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February has been a brief and breezy month, and fittingly so, with the <keyword id="6489583" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Valentines-Day">Valentine’s Day</keyword> ushering back love and romance in our humdrum existence. As we near the end of the month, it’s time to check out the titles published this month and creating the most buzz. As we said last month, it’s a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Best-Reads-OfJanuary-7-Books-That-Will-Take-You-On-Journeys-You-Never-Made/articleshow/29602612.cms">journey of discovery</a> – a <keyword id="6374782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="journey">journey</keyword> taken together to find our way back to the <keyword id="2037892" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Printed-words">printed words</keyword> we have neglected so long. We don’t know yet whether these <keyword id="5050" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="books">books</keyword> will top the <keyword id="2081025" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Best-sellers">best-sellers</keyword>’ list or not but this time, it is a collection of fiery five that can provide you the knowledge and the <keyword id="53180" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="courage">courage</keyword> to push the frontiers and explore new territories. True to the <keyword id="4167782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="V-day">V-day</keyword> spirit, the <keyword id="2081016" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="February-books">February books</keyword> are an assorted lot – varying from never-before insights into <keyword id="31602" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="brain-power">brain power</keyword> to the power of human love and the grit to defy the raw deals life meets out. “Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live,” said <keyword id="1816003" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Gustave-Flaubert">Gustave Flaubert</keyword> and we believe that is the <keyword id="31559" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Essence">essence</keyword> of existence, experience and elevation. So welcome on board and happy reading. 
 
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February Fab Reads: 5 New Books That Will
Help You Push The Frontiers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Humans have a short attention span. This can make it difficult to get work done. </li><li>Petr Ludwig, a productivity expert and author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/End-Procrastination-Stop-Postponing-Fulfilled-ebook/dp/B07DN8X36X">"The End of Procrastination,"</a> told Business Insider that to increase your focus you must improve your ability to say "no" and develop intrinsic motivation, or, in other words, drive that is developed internally. </li><li>We've rounded up a list of strategies that will help keep your focus. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime content.</a></li></ul>Americans have about an <a href="http://www.statisticbrain.com/attention-span-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eight-second attention span</a>.That's <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2014/02/11/goldfish-have-longer-attention-spans-americans-and-publishing-industry-knows-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less than a goldfish</a>.But we can improve our powers of concentration by, for example, finding clever ways to eliminate distractions, hacking our workflows, or working on our mindsets. Petr Ludwig, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/End-Procrastination-Stop-Postponing-Fulfilled-ebook/dp/B07DN8X36X">"The End of Procrastination,"</a> a book offering strategies for productivity, told Business Insider that intrinsic motivation, or the drive that comes internally for a project, is a key element to staying on track. "If we don't see a purpose in our activities, then we feel disconnected, and we postpone those tasks," Ludwig said. "If you use your strengths on a daily basis ... at the end you procrastinate much less and you are more fulfilled." To that end, here are a few takeaways from <a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quora threads</a> and a productivity expert that tackle attention. <h1>1. Invest in your sleep. </h1>Not sleeping enough makes people <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2012/03/06/lost-time-and-cyberloafing/?mod=WSJBlog" target="_blank" rel="noopener">distracted</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120417080350.htm?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=lack-of-sleep-is-linked-to-obesity-new-evidence-shows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fat</a>, and <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/05/sleep-deprived-people-are-more-likely-to-cheat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unethical</a>, so be sure to get your rest. While everybody's needs are different, it's generally between six to nine hours. And invest in some nice sheets. -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Yishan-Wong" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yishan Wong</a><h1>2. Exercise your body.</h1>Harvard Medical School <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/regular-exercise-releases-brain-chemicals-key-for-memory-concentration-and-mental-sharpness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has found</a> that exercise improves your memory and concentration. You don't have to be a Channing Tatum, but it's important that your body is an asset, not a liability. -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Achintya-Prakash">Achintya Prakash</a><h1>3. Exile your distractions.</h1>Close email, Facebook, Twitter. Put your phone on airplane mode. Turn off anything that blinks, dings, buzzes, or vibrates. Don't even give yourself the chance to multitask - since <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-your-iphone-wrecks-your-sanity-productivity-and-focus-2014-3">it erodes your attention span</a>. -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Bill-Hall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Hall</a> "If you turn off all notifications, then you are much more focused than when you are restricted every five minutes or 10 minutes by a new Instagram or Facebook message," Ludwig said. "Improving focus is quite crucial these days." <h1>4. Keep a routine.</h1>If you sleep, work, and relax at irregular intervals, you'll spend unnecessary energy trying to organize your time. Like French novelist Gustave Flaubert said, "Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work." -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Frederick-Javalera" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frederick Javalera</a><h1>5. Use the Pomodoro technique.</h1>Taking its name from a Pomodoro timer, which runs for 25 minutes, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-be-more-productive-pomodoro-technique-2014-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Pomodoro technique</a> is a practice of focusing intently on something for 25 minutes and then taking a five-minute break to get coffee, go to the bathroom, whatever. -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Selene-Chew">Selene Chew</a><h1>6. Wake up at the same time every day.</h1>The regularity <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/53710/why-do-i-always-wake-5-minutes-my-alarm-goes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lets your hormones get into a rhythm</a>, giving you the most energy, clarity, and focus through the morning. -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Michal-Ugor">Michal Ugor</a><h1>7. Take a stance on email.</h1>Is your job to be on top of things - to respond to everything as quickly as possible? Or does it require long hours of studying and concentration? If the latter, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dwight-eisenhower-nailed-a-major-insight-about-productivity-2014-4">email might remain urgent, but it's not important</a>. So only check it a few times a day. -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Xi-Cheng" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Xi Cheng</a><h1>8. Know what your life goals are. </h1>If you don't know what they are, read a good book on the subject (BI's favorite: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flow-The-Psychology-Optimal-Experience/dp/0061339202" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Flow" by </a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flow-The-Psychology-Optimal-Experience/dp/0061339202" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi</a>). Because when you know what you want to do, it's easier to not do everything else. -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Rolfe-Dlugy-Hegwer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rolfe Dlugy-Hegwer</a><h1>9. Do things you enjoy focusing on.</h1>It takes <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29068736">"emotional labor"</a> to do work that you don't engage with, so try to arrange your work day around that engagement, and <a href="https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/achieve-flow-by-hacking-your-tasks.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hack it</a> when it's not there. -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/George-Mortimer-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Mortimer</a> <h1>10. Write out your obituary.</h1>It helps you identify what you actually need to get done. -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Dan-Webster-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dan Webster</a><h1>11. Take a break when you're making awesome progress on a task.</h1>You'll come back to it quicker and with more energy. Like Ernest Hemingway said, always "<a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3021905/work-smart/hemingways-secret-to-maintaining-productive-momentum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leave some water in the well</a>." -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Pratik-Mhatre">Pratik Mhatre</a><h1>12. Put noise-canceling headphones on.</h1>Not only do they reduce noise, they signal to your colleagues that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-introverts-can-work-in-open-office-2014-5">you're not to be bothered</a>. -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Dave-Concannon">Dave Concannon</a><h1>13. Find a partner in crime.</h1>Teaming up with a coworker will keep you accountable - if she's coding while you're checking Facebook, you'll feel foolish.<h1>14. Read physical books.</h1>It will train you in paying attention to an object for an extended length of time - something the digital world doesn't provide very well. -<a href="https://www.quora.com/What-exercises-can-I-do-to-increase-my-attention-span/answer/Murali-Veeraiyan">Murali Veeraiyan</a><h1>15. Listen to music.</h1>It helps you stay in your workflow, since the sound occupies the part of your brain on the lookout for "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/i-listened-to-music-based-on-neuroscience-designed-to-make-you-focus-and-its-been-amazing-2014-4">danger, food, sex, or shiny things</a>." -<a href="https://www.quora.com/What-exercises-can-I-do-to-increase-my-attention-span" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amir Baer</a><h1>16. Break large projects into smaller pieces. </h1>Then, instead of having vague goals, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/writers-tricks-for-boosting-creativity-2014-2">set clear deadlines</a>. Execute against those to guide your focus. -<a href="https://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Farsheed-Atef" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Farsheed Atef</a>According to Ludwig, when we have too many priorities on our plate, we face decision paralysis, or in other words, we feel overwhelmed and push off a task until later. Instead, he advised people to cut larger projects into smaller bits. "Complexity increases procrastination," Ludwig said. "Then we have chaos. We have a higher rate of the stress hormone, cortisol, and it's going to undermine our productivity." The easiest way to put these skills into practice is to reject non-urgent tasks. "It's often about the courage to say no," he said. "Basically, if you get 50 emails, those 50 emails are not about your priorities. They are mostly about the priorities of others."

16 easy ways to improve your focus in the age of coronavirus

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/helgabj/2164397914">flickr user helgabj</a>One concentration advantage you get from being a goldfish: you don't have to check your email.</div></div>Americans have about an <a href="http://www.statisticbrain.com/attention-span-statistics/" target="_blank">eight-second attention span</a>.
That's <a href="http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/goldfish-have-longer-attention-spans-americans-and-publishing-industry-knows-it" target="_blank">less than a goldfish</a>.
But we can improve our powers of concentration by, for example, finding clever ways to eliminate distractions, hacking our workflows, or working on our mindsets. 
To that end, here are a few takeaways from <a href="http://www.quora.com/What-exercises-can-I-do-to-increase-my-attention-span" target="_blank">recent</a> <a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus" target="_blank">Quora threads</a> that tackled attention. 
1. Invest in your sleep. Not sleeping enough makes people <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2012/03/06/lost-time-and-cyberloafing/?mod=WSJBlog" target="_blank">distracted</a>, <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120417080350.htm?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=lack-of-sleep-is-linked-to-obesity-new-evidence-shows" target="_blank">fat</a>, and <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/05/sleep-deprived-people-are-more-likely-to-cheat/" target="_blank">unethical</a>, so be sure to get your rest. While everybody's needs are different, it's generally between six to nine hours. And invest in some nice sheets. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Yishan-Wong" target="_blank">Yishan Wong</a>
2. Exercise your body. Harvard Medical School <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/regular-exercise-releases-brain-chemicals-key-for-memory-concentration-and-mental-sharpness" target="_blank">has found</a> that exercise improves your memory and concentration. You don't have to be a Channing Tatum, but it's important that your body is an asset, not a liability. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Achintya-Prakash" class="user hover">Achintya Prakash</a>
3. Exile your distractions. Close email, Facebook, Twitter. Put your phone on airplane mode. Turn off anything that blinks, dings, buzzes, or vibrates. Don't even give yourself the chance to multitask - since <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-your-iphone-wrecks-your-sanity-productivity-and-focus-2014-3">it erodes your attention span</a>. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Bill-Hall" target="_blank">Bill Hall</a> 
4. Keep a routine. If you sleep, work, and relax at irregular intervals, you'll spend unnecessary energy trying to organize your time. Like French novelist Gustave Flaubert said, "Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work." -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Frederick-Javalera" target="_blank" class="user hover">Frederick Javalera</a> 
5. Use the Pomodoro technique. Taking its name from a Pomodoro timer, which runs for 25 minutes, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-be-more-productive-pomodoro-technique-2014-5" target="_blank">the Pomodoro technique</a> is a practice of focusing intently on something for 25 minutes and then taking a five-minute break to get coffee, go to the bathroom, whatever. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Selene-Chew" class="user hover">Selene Chew</a> 
6. Wake up at the same time every day. The regularity <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/53710/why-do-i-always-wake-5-minutes-my-alarm-goes" target="_blank">lets your hormones get into a rhythm</a>, giving you the most energy, clarity, and focus through the morning. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Michal-Ugor" class="user hover">Michal Ugor</a>
7. Take a stance on email. Is your job to be on top of things - to respond to everything as quickly as possible? Or does it require long hours of studying and concentration? If the latter, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dwight-eisenhower-nailed-a-major-insight-about-productivity-2014-4">email might remain urgent, but it's not important</a>. So only check it a few times a day. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Xi-Cheng" target="_blank">Xi Cheng</a>
8. Know what your life goals are. If you don't know what they are, read a good book on the subject (BI's favorite: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flow-The-Psychology-Optimal-Experience/dp/0061339202" target="_blank">"Flow" by </a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flow-The-Psychology-Optimal-Experience/dp/0061339202" target="_blank">Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi</a>). Because when you know what you want to do, it's easier to not do everything else. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Rolfe-Dlugy-Hegwer" target="_blank" class="user hover">Rolfe Dlugy-Hegwer</a> 
9. Do things you enjoy focusing on. It takes "<a href="http://www.jcu.edu.au/business/public/groups/everyone/documents/learning_object/jcuprd1_073074.pdf" target="_blank">emotional labor</a>" to do work that you don't engage with, so try to arrange your work day around that engagement, and <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/achieve-flow-by-hacking-your-tasks.html" target="_blank">hack it</a> when it's not there. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/George-Mortimer-1" target="_blank">George Mortimer</a> 
10. Write out your obituary. It helps you identify what you actually need to get done. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Dan-Webster-3" target="_blank">Dan Webster</a>
11. Take a break when you're making awesome progress on a task. You'll come back to it quicker and with more energy. Like Ernest Hemingway said, always "<a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3021905/work-smart/hemingways-secret-to-maintaining-productive-momentum" target="_blank">leave some water in the well</a>." -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Pratik-Mhatre" class="user hover">Pratik Mhatre</a>
12. Put noise-canceling headphones on. Not only do they reduce noise, they signal to your colleagues that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-introverts-can-work-in-open-office-2014-5">you're not to be bothered</a>. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Dave-Concannon" class="user hover">Dave Concannon</a>
13. Find a partner in crime. Teaming up with a coworker will keep you accountable - if she's coding while you're checking Facebook, you'll feel foolish. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/What-exercises-can-I-do-to-increase-my-attention-span/answer/Krzysztof-Kowalczyk" class="user">Krzysztof Kowalczyk</a>
14. Read physical books. It will train you in paying attention to an object for an extended length of time - something the digital world doesn't provide very well. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/What-exercises-can-I-do-to-increase-my-attention-span/answer/Murali-Veeraiyan" class="user hover">Murali Veeraiyan</a>
15. Listen to music. It helps you stay in your workflow, since the sound occupies the part of your brain on the lookout for "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com.au/i-listened-to-music-based-on-neuroscience-designed-to-make-you-focus-and-its-been-amazing-2014-4">danger, food, sex, or shiny things</a>." -<a href="http://www.quora.com/What-exercises-can-I-do-to-increase-my-attention-span" target="_blank" class="user hover">Amir Baer</a> 
16. Break large projects into smaller pieces. Then, instead of having vague goals,<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/writers-tricks-for-boosting-creativity-2014-2"> set clear deadlines</a>. Execute against those to guide your focus. -<a href="http://www.quora.com/Self-Improvement/How-can-I-improve-my-focus/answer/Farsheed-Atef" target="_blank" class="user hover">Farsheed Atef</a>

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February Fab Reads: 5 New Books That Will Help You Push The Frontiers

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