At a glance
- From: the Netherlands
- Year: 2019 (Dutch original)
- Format: non-fiction, about 240 pages
- Language: Dutch (Focus AAN/UIT), also in English and Spanish, with a German edition announced
- For fans of: Stolen Focus, Atomic Habits, Deep Work
The Dutch cover is a red page with a big switch. On one side it says AAN (on), on the other side UIT (off). The idea is simple: focus is not something you have or do not have. It is a skill, and you can learn to switch it on and off.
Focus ON/OFF was written by Mark Tigchelaar and Oscar de Bos. Tigchelaar studied neuropsychology and trains professionals, entrepreneurs and athletes. De Bos is a software developer and entrepreneur, and the founder of Focus Academy, a training company. Their literary agency says the book has sold more than 100,000 copies and that rights have been sold in 19 languages or territories.
The book explains how attention works in the brain, in plain words. Then it looks at four “concentration leaks”, the four reasons why we lose focus. The first is too few stimuli (things that catch your attention): when a task is slow or easy, the brain looks for something more interesting. The second is too many internal stimuli, such as the urge to check the news or to plan tomorrow. The third is too little fuel: a tired mind cannot decide what matters. The fourth is too many external stimuli, such as phones, emails and colleagues.
The surprise is the order. The authors say the phone and the noise around you are the last leak to fix, not the first. So before you blame your phone, look at the other three.
Like most books of this kind, it is easier to read than to apply, and some tips are very small, such as doodling during a call. But small is the point: each idea can be tried in one day.
Where to start
Read about the four leaks first, then pick only one to try this week. If you work in front of a screen, try this: when you want to check your phone in the middle of a task, tell yourself you will do it in five minutes. Write down how often it happens.
If you like this, try these from Europe
- Apprendre ! (How We Learn) · Stanislas Dehaene 🇫🇷: a French neuroscientist explains how the brain learns, with chapters on attention, memory and sleep.
- Stolen Focus · Johann Hari 🇬🇧: a British writer asks why it is so hard to pay attention today, and looks for the answer outside the individual, in technology and in the way we live.
- The Art of Thinking Clearly · Rolf Dobelli 🇨🇭: a Swiss author describes the most common mistakes in the way we think and decide.
Where to find it in Europe
- In Dutch: the original Focus AAN/UIT is published by Het Spectrum, the Dutch publisher.
- In English: published by Simon & Schuster as Focus On-Off, with the subtitle Fuel Your Attention, Get More Done. Ask your local bookshop or library to order it.
- In Spanish: Focus On/Off, published by Ediciones Península on 1 July 2026, for €20.90.
- In German: Focus Off/On is listed by Penguin as a paperback at €14.00, with the status “soon”. We could not confirm a release date.
- The authors: more about their work at Focus Academy.
Official website of Focus Academy: https://www.focusacademy.nl/en
Also on Choosing Europe
- Book: Absolute democratie · Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer 🇳🇱: another Dutch author, with a very different book: a poetic look at a changing world.
- Book: Hey Hafni · Helle Helle 🇩🇰: a quiet book from Denmark, for the days when you want to read slowly.
