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Sahar Yousef

@drsaharyousef

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Cognitive Neuroscientist and Professor @ UC Berkeley
Becoming Superhuman Lab
Mind Machine and Meaning

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You're not addicted to your phone. You're starving for something real.

Comment [SAHAR] and we'll DM you the link to watch the full talk on YouTube.

Sahar Yousef is a cognitive neuroscientist at UC Berkeley who's been studying how tech companies used the exact same playbook as Big Food. Hijacking your brain's need for real connection with a processed version that leaves you empty and scrolling for more.

The formula keeping you hooked isn't an accident. And neither is the way out.
This is Sahar Yousef's Genius Talk.

Watch the full Genius Talk on YouTube! Link in bio.

A Genius Talk ft. @drsaharyousef | @the.genius.series by @drsaharyousef

Burnout is not a willpower problem, it is a biology problem, and the research points to one missing variable in most people’s routines: complete psychological detachment. The 3M Framework breaks down the exact break structure the brain needs daily, weekly, and monthly to actually recover.

#SaharYousef #BecomingSuperhuman #DigitalWellbeing by @drsaharyousef

Humans are biologically wired to take shortcuts and AI is the ultimate shortcut for the one thing that makes us most human.

Thinking.

The alarm being sounded is not that AI exists, it is that the pull toward cognitive offloading is not a choice, it is biology, and most people are completely unaware it is happening.

#SaharYousef #BecomingSuperhuman #DigitalWellbeing by @drsaharyousef

Multitasking is making you less productive... 🧠

@drsaharyousef explains why constantly switching between tasks makes it harder to focus and get things done.

Steven puts this to the test, struggling to write two lines at once while switching between them in just 30 seconds.

She explains that every time we switch tasks, we carry information from the previous one into the next, creating what she calls “intentional baggage”.

Are you getting more done, or just making it harder to focus? by @drsaharyousef

Struggling to focus, avoid distractions, and get meaningful work done?

Stop relying on willpower. Start building a system for focus.

Your ability to concentrate depends on more than discipline.

Your sleep, digital environment, priorities, biological rhythms, and working habits all influence how well you focus.

Here's a step-by-step framework to train your attention and work smarter.

5 levels to improve your focus and attention:

1. Fix Your Foundation - Get at least 7 hours of sleep and stop multitasking.

2. Reduce Digital Distractions - Silence unnecessary notifications, switch to grayscale, and keep your phone away while working.

3. Prioritize What Matters - Identify your most important goals and protect your time from low-value tasks.

4. Work With Your Biological Clock - Schedule demanding work during the hours when your energy and concentration are strongest.

5. Master Focus Sprints - Set a timer, define one clear task, eliminate distractions, and work without switching activities.

6. Take Strategic Breaks - Step away from difficult problems and return with fresh attention to explore new perspectives.

7. Build Your Focus System - Start with sufficient sleep, one distraction-free work session, and consistent practice.

You don't need to force yourself to concentrate harder.

You need to create the conditions that make concentration easier.

Comment "PRODUCTIVITY" and I'll share The Productivity Frameworks Playbook with you.

19 practical frameworks with ready-to-fill templates to help you plan smarter, focus deeper, organize better, and build habits that stick.

[how to improve focus and concentration, how to train your attention, superhuman focus, focus and attention techniques, how to stop getting distracted, improve concentration naturally, deep work techniques, focus sprint method, how to eliminate digital distractions, productivity tips, how to prioritize tasks, most important tasks (MITs), time management strategies, how to improve cognitive performance, biological clock, ]

#Focus #stevenbartlett #thediaryofceo #drsaharayousef #neuroscience by @drsaharyousef

“You can’t perform at your best without proper sleep...” 😴

Comment “watch” and we’ll personally DM you this episode!

Neuroscientist @drsaharyousef explains why sleep is one of the most important foundations for success, affecting everything from your cognitive performance and emotional regulation to how you look and feel.

She argues that if you want to do the best work of your life, you need to prioritise your recovery, aiming for at least seven hours of sleep each night.

When CEOs come to her looking for ways to improve, she often finds they’re sleeping far below this minimum. She compares it to asking a mechanic to fine-tune your engine when your car is already on fire. There’s little point optimising everything else when the fundamentals are broken.

Are you sacrificing the very thing you need to succeed? by @drsaharyousef

Yesterday’s guest taught you how to double your productivity.

By tomorrow, you’ll probably have done nothing with it…

That’s what so many of you tell me.

You listen, you take notes, and then you’re left asking what to actually do with it.

So we’re trying something we’ve never done before.

We’re launching DOAC Workshops.

Dr Sahar Yousef and I are turning her episode into a live, interactive online workshop.

We’ll work through everything from the conversation and give you tools you can put into your life straight away, with physical materials so it actually sticks, alongside a community doing it together.

Places are limited so comment “DOAC” and we’ll personally message you the link to sign up now 👊🏽❤️ by @drsaharyousef

“This one setting could change your life...”

Neuroscientist @drsaharyousef explains how one simple change to your phone could help you spend less time mindlessly scrolling and more time doing the things that matter to you.

She recommends switching your phone to grayscale mode, removing the bright colours that make apps more visually stimulating. She explains how these platforms are designed to capture your attention, often at the expense of your time.

In a study she conducted, changing this one setting helped participants reduce their daily phone use by an hour.

Imagine what you could do with an extra hour every day. What goal could you finally make time for?

Comment “watch” and we’ll personally DM you this episode!! by @drsaharyousef

“Get more work done in less time…”

Cognitive Neuroscientist @drsaharyousef explains why putting a time limit on your tasks could be the key to becoming more productive.

She reveals how deadlines can change the way your brain approaches a task, helping you stay focused, avoid distractions and get things done faster.

The technique can even be used with children to help them concentrate and complete tasks more efficiently.

What if the reason you’re not getting more done is that you’re giving yourself too much time?

Comment “watch” and we’ll personally dm you the link to this episode!! by @drsaharyousef

Forty seconds of looking at concrete made them worse.

150 students on a deliberately mind-numbing task, then a 40-second break looking at a picture of a concrete city rooftop.

The other half of the students looked at the SAME rooftop covered in a greenery and flowers.

The concrete group came back about 8% WORSE. The greenery group came back about 6% better.

The only variable was what was the CONTENT in front of their eyes for forty seconds.

It was a photograph, by the way. Nobody went outside. So the version you just did, looking at something green on a phone, is the ACTUAL intervention!

Try to get some nature videos in your scrolling sessions as a starting point. by @drsaharyousef

“This is how they’ve made us addicted...” 😳

Comment “watch” and we’ll personally send you this episode!!

@drsaharyousef explains how social media apps are designed to keep us scrolling, using a psychological trick that makes it almost impossible to look away.

She breaks down how platforms use intermittent rewards to keep us hooked, holding back the content we really want until we’re about to leave. Just as we’re ready to close the app, it serves up something we’re genuinely interested in, giving us another reason to stay.

With endless scrolling, bright colours and a constant stream of short-form videos, she compares the experience to a casino, where every swipe keeps us hoping the next one will be worth it.

How much of your screen time is really your choice? by @drsaharyousef

Comment “watch” and I’ll personally DM you this podcast!

One phone setting could give you an hour of your day back.

During this conversation, we discussed an experiment where simply changing phone screens to greyscale led people to spend an hour less on their phones each day.

This is Dr Sahar Yousef [@drsaharyousef], a cognitive neuroscientist at UC Berkeley who’s spent over 15 years studying how to improve focus, memory and productivity.

Sahar’s work explores how modern habits often go against the way our brains naturally function and how small changes could help us concentrate better.

With distractions, brain fog and burnout becoming common struggles, this conversation explores what’s happening to our attention and what we can do about it.

We discussed things like:

- Why research suggests we spend just 47 seconds focused on one work screen.
- The phone setting that could save you 7 hours a week.
- Why Sahar believes multitasking makes us less productive.
- How to work with your brain’s natural energy levels.
- Her concerns about AI weakening our ability to think independently.
- Simple changes she recommends to help prevent burnout.

At one point, Sahar demonstrated a multitasking exercise that showed a 60% slowdown when switching between tasks.

She explains how constantly jumping between emails, meetings and notifications affects our focus, and why uninterrupted work matters.

For anyone who feels constantly busy but struggles to get their most important work done, this episode explores how understanding the brain could help us work more effectively.

Out now on all platforms ❤️👊🏾 by @drsaharyousef