Hyperfocus

the key to practicing habitual scatterfocus is 
to frequently check what thoughts and ideas are in your attentional space
. This is 
especially important with habitual scatterfocus, since more things are vying for your 
attention simultaneously. Keep this advice in mind when it’s easy to become engrossed 
in the habitual task you’ve chosen. Sometimes I’ll enter habitual scatterfocus by playing 
a simple, repetitive video game on my iPad. The game frees my mind to wander and 

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think positively, and I come up with a remarkable number of ideas in the process. (Who 
said video games have to be unproductive?) Because I can play the game out of habit, I 
have some attention to spare
—but I absolutely 
have to
remember to continue to check 
what’s occupying my attentional space, since the game is such a novel and pleasurable 
object of attention. Without this regular check-in, the experience is largely a waste of 
time and attention. 
As with the other two styles of scatterfocus, make sure you have a notepad nearby 
when you enter habitual scatterfocus. You’ll need it. 
If you haven’t already, schedule time to experiment with these scatterfocus modes.
This 
book is useful only if you try out its advice. Block a time in your calendar to enter capture or 
problem-crunching mode, or choose something simple you love doing every day, or something enjoyable you 
have to do, to let your mind wander in habitual scatterfocus mode. Then capture the valuable material that 
comes up and the ideas you connect. While your mind may already wander throughout the day, chances are 
most of that time is neither fun nor intentional. Set a goal to enter into the mode intentionally today, even if just 
for a few minutes. Jonathan Schooler supports this idea. As he told me, “I wish everyone knew how to 
experiment with the idea themselves. Each one of us has such a unique relationship to mind wandering
—and 
mind wandering can serve every one of us differently. We all need to figure out how it helps us in our own life, 
so we can take even more advantage of it. The beautiful thing is that it is a private experience that you can 
watch and int
rospect on yourself.”