Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life

After listening to an interview with the author of this book, I realized that I have been distracted and not totally focused on what is important in my life. I'm not good at multitasking, and this book is helping me to accomplish more by prioritizing and focusing. It's better for me to finish what I start than to have multiple projects and errands at the same time. I used to have time to spend with my friends but now I never see them anymore because I'm always busy, yet nothing seems to get done. I've just started reading the book but I no longer feel guilty because I didn't get through a 2 page to-do list on my day off. I would recommend this book to people who want to feel more rested and enjoy more quality time with their loved ones. The seller has a good variety of books to browse through and gave me very good service. The books were a good price and arrived in excellent condition. I'm sure I'll buy from this seller again

“If you could stay focused on the right things, your life would stop feeling like a reaction to stuff that happens to you and become something you create: not a series of accidents but a work of art ... Paying rapt attention whether to a trout stream or a novel , a do it yourself project or a prayer, increases your capacity for concentration, expands your inner boundaries and lifts your spirits, but more important simply makes you feel that life is worth living.” The above quotes encompass the thesis of this book. It was what hooked me when I read the sample downloaded on my Kindle. I felt excited by how much this idea resonated with me and was eager to find out exactly how I could do this. How do I stay focused on the right things? What can I do to generate more opportunities for ‘rapt’ attention in my life? But this book is not a ‘how to’ guide. Instead it is a well researched and well written investigation into and defense of the thesis comprised in the quotes above. While there are numerous hints at things one might do to enhance capacity for attention and focus (start a regular meditation practice is a recurring one), the reader is left to figure this out on their own. I guess I was a bit disappointed by this. I thoroughly agreed with the thesis from the moment I read it. I was looking for advice rather than a convincing argument.

Some of the best moments are here and gone and in the past sooner than I'd like. Rapt helps me believe that even if I can't keep the best parts forever I can get the most out of them as they happen by striving for the focused life. This is one of those book that I hope to come back to and read again as it seems to have already enhanced my time with my two young children. I actually bought this hoping that it would help my teaching practice, by helping me understand my students with attention issues, but I got so much more out of this read. I feel like this book will improve my experience of my recreation and family time more than my professional life. I found myself highlighting quote after quote from Rapt, as this book is densely packed with great info and advice.

Who we are and how are is largely shaped by where we focus, where we invest our attention. Although our minds are naturally (and often strongly) drawn to the dangerous and the novel, we have the ability to influence our focus. With or without intentional choice, attending to one aspect of our physical and mental environment causes us to ignore others. Rather than making a coherent case for where we should place our attention under what circumstances and providing techniques for controlling that attention, the author provides a journalist’s survey of the scientific work being done in the area. A sprinkling of nineteenth century philosophy provides some context, but we are left with little more than the general idea that attending to the right things will make us happier.

This book confirmed things I already knew or suspected but hadn't taken the time to really think about. That in itself is one of the primary points of the book, focusing, or paying rapt attention to situations. I have already noticed changes in how I go about my daily activities. This would be particularly good reading for teens and young adults, if only you could get them to pay attention long enough to read it. I was impressed enough that I am now starting on Winifred Gallagher's book "The Power Of Place" The Power of Place: How Our Surroundings Shape Our Thoughts, Emotions, and Actions (P.S.) .

I heard about RAPT in a commencement speech at my niece's graduation from a high school for high achievers. The speaker, a super achiever himself, referred to some of the ideas in his speech and recommended the book. I was impressed and decided to purchase and read the book, hoping to help myself by applying some of these ideas. RAPT is definitely worth reading and gives many of us new tools for making decisions and clearing out the clutter in our lives that keep us from focusing on what is truly important to us. RAPT has already helped me to do things that are more meaningful to me. But overall, especially toward the end of the book, I began to realize that there is a "bootstrapping" mentality that might seem lacking in compassion and doesn't consider that making these changes is very difficult, if not impossible, for some people. There are people in this world, who are in situations where life has become a downward spiral that is impossible to reverse, without a great deal of help, understanding, and compassion from others. Life for some is in free fall without a parachute, having only one possible ending no matter how they try to WILL it. I think this book sees things from a perspective that needs to be balanced with another point of view. I highly recommend reading books, such as BRIGHT SIDED or NICKEL AND DIMED, by Barbara Ehrenreich, (another breast cancer survivor), which present ideas that create some balance and perspective when read together with this book.

With a world of busyness it is easy to lose attention on what is important. When that attention is lost income is also lost. This book does a great job of examining and explaining how attention and focus work. The best idea that I received from the book is that with everything that there is to focus on you must give attention and focus to your focus. Yes you may know that is what focus is but how many times have you forgot and moved onto the next thing without mastering the first one? If attention equals income then this is a book you must read.

I bought this book after reading Deep Work by Cal Newport. I thought it was good but not as good as Newport's book.

Elegantly written with an ordinary message that has an extraordinary impact. I will be re-reading it again and again lest I forget its hard-earned lesson.

Esse livro era o que estava procurando pra acreditar no poder da atenção concentrada; vai ao encontro do que já tinha lido ou ouvido falar sobre o tema. É um livro para aqueles aqueles que não conhecem o assunto e tem interesse na área.

I heard about this book on a CBC interview. The book is more about the psychological aspect of how our lives unfold. It speaks in depth on how our lives become what we focus on...and backs it up with very interesting scientific data. More proof that if we wish to lead a life of happiness and fulfillment, then those are the exact qualities we need to focus on. I wouldn't call this a self help book...more knowledge is power. A very interesting read, and beautifully and engagingly written!

Lo compré nuevo y llegó usado, subrayado, eso si está bien cuidado

Every young bachelor must read this book,One line from this book I love the most, it says "It is important to live a focused life; but it doesn't mean that always you will get the success".Swami Sarvapriyananda from RKM in one of his lectures has told about this book. About writer-Writer is a self experienced women, from reading it seems like she has gone through many rough days in her life and shares with us the tricks to perform well in our time. About Book- The book I received was not in a good shape, looked like it was in stock for long time, so the cover color was not their. I am satisfied with the content so cover doesn't matter much.