You’re Not Stupid: How to Fix Your Attention Span

[@JustinSung]

Join my Learning Drops weekly newsletter here: bit.ly/4iMXp9q Every week, I distil what really works for improving results, memory, depth of understanding, and knowledge application from over a decade of coaching into bite-sized emails.

[@thinkeracademy3937]

Attention Span Steps 1) Win Criteria 2) Understand Rules of Game 3) Short Term & Long 4) Optimising Short Term a) Deep Work • Clear Objective • Singular Task • Prep the Hard • Plan to Start b) Frontload • Remove Distraction • Arrange Required Thing 5) Optimising Long Term 1) Target 2) Time 3) Intensity

[@jamesstramer5186]

We can always count on Justin to provide unique solutions to student issues.

[@yeeho_k]

Facts

[@JustinSung]

Thank you for your kind words :)

[@Oliverstihonn]

3 things that worked for me: 1. I blocked out all distractions. 2. I read books on Nixorus. 3. I stayed consistent no matter what.

[@lazart3402]

great comment

[@ricyha]

why for the past YEAR have i seen these self improvement comments always promoting nixorus in this grandiose way. lowkey feels like some guy trying to promote some get rich trash class unsurprisingly all the 'free books' they list on their website are PDFs you can find online yourself and all their exclusive content is paywalled. lol it's just too obvious at this point

[@Aj-fd4ne]

what is nixorus ( i cant find it online )

[@stephanndon]

W

[@animegelo]

i found it very interesting that the long term focus training practice you mentioned is the exact practice i know as just meditation. and yet you never mentioned the word once. thinking about it, i think that's a pretty smart decision: instead of instructing people to start practicing something that they could already be biased against, you directly explain what the practice entails and how it works to aid them. wonderful strategy!

[@aminkafri-u6p]

Watching this with my short attention span issue and constantly getting distracted and needed to go back every few minutes after realizing that I'm getting distracted.

[@AbdullahButt-sj1eg]

I too suffer with low attention span like most of us, but I actually wrote down everything in this video and made hand-written notes actually focusing just on the video and writing. I decided to spend the entire day almost to think of practical, personal and real steps I can take to get back to locking in on my actual work and block out my personal set of daily distractions. Spending an entire day to plan out months of focus buidling/training was really worth it for me. Thank you Justin as always.

[@Mastersoup615]

justin has expounded on a matter of great importance in this "age". more than it is practical, this problem is points to the broader landscape of short-format content and quick doses of satisfaction. I have been and remain thankful for his effort bringing these issues to light. we truly appreciate it!

[@khana.713]

Some real shit as always. Autodidacts all over the world benefit greatly from your content. I hope you eventually write a book on how to effectively engage with learning

[@alvindomantay4156]

you made me improve my learning skill last year, and will be more better this year.

[@NishaSharma-gx2gv]

@@alvindomantay4156 what tips did u implement to improve

[@iamthestormthatisapproaching69]

I have a feeling that reading physical books are a great way to train our minds to focus. It's like opening up a new world in front of you that puts your brain to work on figuring things out from the author's POV

[@jishajain7341]

What are physical books?

[@pzyxn2745]

​@@jishajain7341 I agree, what are these "physical books" you speak of?

[@farenough5878]

I can read some novels and other fiction for hours, but when it comes to textbooks, I fail miserably.

[@PH923]

@@jishajain7341 non digital books mate

[@Parrot5884]

Yes. In addition, one of the biggest reasons why physical books are so helpful is that they do not have anything ther than the material you need to engage with. There are no apps that can tempt you or notifications to distract you. Its purely the stuff you need to be reading and absolutely nothing else.

[@BooneDraw]

My win criteria is to learn Chinese and to know it very well. I have no motivation problems there I focus daily on learning Chinese. 有志者事竟成 Every day I practice Chinese after using my Chinese in every day life It becomes part of my normal vocabulary. Using my learning to put into long term memory. I like your videos. And appreciate your efforts 谢谢 很好

[@mcsoli9455]

I have pretty intense ADHD and the symptomology and I can't direct or control the task switching and the penalty time ends up being more than any amount of time I spend on different tasks. With treatment it's easier to control but I need to learn how it actually works physiologically. Thanks for this

[@juliusespanol6813]

This is the video that I've been waiting for! Thanks Justin!!

[@markgarao6898]

Amazing as always. Thanks Justin!

[@theaadora]

I have my A levels in 5 months. I'm going to get AAB and I am not working at those grades, yet. I'll be using these techniques hopefully rewire my brain and reach my true potential. Thank you for this

[@EmmaAnimalWelfare]

Thank you Justin, truly. Your videos are life changing. Breathing is a great example and gateway into noticing distractions, but are you referring to the "target" as just being something to help train our attention span and practice, or are these targets also activities that end up serving as the goal task for us to focus on? For example, I do a lot of meal prepping and cook using novel recipes. I often have to remove distractions (like listening to music or conversations) so I can actually focus on not losing track of time, making sure I don't burn stuff, chopping every vegetable under the sun, cleaning as I go etc. It feels challenging to have to stay focused on it for longer periods, but the more I meal prep in this way, the less stressful I find it. I wonder if that's utilising the same principle?

[@apollosun2913]

Count each breath, 1-10. 1 on exhale, 2 on the next exhale, 3 on the next exhale, and so on. Or count on inhale instead if you prefer. When you get to 10, start again at 1. When you notice yourself suddenly counting 20 or 30, and you will, that's your signal to start at 1 again because you got distracted. Some people find it difficult to focus for even 1 breath. In that case, count 1 on inhale, 2 on exhale, 3 on inhale, 4 on exhale, and so on up to 10, then start at 1 again.

[@thiagoperea6647]

Your YT channel is a gold mine sir!!

[@egorsterlyagov]

ok, bro, good record video about understanding: how we take ideas and facts, how many we can understand for one time, what strategy and technique we can use for develop it.

[@sahirarauf1347]

Life saver Thanks dr Justin

[@andrejcurlo9542]

I love your videos and explanations to the difficult topics❤ It is always very helpful and easy to train 😊

[@XinixAxiom]

I find your works life changing

[@87advil]

Cal Newport has said that deep work should *not* be identified with the flow state. A lot of the time deep work feels very effortful

[@surajkumarshrestha6874]

As medical doctor you never talked about tangible brain health and nutrition (i.e vitamin, minerals deficiency,choline, protein(bdnf etc.) Because i was extremely low on vitamin d, i didn't know it causes depression And low on b12 whose deficiency is disasterous for your not only brain but whole nervous system because its function is to repair and form myelin sheath which is part of nerve cell But after 1 month taking vitamin d and b12 for deficiency My migraine is gone , no brain fog, headache, lethargy is almost gone Then i researched more on vitamin , minerals and other nutrition I also take omega 3 capsule nowadays So I suggest you talk about brain health and brain nutrition and diet.

[@SuzanneSwanky-d6t]

😂.I used to believe am not cut out for books but it all adds up now. Am grateful JUSTIN

[@PratikTank-ly7tt]

thanks you soo much appreciated

[@yoloking-f2c]

Hey Justin, love your content. Could you make a video on reading news and keeping up with a landscape that is updated daily? Especially for students of politics and business it's pretty tough because newspapers aren't always very concise and to the point. I found that speedreading a WSJ or even a NYT is pretty much a waste of time. I feel like reading a newspaper requires lots of filtering. Filtering what to read first and foremost. Then there's news that are irrelevant, there's news that have temporary value and there's data or facts that can be extremely valuable longterm. Would love to know more about your daily news intake and how you process it.

[@alohm]

1-8 is to aid in focus. Focus is a skill one must develop. That is why mindfulness has a religious following: it is focus.

[@nathanaelduranthon3369]

The meditation technique Justin described briefly in step 5 is called Anapana. It is more than 2500 years old. This is actually very good advice. Look it up.

[@d.o.nmuzic3802]

Very helpful for me. Thank you 🙏🏾

[@jeanettekeegan471]

Many thanks Justin.

[@ruizgirevoy7998]

So meditation 🧘‍♂️

[@piotrrostow]

It sounds like there is something to it...

[@SheLsPeaker]

ThankYou for Sharing

[@yeeho_k]

Thank you Justin ❤

[@WeJannati]

I like your videos soo much 😊 Please make a detailed video for revesion and exam prep for school And for timetable for study Please sir😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@frozen_tortus]

I like this video, it basically renamed meditation :) with few additional tips, but you really strongman the case in such a way that I never seen before.

[@smritimutalik8759]

Tqsm👏👍

[@linhangnguyen1162]

I have a few questions: How can I set clear objectives for each study session? And is it okay if I don’t stick to those objectives? For example, I might plan to study an ML concept, but then realize I need to review statistics, so the session ends up focusing on that instead. In situations where I don’t know what I don’t know, how should I plan my objectives?

[@sashwatvi-dvivekananda6954]

in the study with me instructions video you talked about the way that is best for physics , medicine etc please tell a way for procedrul subjects like maths too please

[@sashwatvi-dvivekananda6954]

please create a video on how to study maths science a step by step method

[@mjurem]

Question regarding the time interval for distraction awareness… if we use 30 minutes a day, is it more effective to do 30 minutes in the whole time block or do 15 minutes twice a day?

[@jeremyfontenot496]

Your videos are so good they are distracting me! Where do we start with your videos?

[@safar_within]

Justin and gym analogies ❤️

[@thiago90ap]

What are those tip and techniques for short term?

[@Lazylou_Jiujitsu]

I use some of your teachings to help learn martial art techniques, I made a video about it on my channel, would love your input!

[@DigitalArtcast]

Added to watch later

[@Jopo-i]

I actually was doing the breathing but just for 30 secs to 1 min, never realized i had to do longer intervals

[@dotdev.x]

random question, where is your shirt from :)

[@bioptimization]

But Deep Work and Flow are two different concepts and one doesn't necessarily involve the other (Cal Newport's words)

[@sarveshrampilaialyougandra3751]

Isnt step 5 like meditation?

[@Michael-ue9us]

That's what I was thinking! I believe it is, meditation has a lot of different benefits, it makes sense focus strength would be one

[@abdelhakimkhabir]

How can multitasking improve retrieval??

[@mohamedabdo-ul6jz]

in bear hunter system what is the relationship between aim and maybe map ?

[@mjusama369]

Hi sir. Why don't you write a book about all of these things. You can combine your experience and knowledge in to a massive book or some volumes of medium sized books. It would be affortable to us at the same time you will earn equally

[@JuwellaMariaRodrigues]

I find it difficult to identify important information while reading. I end up writing small details in notes, thinking "What if it's asked for exam", making it difficult to remember what I learnt from notes. Could you please make a video on this?

[@gj3492]

I too have similar problem.. it becomes difficult during revision!

[@thabanihelegwa]

attention is the new currency

[@nithish1517]

The sad thing that i learnt from this video is that I'm interested in learning how to learn everything,but not interested in in learning anything apart from this😂

[@rysletics214]

@@nithish1517 it’s social media that disturb your brain 🧠

[@YeshuaIsTheTruth]

Metacognition is a field. Also, Sung's videos are really nice to watch/listen to, and the tips he give are not just broad stroke bandaids. That might also play into why you like this topic so much.

[@jishajain7341]

But how to stop from falling asleep 😴

[@deecee1853]

by having a good night's sleep

[@DarthPenguinius]

Nice video! The only issue is my ADHD...

[@ElnEedho-p7q]

Hey Justin. Wouid you say this applies for people with executive dysfunctions, like ADHD?

[@aniqaibu032]

Is anyone else in awe AND attacked by the content? :"D Jokes aside. In 2024 I have been consistently practicing micro habits and have made a lot of progress throughout the year! But as hectic things pile up again from uni and work, I feel myself slipping back to scatterbrain mode again. While I love Dr Justin's content, the demon within do be keeping me away from his content for the last month :")

[@abdallamonem8184]

Ironically a lot of ads on a video addressing focus and attention

[@rimenahi]

My attention span is good. Thanks.

[@jishajain7341]

Okay. How? And don't you fall asleep while studying, if now how do you stay awake for long hours of sittings?

[@azarel7]

Have you ever done on reading on chronotypes?

[@myrmeco5429]

Ironically, I missed my stop because of this vieeo.

[@hacbe1894]

Hi Dr.Sung, I am a little confused by the mentioning of the common tips 'you can find on the internet' because the rest of the video shares most of the same ideas. Was this done intentionally, that we only see this, if we really comprehend the rest of the video?

[@devscorner2681]

Hello from India!,Our education system is literally below the charts,there is no focus on how to study rather there is just a search of diamonds in the sea.Justin Sung please help us ,Indians cannot afford the courses for such high prices(Its too high for indians,its more than half of the salary of average indian)i know its worth it but please reduce the price for indians specifically.

[@27althafmohammed75]

Its true, but you can figure it out on your own through his videos, its just scattered so you'll have to do trial and error by practicing and rewatching the videos to fix the errors

[@AryanSharma-hv6qu]

Here's another one from India. I understand your predicament, and I had also considered taking his course; however, the pricing was what held me back. But now, taking help from his videos(they are superlative), the learning report, books like The Mind for Numbers, Make it Stick, Ultralearning, how to Read a Book, Books by Cal Newport, taking a couple of courses like Shwetabh Gangwar's attack mode along with the newsletters of Justin and Cajun Koi, have helped me carve my own system from scratch. In the whole process, I took feedback from my own experience, which is very important. There are other sources, too, like Ali Abdal's Retrospective Revision Timetable, but to be honest, underlying all of this is the understanding of the core principles of cognitive science. You need to learn about that and, in that light, read and refer to all the sources and make a system of your own. Justin's videos help in that a lot. A couple of keywords for starters are: Cognitive Load management, Self-directed learning, Task Management, Mind mapping, Priming, Chunking, Studying in layers(and testing), and Threshold Concepts. PS: this is not to suggest not taking his courses. Just that if you can't afford it, you can still manage. Plus, refer to a blog called Ahmni Infinite Canvas. That is also a good place to start

[@soumya_khushi_4240]

true said by mohammed

[@alltomestudy616]

Yes like according to government of India amount of money you charge for your course is monthly salary of only 10 percent Indians. We can get high quality courses online for our study for like 40 dollars. And these courses are one year long.

[@n.spatrick3228]

@@devscorner2681 its so generous to give this away for no cost,

[@SmithaRuth]

I lost attention in the first 5 minutes 😊

[@SawamuraEijun-p6t]

P

[@harshvardhan4771]

9:55 Very sorry to contradict, but I tried it, but found out it didn't work out for me. As in, let's say we are sitting in a class, trying to understand a topic that is currently being taught, and it's like, you can almost understand it, but just not quite. Its like, you almost understood the topic, and are trying to predict what's coming, as in, to understand what was all of this past 15 min.s build-up of topics trying to make us get to, and kind of expect the teacher to speak exactly these words, but then suddenly you realise the teacher went the other way, and in expecting and waiting for him/her to speak a certain set of words which will suddenly make it all click, now you have completely lost the track, and are fully confused as to what's going on because of being caught off-guard and along with not understanding the current topic, also forgetting the part that you did understand. This is also the reason why I don't try to be ahead and study a topic before the class, which I only started as I noticed I wasn't getting alot into my mind when I learnt along the class either.

[@waifuslayer69]

me: watching a video on youtube. youtuber: don't the video.😵‍