Finding Focus
Book

Finding Focus

Own Your Attention in an Age of Distraction

Zelana Montminy
Balance, 2025
Buy the book

Read, Listen, or Discuss

Amazon Kindle  Discuss
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×

Editorial Rating

7

getAbstract Rating

  • Overview
  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging

Recommendation

With constant alerts, endless screens, and competing demands pulling attention in every direction, focus has become both a lost art and a daily challenge. In this intriguing read, behavioral scientist Zelana Montminy explores how to step back from overstimulation and tap into your brain’s innate capacity for deep concentration. Drawing on clear research and practical insights, she explains how distraction erodes well-being and offers science-backed tools to help you quiet mental noise, retrain your attention, and reconnect with what truly matters.

Summary

Constant overstimulation and hyperconnection have eroded humanity’s ability to focus.

Modern society is suffering from a “focus famine.” When humans engage in a focused task, the brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is responsible for pleasure and motivation. However, the brain also releases that same dopamine hit in response to anything that captures its attention, including social media likes, emails, and other digital interruptions. This phenomenon makes humans highly susceptible to distraction. Even the fear of missing out can fragment your attention, keeping you scanning the horizon for updates rather than engaging deeply with the task before you.

Interruptions constantly pulling your attention away from the tasks you need to focus upon force your mind to recalibrate repeatedly, draining your mental energy and heightening stress. You can regain focus by building healthful habits in five key areas of daily life:

  1. “Vision and commitment” — Clarify the goals and values that matter most to you. Jot down your dreams and visions, and use these lists to guide decision-making.
  2. “Fuel” — Favor whole foods rich...

About the Author

Positive psychologist Zelana Montminy, author of 21 Days to Resilience, contributes to a variety of media outlets, including Good Morning America, The Today Show, and People magazine.

Comment on this summary