Focus

Audit Your Attention

"Attention works much like a muscle—use it poorly and it can wither; work it well and it grows."- Focus, page 4

I find it interesting that in English the verb we commonly utilize to refer to the use of attention is “to pay.” We pay attention, not temporarily part with or receive without effort. Pay, that is a commitment, it implies a transaction, an exchange. You are giving some of your attention to receive something in return. What kind of investment do you currently receive for your attention?

We budget, at least hopefully, our money but how well do we budget where to spend our attention? Do we spend our attention as well as we spend our money? We talk about priorities but do those receive our full attention or only what is left over? The simple practice of jotting down what you think about during the day or what your mind wanders to when working on other projects can aid you in fixing your lapses in attention.

Goleman quotes an economist who said, in 1977 in regards to the increasing amount of information in the world that, “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”

Knowing where your attention lies is the first step to better investing it and avoid attention poverty. The good news is you can start small.

Ring A Gong

"Tightly focused attention gets fatigued—much like an overworked muscle—when we push to the point of cognitive exhaustion. The signs of mental fatigue, such as a drop in effectiveness and a rise in distractedness and irritability, signify that the mental effort needed to sustain focus has depleted."- Focus, page 56

Goleman shares a story about witnessing a meeting where the participants were anything but interested, with a few checking email on their smartphones. Then one of the participants said “time for some mindfulness moments” then stood and rang a gong. Golman remarked, “We all sat there together in silence for a few moments until the gong rang again, and then resumed our meeting—but with renewed energy. With this cue the group is able to pause, clear their heads and have a renewed sense of focus.”

Our attention is limited, when exhausted it is highly ineffective. Think about how many times you have to read something when you are tired before it starts to make sense. The good news is that once attention is lost it can be found again. The physical act of ringing a gong, or something else can provide enough of a reminder to pause, regroup, and then draw your thoughts back to where they were before you got too far off track. We can, in essence, replenish our emptied attention span. In contrast, surfing the web or watching TV will actually continue to deplete attention because of the stimulation. Therefore, to effectively recharge your supply, be smart about what you do with your breaks.

Reflect

"Setting aside some regular reflective time in the daily or weekly schedule might help us get beyond the firefight-of-the-day mentality, to take stock and look ahead."- Focus, page 2-3

Once we audit our attention and then recharge we will have enough attention at our disposal that we can invest it in ways that help to pay dividends in the future. Goleman explains that having a dedicated time to step back from the day to day habits and rituals allows us to reflect and grow. He cites examples of Congressmen, professors, and CEOs who all agree that “you need to find some quiet time in your day just to reflect.” With a few short minutes we gauge where we are and lessons we’ve learned and where to go next.