the answer is playing a smartphone game.

Hyperfocus Summary Chapter 7: How To Rest Your Brain Properly

As we’ve discussed, a major benefit of intentional mind-wandering is that it lets your brain rest.

But why is rest so important for your brain?

In this section, we’ll first explain why rest is essential for productivity. Then, we’ll cover the two main techniques you can use to rest: intentional mind-wandering and sleep. You’ll learn why intentional mind-wandering is restful and why avoiding it might be making you even more tired than you are already. You’ll also learn exactly how and when to intentionally mind-wander for maximum productivity. Then, you’ll learn how getting a good night’s sleep can improve productivity and creativity—and three simple ways to improve your sleep.

(Shortform note: Bailey exclusively discusses how intentional mind-wandering can replenish your mental energy, but many texts suggest that restoring your physical energy can help your mental energy as well. For example, in High Performance Habits, Brendon Burchard discusses how maintaining mental, emotional, and physical health can improve and maintain your mental clarity.)

Why Rest Matters

In Chapter 7, Bailey explains that...

Hyperfocus Summary Chapters 8-9: How to Be More Creative

You’ve now learned how to mind-wander so that you can plan for the future and so that you have more energy.

A third major benefit of intentional mind-wandering is that it increases your creativity. But how, exactly, does intentional mind-wandering increase creativity? And how can you make your intentional mind-wandering sessions as creative as possible?

In this section, we’ll first explain how learning and creativity work in the brain. We’ll then discuss the importance of exposing yourself to the right stimuli and present Bailey’s strategies for maximizing your chances of getting the right stimuli. Finally, we’ll explain why and how to intentionally trigger creative insights with the right strategies.

How Learning and Creativity Work in Your Brain

Whenever you encounter a new stimulus, your brain stores this information in what Bailey refers to as a “dot.” We’ll call them bits. Your brain treats each bit differently based on two major factors: what it is and what you already know about it.

When you learn, you connect a new bit to the bits you already know. In other words, you always interpret information based on your personal background. For example, a chef might...