logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2023
57m 50s

How to Avoid Distraction with Johann Har...

Crooked Media
About this episode

Have you lost your ability to pay attention? Do you struggle to read a book? Can’t focus on a single task? Johann Hari, author of the New York Times bestseller Stolen Focus, joins Offline to discuss his 4-year, multi-country journey to regain control of his attention. He and Jon talk about the science behind focusing, how tech companies have maliciously destroyed our brains, and what we can do, collectively and individually, to steal our attention back.

 

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Up next
Today
Peter Thiel's Antichrist, JD Vance's Split with the Pope, and Ross Douthat's Scientific Case for Believing in God
Religion in the US has been on the decline for many years, but does atheism make us unhappier? Ross Douthat, New York Times Opinion columnist and author of Believe, joins Offline to explain why he thinks believing in God is a rational choice, why secular humanism feels worse in t ... Show More
1h 17m
Jun 26
Hugs From Your Late Mom, Interdimensional Chats, and College Cheating: The AI Future Is Here
We don't really know how AIs like ChatGPT work...which makes it all the more chilling that they're now leading people down rabbit holes of delusion, actively spreading misinformation, and becoming sycophantic romantic partners. Harvard computer science professor Jonathan Zittrain ... Show More
1h 21m
Jun 19
The Truth About Young Men's Shift Towards Trump
Why are young men — of all races — moving toward Trump? Are high prices to blame? Their media diets? The Democrats? John Della Volpe, the nation’s leading youth pollster, joins Offline to discuss “Speaking to American Men,” a new $20 million effort to bring young men back into th ... Show More
1h 5m
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2022
Johann Hari on Stolen Focus and Attention
Johann Hari is a writer and journalist. He has written for the New York Times, Le Monde, the Guardian, and other newspapers and his TED talks have been viewed over seventy million times. His work has been praised by a broad range of people, from Oprah Winfrey to Noam Chomsky to J ... Show More
1h 3m
Feb 2022
Johann Hari On Why You Can’t Pay Attention (& How To Reclaim Your Focus)
We are living in a time of upgraded technology and downgraded humans. Our collective ability to resist distraction and sustain attention is in decline. Although will power plays a role, this problem is not entirely our fault—it’s the by-product of powerful forces incident to mode ... Show More
2h 20m
Feb 2022
Johann Hari On Why You Can’t Pay Attention (& How To Reclaim Your Focus)
We are living in a time of upgraded technology and downgraded humans.Our collective ability to resist distraction and sustain attention is in decline.Although will power plays a role, this problem is not entirely our fault—it’s the by-product of powerful forces incident to modern ... Show More
2h 23m
Jul 2024
How to Reclaim Focus in the Age of Distraction | Johann Hari
Does it feel impossible to concentrate these days? You're not alone. In this fascinating discussion, the author of Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention - and How to Think Deeply Again reveals the hidden forces conspiring to hijack our attention spans. From predatory tech pla ... Show More
1h 8m
Jan 2022
How To Fix Your Focus & Stop Procrastinating: Johann Hari
Johann Hari is a journalist and author of Lost Connections, a book which changed the way I think about depression and mental health. His new book, Stolen Focus, is about what people can do in order to improve their focus, and about what we can all do to stop our attention being r ... Show More
1h 39m
Mar 2022
Johann Hari: Stolen Focus Pt. 2
In Part 2, Oprah continues her discussions with journalist and author Johann Hari about his New York Times Bestselling new book, Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again. Johann tells Oprah the forces that are distracting us and stealing our focus a ... Show More
25m 52s
Aug 2023
S29 E1: “Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again” by Johann Hari
You may have noticed that the kind of focus we all need to get stuff done is harder and harder to come by. But fear not. To help you get back on track, we've called in some of the smartest writers we know to give us their take on the attention crisis and what we can do about it. ... Show More
12m 27s
May 2022
Johann Hari | Why You Can’t Pay Attention (and how to get it back)
I’ve come to believe that the quality and richness of our lives is, in no small part, determined by the depth and quality of our attention. If it’s massively distracted, perpetually spinning out, and focused on negativity, that will also largely be the state of our lives, regardl ... Show More
1h 7m
Apr 2022
Why You Can’t Pay Attention - And How to Think Deeply Again | Johann Hari
New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- What is it about modern life that is completely disrupting our ability to focus, and how much of it is our fault?    Turns out, not a lot. A number of factor ... Show More
1h 19m
Jan 2022
#228 Johann Hari on How To Reclaim Your Attention
CAUTION: Contains swearing and themes of an adult nature. Why have we lost our ability to focus? What are the causes? And, most importantly, how do we get it back? Today’s guest and author of the brilliant new book, Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention, went on a three-year ... Show More
2h 37m