Proven Brain Hacks to Get More Done in Less Time: The New Science Of Focus

The Liz Moody Podcast

Liz Moody

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Education, Mental Health

4.8 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Do you open 10 tabs and forget what you were doing? You’re not alone. Our brains have been conditioned to crave distraction—thanks to tech, stress, and overstimulation. Focus isn’t just about productivity—it’s about presence, creativity, and living a life that feels like yours. In this episode, I explain how chronic stress and dopamine addiction are training your brain to self-interrupt, making it harder than ever to stay on task. Drawing on insights from researchers like Dr. Gloria Mark, I break down how habits like doomscrolling and multitasking are literally rewiring our prefrontal cortexes. But it’s not all doom and distraction. I share powerful, research-based strategies to rebuild your focus muscle—from daily breathing hacks and body doubling to my personal “rule of three” method and compassionate productivity practices. You’ll also hear how I use unstructured rest, deliberate boredom, and digital boundaries to reconnect with what matters most. If you’ve ever felt like your brain is broken, this episode will help you reconnect with the calm, focused version of you that still exists—just beneath the noise. We get into: Why focus is the hidden key to creating a meaningful, joyful life. How stress hijacks your brain and kills concentration. Science-backed focus hacks that actually work—no guilt, just relief. Daily habits to rewire your brain away from distraction and back to clarity. Why social media mimics slot machines—and how to break free. Check out the previous episodes of The Liz Moody Podcast discussed today: Top Attention Researcher: Our Attention Spans Are Down To 47 Seconds! Here’s How To Fix It with Dr. Gloria Mark I’ve Tried Every Hack To Reduce Stress—These 6 Actually Work To Instantly Feel Better How To Work LESS AND Get MORE Done with Cal Newport Drastically Rethinking Time Management: Routines & Habits To Make You Happier AND More Productive with Kendra Adachi The Secret to Getting in Shape, Sleeping Better, Saving Money, And Being More Confident and Productive (Yes, Really!) with Dr. Katy Milkman Ready to uplevel every part of your life? Order Liz’s book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success now! Connect with Liz on Instagram @lizmoody or online at www.lizmoody.com. Subscribe to the substack by visiting https://lizmoody.substack.com/welcome. Buy our cute sweatshirts, conversation cards, and more at https://shop.lizmoody.com/. Use our discount codes from our highly vetted and tested brand partners by visiting https://www.lizmoody.com/codes. To join The Liz Moody Podcast Club Facebook group, go to www.facebook.com/groups/thelizmoodypodcast. This episode is brought to you completely free thanks to the following podcast sponsors: AG1: visit DrinkAG1.com/LizMoody and get your FREE year supply of Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs today. Evlo: head to EvloFitness.com and use code LIZMOODY for 6 weeks for free. The Liz Moody Podcast cover art by Zack. The Liz Moody Podcast music by Alex Ruimy. Formerly the Healthier Together Podcast. This podcast and website represents the opinions of Liz Moody and her guests to the show. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for information purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions. The Liz Moody Podcast Episode 368. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Do you feel like it's getting harder and harder to focus? You sit down to get something done,
0:03.9	but an hour later you've got five tabs open, you've sent an email, you've scrolled on TikTok for 15
0:08.6	minutes, and you still haven't actually started the thing that you meant to do. It is not just you.
0:14.6	The world is engineered for distraction. Billion dollar companies are profiting from hijacking your attention. And this isn't just
0:22.7	getting in the way of your ability to cross things off of your to-do list. Focus is actually one of
0:28.2	the hidden keys to building the life that you want. Whether that's writing the book that you've
0:32.7	dreamed up, finally picking up that guitar that's in the corner, or just enjoying a quiet Sunday with a book and no phone.
0:39.8	Focus is the force that powers it all. By the end of this episode, you will have the tools to
0:45.2	rebuild your focus and the energy to use it on what truly matters. In today's episode of the
0:53.3	Liz Moody podcast, we are diving into the new science of focus,
0:57.1	why distraction is not your fault, what is really stealing your concentration, and most
1:02.7	importantly, the science-backed strategies to reclaim your attention and start building the life
1:08.3	that feels like yours again. By the end of this episode, you will have
1:11.6	the tools to rebuild your focus and the energy to use it on what truly matters. I am not going to go
1:17.6	too deep on why we all feel like we can't focus anymore because I want to get into the solutions
1:22.5	as quickly as possible. And if we are being honest, you probably already know the main culprit, our screens.
1:30.4	But I do want to share a few stats that hopefully will make you feel less alone and like your
1:35.4	problem focusing isn't just in your head. And also, I want to uncover this sort of vicious cycle
1:42.3	that's going on that I think a lot of us are not fully aware
1:45.5	of. First up, it is not in your head. Our attention spans have gotten significantly shorter.
1:51.3	One of the best studies on this came from former podcast guest, an attention span researcher,
1:55.5	Dr. Gloria Mark, her team measured how long we could focus on a screen over the years.
	...

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