{"podcast":{"title":"First Principles","slug":"first-principles-7708985","podcast_index_feed_id":7708985,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN4765221373","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/06eebd2a-0779-11f1-826e-37926ac18342/image/fca7c8febd1441fc3b0d54084418b06d.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Adrian Wells","episode_count":426,"summary":"First Principles isn't another business podcast recycling the same startup stories. Adrian Wells takes the fundamentals that actually matter and breaks them down like you're having coffee with the smartest professor you ever had. Wells spent twelve years teaching philosophy and critical thinking before ditching the lecture hall for the microphone. Turns out, the same principles that help you think clearly about ancient Greek ethics also work pretty well for modern business decisions. Who knew? Every episode strips away the latest trends and buzzwords to focus on the core ideas that don't change. How to actually evaluate evidence when everyone's throwing around statistics. Why most \"revolutionary\" business advice is just old wine in new bottles. The thinking patterns that separate smart decisions from lucky guesses. You won't get hyped-up success stories or flavor-of-the-month strategies. Instead, you'll learn how to think through problems the way philosophers have for centuries, applied to the stuff that matters in your work and life right now. Multiple new episodes drop daily, so there's always something fresh when you need it. Follow now if you're ready to think better, not just…","last_synced_at":"2026-09-20T02:18:54.580675+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985"},"episode":{"title":"Johann Hari: Your Focus Problems Aren't Your Fault (It's Much Worse)","slug":"johann-hari-your-focus-problems-aren-t-your-fault-it-s-much-worse","published_at":"2026-07-27T04:42:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/johann-hari-your-focus-problems-aren-t-your-fault-it-s-much-worse","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN1806171782.mp3?updated=1776257458","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN1806171782.mp3?updated=1776257458","summary":"Why does checking email every 3 minutes feel normal when it's actually destroying your brain? In this episode, Adrian Wells sits down with researcher Johann Hari to uncover the uncomfortable truth: your focus problems aren't character flaws, they're by design. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why the average office worker takes 23 minutes to refocus after each interruption (and how this compounds throughout your day) • The specific environmental changes that have caused children's attention spans to drop 40% since the 1970s • Johann's \"singular focus\" technique that rebuilds concentration in just 12 minutes daily • How sleep deprivation affects your focus the same way as being legally drunk 👤 Perfect for: lifelong learners and anyone passionate about personal growth who's tired of blaming themselves for attention problems that might not be their fault. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Adrian Wells introduces the focus crisis nobody talks about [01:45] The 3-minute email trap and why it's rewiring your brain [03:30] Johann Hari's research on society's attention epidemic [05:15] Why children can't focus like they used to [07:00] The singular focus method that actually works [09:30] Sleep, stress, and the drunk brain effect [11:00] Practical steps to reclaim your attention today Turns out the solution isn't more willpower. It's understanding how modern life hijacked your brain and taking back control with techniques that actually work. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow First Principles on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: focus improvement, attention span, procrastination solutions, productivity tips, mental clarity Find all episodes at First Principles -------------- Keywords: entrepreneurship philo…","meta_description":"Why does checking email every 3 minutes feel normal when it's actually destroying your brain? In this episode, Adrian Wells sits down with researcher Joha…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":625,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-principles-7708985/episodes/johann-hari-your-focus-problems-aren-t-your-fault-it-s-much-worse/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/johann-hari-your-focus-problems-aren-t-your-fault-it-s-much-worse.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}