Hyperfocus

Some things work better as TED talks/articles on Medium.

Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey caught my attention because it spoke to me a student with ADHD. I now wish I left the book at the store. Let me tell you why...

The book is based on a bunch of researches. Most of them aren't explained properly and are just statistics out of context. The actual research is never explained and the headlines of the researches are used as anecdotes. The write up between them is horrible.

Bailey constantly showboats his ability to write a lot of words in small periods of time because of the use of his methods. I can't argue with this, because I don't know the speed at which the book was written.
But in my opinion, it's all about quality and not about quantity. And the book absolutely lacks it.

Chapters aren't exclusive and sentences are often repeated. Sometimes even whole parts and anecdotes are repeated. And even the repeated parts ain't worth repeating. Sentences aren't straight forward. Bailey turns simple tips into 4 page ones, without adding value.

When some tips offer real value and are good, they are lost in a sea of unnecessary cheap talk. Other tips are just plain stupid or don't apply to most of us. Tips like, ‘Hit the gym or the sleeping room at your work'. I don't see most companies offering a sleeping room in their building.
Tips like ‘Put your phone away and unplug your lan cable.' aren't that great working in sales or IT and tips about how meetings are setup and who should be present aren't applied to most of us, because guess what Mr Bailey... Most of us aren't writers and can't get these privileges but listen to their boss.

This is the real pain point of the book. The book is written from a bunch of random researches, patched together by some very personal perspectives. Everything is written from a single perspective. Its written by, and for, people like Bailey. And it seems Bailey loves to hear himself talking. Its all about how he likes a cup of coffee, how he loves this coffee place, his meditation and Ed Sheeran.

For me this book is a definite no go. I read it completely and at the end of the book it said “Invest your time wisely.” and I felt like I hadn't been doing the same. I wouldn't advise anyone to buy it and I wouldn't even advise you to torrent it. The actual value of this book was to me practically non existent. The few good tips in the book don't weigh up against the nonsense the book is patched together with.

Worth reading. Re read to recapitulate before applying the ideas specifically in practical.

Very, very tactical. A bit of a counterpoint to, say, Deep Work. Good reinforcement for many tactics I've used or currently using, and good validation on how I use caffeine.