The Art of Deliberate Distraction


Book Description

THE ART OF DELIBERATE DISTRACTION AND… A BONUS Falling Into Place, a heartwarming novella to help you distract Is your life way too hectic? Are you concerned about people or events in your orbit? Welcome to the 21st century -- especially in the time of COVID-19. Sometimes you just can't turn off your swirling thoughts. That's the time to practice the Art of Deliberate Distraction. Deliberate distraction is recognizing something you cannot control or fix and consciously taking positive action to divert your thinking to something more positive. It doesn't mean you avoid problems or duck responsibility. It means you know when to channel your thoughts or actions to areas where you can do something, or to time to simply chill. Deliberate distraction won’t eliminate problems and it is not permission to ignore things you could do something about. Deliberate distraction is not medical advice or counseling, simply thoughts of a reformed worrier. Or partially reformed. I think worry may be an innate trait we need to learn to manage. Deliberate distraction offers a way to consciously refocus your thinking – if only for a few minutes at a time – so you can feel more even keel as you handle life. This book will explain the concepts further and offer suggestions for putting them into practice. Take a look at the topics in this short piece. THE ART OF DELIBERATE DISTRACTION How to Start Try to Get Folks in Your Orbit on Your Team THE CRAFT OF OVERCOMING WORRY Criteria for Taking Action What About the Really Big Stuff? Final Thoughts on Worrying GET BACK TO DELIBERATE DISTRACTION What’s Next for You? RESOURCES AND LINKS FALLING INTO PLACE – a novella




Distraction


Book Description

It's November 2044, an election year, and the state of the Union is a farce. The government is broke, the cities are privately owned, and the military is shaking down citizens in the streets. Washington has become a circus and no one knows that better than Oscar Valparaiso. A political spin doctor, Oscar has always made things look good. Now he wants to make a difference. But Oscar has a skeleton in his closet. His only ally: Dr. Greta Penninger, a gifted neurologist at the bleeding edge of the neural revolution. Together they're out to spread a very dangerous idea whose time has come. And so have their enemies: every technofanatic, government goon, and laptop assassin in America. Oscar and Greta might not survive to change the world, but they'll put a new spin on it. From the Paperback edition.




Infinite Distraction


Book Description

It is often argued that contemporary media homogenize our thoughts and actions, without us being fully aware of the restrictions they impose. But what if the problem is not that we are all synchronized to the same motions or moments, but rather dispersed into countless different emotional micro-experiences? What if the effect of so-called social media is to calibrate the interactive spectacle so that we never fully feel the same way as other potential allies at the same time? While one person is fuming about economic injustice or climate change denial, another is giggling at a cute cat video. And, two hours late, vice versa. The nebulous indignation which constitutes the very fuel of true social change can be redirected safely around the network, avoiding any dangerous surges of radical activity. In this short and provocative book, Dominic Pettman examines the deliberate deployment of what he calls 'hypermodulation,' as a key strategy encoded into the contemporary media environment. His account challenges the various narratives that portray social media as a sinister space of synchronized attention, in which we are busily clicking ourselves to death. This critical reflection on the unprecedented power of the Internet requires us to rethink the potential for infinite distraction that our latest technologies now allow.




Deep Work


Book Description

AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF 2O16 PICK IN BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP WALL STREET JOURNAL BUSINESS BESTSELLER A BUSINESS BOOK OF THE WEEK AT 800-CEO-READ Master one of our economy’s most rare skills and achieve groundbreaking results with this “exciting” book (Daniel H. Pink) from an “exceptional” author (New York Times Book Review). Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep Work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep-spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media, not even realizing there's a better way. In Deep Work, author and professor Cal Newport flips the narrative on impact in a connected age. Instead of arguing distraction is bad, he instead celebrates the power of its opposite. Dividing this book into two parts, he first makes the case that in almost any profession, cultivating a deep work ethic will produce massive benefits. He then presents a rigorous training regimen, presented as a series of four "rules," for transforming your mind and habits to support this skill. 1. Work Deeply 2. Embrace Boredom 3. Quit Social Media 4. Drain the Shallows A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, Deep Work takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories-from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air-and no-nonsense advice, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored. Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world.




Tracking Wonder


Book Description

Discover how the lost art of wonder can help you cultivate greater creativity, resilience, meaning, and joy as you bring your greatest contributions to life. Beyond grit, focus, and 10,000 hours lies a surprising advantage that all creatives have—wonder. Far from child’s play, wonder is the one radical quality that has led exemplary people from all walks of life to move toward the fruition of their deepest dreams and wildest endeavors—and it can do so for you, too. “Wonder is a quiet disruptor of unseen biases,” writes Jeffrey Davis. “It dissolves our habitual ways of seeing and thinking so that we may glimpse anew the beauty of what is real, true, and possible.” Rich with wisdom, inspiring stories, and practical tools, Tracking Wonder invites us to explore how the lost art of wonder can inspire a life of greater joy, possibility, and purpose. You’ll discover: The six facets of wonder—key qualities to help you cultivate the art of wonder in your work, relationships, and lifeHow wonder can help us fertilize creativity, sustain the motivation to pursue big ideas, navigate uncertainty and crises, deepen our relationships, and moreThe biases against wonder—moving beyond societal and internalized resistance to our inherent giftsWhy experiencing wonder isn’t really about achieving goals—though that happens—but about how we live each dayInspiring stories of people whose experiences of wonder helped them move through the unthinkable to create extraordinary livesPractical exercises, tools, and reflections to help you begin your own practice of tracking wonder A refreshing counter-voice to the exhausting narrative hyper-productivity, Tracking Wonder is a welcome guide for experiencing more meaning and joy in the present moment as you bring your greatest contributions to life.




The Great Mental Models, Volume 1


Book Description

Discover the essential thinking tools you’ve been missing with The Great Mental Models series by Shane Parrish, New York Times bestselling author and the mind behind the acclaimed Farnam Street blog and “The Knowledge Project” podcast. This first book in the series is your guide to learning the crucial thinking tools nobody ever taught you. Time and time again, great thinkers such as Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett have credited their success to mental models–representations of how something works that can scale onto other fields. Mastering a small number of mental models enables you to rapidly grasp new information, identify patterns others miss, and avoid the common mistakes that hold people back. The Great Mental Models: Volume 1, General Thinking Concepts shows you how making a few tiny changes in the way you think can deliver big results. Drawing on examples from history, business, art, and science, this book details nine of the most versatile, all-purpose mental models you can use right away to improve your decision making and productivity. This book will teach you how to: Avoid blind spots when looking at problems. Find non-obvious solutions. Anticipate and achieve desired outcomes. Play to your strengths, avoid your weaknesses, … and more. The Great Mental Models series demystifies once elusive concepts and illuminates rich knowledge that traditional education overlooks. This series is the most comprehensive and accessible guide on using mental models to better understand our world, solve problems, and gain an advantage.




The Distraction Addiction


Book Description

The question of our time: can we reclaim our lives in an age that feels busier and more distracting by the day? We've all found ourselves checking email at the dinner table, holding our breath while waiting for Outlook to load, or sitting hunched in front of a screen for an hour longer than we intended. Mobile devices and the web have invaded our lives, and this is a big idea book that addresses one of the biggest questions of our age: can we stay connected without diminishing our intelligence, attention spans, and ability to really live? Can we have it all? Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, a renowned Stanford technology guru, says yes. The Distraction Addiction is packed with fascinating studies, compelling research, and crucial takeaways. Whether it's breathing while Facebook refreshes, or finding creative ways to take a few hours away from the digital crush, this book is about the ways to tune in without tuning out.




Time Off


Book Description

Discover the transformative power of leisure to recapture your calm and creativity.Are your busiest days really the ones that make you feel the most accomplished? It might be time to question whether 'busy' = 'productive'. After reaching breaking points in their careers, business coach John Fitch and AI researcher Max Frenzel learned the critical importance of taking time off. Now these former workaholics will help you revolutionize the way you get things done.History's greatest minds, as well as some of the most successful leaders, thinkers, and creatives of today, found success by practicing a more balanced approach to work and life. Embracing their insights on how constant hustle can be your worst enemy, you will realize that time off means much more than just taking a break. Rediscover a more fulfilled and versatile version of yourself and unlock your true creative potential.Through relatable personal anecdotes, historically sound approaches to downtime, and scientifically backed strategies for increasing your creativity, Time Off will reshape the way you think about work and leisure.In Time Off, you'll discover:- The most effective methods to reclaim leisure, while increasing productivity and creativity- Why having a rest ethic will be a key competitive advantage in the future of work- Tactics for getting away from the work without the dreaded guilt- How to thrive alongside AI and use technology to become more human- The many ways in which time off improves your leadership skills, and much, much more!




The Art of Deliberate Success


Book Description

An effective framework for professional and personal success Everyone wants to succeed in life, but not everyone knows how. Success isn't just a result of luck and hard work; you also need to know how to define success for yourself and put yourself in the right frame of mind to achieve it. Based on a powerful ten-part framework, The Art of Deliberate Success presents ten chapters that help you identify strengths and weaknesses so you can focus your attention and effort where it matters most. The book includes an online self-assessment tool that helps you pinpoint the areas you need to focus on, followed by chapters dedicated to helping you focus on what matters, using language more effectively, mastering your behaviour, getting things done, and ultimately reach your goals. Based on the author's 24 years of professional experience and research Presents a flexible and effective system that allows you to achieve goals that are professional or personal in nature Features a special online self-assessment tool for identifying strengths and weaknesses and personalising your self-development Informal, easy-to-read, and highly effective, The Art of Deliberate Success is the ideal guide for professionals who want to reach new heights and stay there.




The Art of Escaping


Book Description

Seventeen-year-old Mattie has a hidden obsession: escapology. Emphasis on hidden. If anyone from school finds out, she’ll be abandoned to her haters. Facing a long and lonely summer, Mattie finally seeks out Miyu, the reclusive daughter of a world-renowned escape artist. Following in Houdini’s footsteps, Miyu helps Mattie secretly transform herself into an escapologist and performance artist. When Will, a popular athlete from school, discovers Mattie’s act at an underground venue, Mattie fears her secret persona will be exposed. Instead of outing her, though, Will tells Mattie a secret not even his girlfriend knows. Through a blossoming friendship, the two must find a way to express their authentic selves. Told through the perspectives of the witty main characters, this funny and fresh debut explores the power of stage personas and secret spaces, and speaks to the uncanny ways in which friendships transform us.