Focus Culture

It’s one thing to say something is important. Actually doing it is something else. Too often the things we want to focus on get buried by distractions and busyness. How can we clear the clutter and make the time to focus?

John Zeratsky has a potential solution. John and his colleague Jake Knapp have spent the past few years applying design thinking to the problem of time. The result is a useful new book book called Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day.

We spoke with John Zeratsky to find out just where our time goes, and how we can regain control.

Resources:

• https://maketimebook.com/
• http://www.timedorks.com/
• http://www.everbetterchallenge.com

At a time when science education matters more than ever, too many people have lost touch with the natural world. Citizen science is a fun way for people to reconnect with the environment through personal observation. It's also a huge help to scientists who rely on data at scale to advance knowledge. Rebecca Johnson, citizen science lead at the California Academy of Sciences, explains what this movement is all about, why it matters, and how you can get involved. For more about the California Academy of Sciences, see our companion article and video at https://medium.com/focus-culture

What do you aim to do this year? Or, more the point: what kind of person do you want to become?

One thing is for sure: Getting there is all about change. And that begins with the habits that shape your days (and, by extension, your life).

To kick off Evernote's new podcast series, we asked James Clear, the author of the bestselling book Atomic Habits, to share his insights on where our goals go astray and how we can hack the habit loop to make meaningful, lasting changes—one tiny step at a time.

Resources:

• James Clear
• Atomic Habits: The Book
• The Ever Better Challenge from Evernote