Rapt
by Winifred Gallagher
Gallagher's thesis, written after a cancer diagnosis, is that your life is the sum of what you pay attention to, and the book tours the science of attention, emotion, relationships and creativity. It is elegant and literary, more philosophy than program, and it predates the smartphone debate by a few years.
Read it if…
you want a thoughtful, well-written case for attention as the substance of life.
Skip it if…
you want tactics; the book offers perspective.
Three things you will actually use
- Choose your focus; it becomes your life.
- Attend to the positive deliberately.
- Protect time for rapt engagement with one thing.
Do this first
Write down what you paid attention to today, honestly, and whether you chose it.
Our verdict
Graceful and thoughtful; a philosophy of attention.
Compare with other Focus books
Focus: A Simplicity Manifesto in the Age of Distraction
Leo Babauta · Focus
Short and calm.
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