Summer's ending. Here's how to re-focus.

The Next Big Idea Daily newsletter?(SUBSCRIBE) ?is written by me,?Michael Kovnat , and gathers insights from today’s leading non-fiction authors. It’s a companion to our?Next Big Idea Daily ?podcast, available on?Apple ?or?Spotify .

I had a pretty exciting summer. There was a family wedding in Colorado. I was lucky enough to go to some of the Women's World Cup soccer games in New Zealand. And I wrapped things up by dropping my only daughter off to start her first year of college. Go Tigers .

But now it's time to get back to work.

And it's hard. Whether you're starting school or trying to dive back into your professional duties after a vacation, your concentration muscles might be a tad atrophied, and the kind of focus you need to get things done may feel elusive.

This week on the podcast we gathered together some of the best recent writing on the art of attention, a discipline we could all use more of in this era of 24-7, focus-robbing algorithms. Concentration doesn't just happen, after all. You need to work at it, build good habits, and learn the skill of avoiding distraction. It's not easy, but the rewards you'll reap -- professionally and personally -- are incalculable.

Hear Johann Hari explain why you can't pay attention, and what to do about it.

This week's episodes are full of pointers on:

• How to think deeply .
• How to beat distraction .
• How to improve your memory .
• What you can learn about focus from Henry David Thoreau .
• How to reclaim your creativity .

Whether you're a college freshman or a jet-lagged soccer fan trying to catch up on work, I think you'll find some useful advice from these big thinkers. Have a listen, and let me know what you think in the comments.

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