There's no doubt about it. The ability to focus your attention on important tasks is vital.

And that's true whether you're a student, a retiree, a worker, a captain of industry,

or an unencumbered free spirit. We have to focus so we can get stuff done.

Dr. Serini Palais is a psychiatrist and author who studies the brain. If you're not focused,

you feel scattered throughout the day and you feel like you can't concentrate. And it actually

makes you feel not good about yourself. In fact, some studies have shown that not being able to focus

can also predispose to depression and anxiety. But too much focus isn't good either because

it exhausts your brain. What we need Palais says is a balance between focus and unfocus.

And finding that sweet spot is what we'll be talking about in this episode of LifeKit.

I'm Stephanie O'Neill, a regular NPR contributor here with a guide on how to focus

in an era of constant distractions. And heads up, this episode is not about how to become a

hyper-efficient machine. Instead, it's about a more holistic approach to getting things done

without depleting yourself. If you're like me, you often find yourself pulled in different

directions by the seemingly endless barrage of technology chiming through your smartphone.

There's the texting we do with friends, co-workers, and family. There's the social media alerts

that ping their presence 24-7. There's the urgent emails that pop into our inbox.

It can feel overwhelming at times. I'm based in California, and I enjoy getting outside to hike

and ride my horses. But it's gotten to the point where I'm always on my phone. I make calls,

I respond to emails, I text, I listen to the news. All of it causing me to miss the connection

to nature. And instead of feeling rejuvenated, I often feel lethargic and exhausted at the end of a

busy day. And I'm not alone, says University of California Irvine Professor Gloria Mark.

She teaches in the Department of Informatics where she studies human and technology interactions.

...