Books like Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again

01

Deep Work

Cal Newport · Self-help

Deep Work is Cal Newport's case that the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task is becoming both rarer and more valuable, and that people who cultivate it will thrive while everyone else stays stuck in shallow busywork.

02

Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life

Nir Eyal · Self-help

Indistractable is Nir Eyal's argument that distraction is not a technology problem — it's a psychology problem.

03

Lost Connections

Johann Hari · Health

Lost Connections is Johann Hari's argument that depression and anxiety are not primarily chemical imbalances in the brain but responses to social and environmental conditions — disconnection from meaningful work, close relationships, the natural world, a secure future, and status that feels deserved.

04

The Anxious Generation

Jonathan Haidt · Psychology

The Anxious Generation is Jonathan Haidt's argument that a phone-based childhood — shaped above all by smartphones and social media arriving in the early 2010s — has caused a serious and measurable deterioration in the mental health of adolescents in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

05

Hyperfocus

Chris Bailey · Self-help

Hyperfocus is Chris Bailey's second book, narrowing in on the attention piece of his earlier productivity triad.

06

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People

Susan Weinschenk · Psychology

Susan Weinschenk is a behavioral scientist and UX consultant, and this book is her translation of cognitive science research into practical guidance for designers.