Overview

Distraction isn't a new problem. We're also not the first to complain about how hard it is to concentrate. Early Christian monks beat us to it. They had given up everything to focus on God, yet they still struggled to keep the demons of distraction at bay. But rather than surrender to the meandering of their minds, they developed powerful strategies to improve their attention and engagement. How to Focus is an inviting collection of their strikingly relatable insights and advice--frank, funny, sympathetic, and psychologically sophisticated. This wisdom is drawn from John Cassian's Collationes, one of the most influential manuals for monks from late antiquity. The Collationes follow Cassian and his friend Germanus as they travel around Egypt, asking a series of sage monks how they can make their minds stronger. In response, these monks offer a range of techniques for increasing focus, including setting goals, training the body, managing the memory, using mantras, taking breaks, consulting others--and, most of all, being honest about yourself. As Cassian and Germanus eventually realize, we can't escape distraction--but we can learn how to confront it and, eventually, to concentrate. Featuring an engaging new translation by Jamie Kreiner, How to Focus can help even the least monkish of us to train our attention on what matters most.

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John Cassian (c. 360-435 AD) was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated in both the Western and Eastern Churches for his mystical writings. His works include The Conferences and The Institutes. Jamie Kreiner is professor of history at the University of Georgia and the author of The Wandering Mind: What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction. Mike Cooper is a British voice talent who left big-city life in London for a log cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Mike is recognizable from his years with the BBC World Service, and as the narrator of countless television documentaries. A disruptive influence in school, Mike's first break in narration came at age six, when his teacher realized he could tell the afternoon story better than her (and she could get a nap by way of a bonus). When he's not in his home studio, you'll find him enjoying hobby farm life and tending to two charming pet goats, named Baxter and Hazel.

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