The intense focus that was once there seems to have gone. With it went the satisfaction that comes from deep thinking. Instead, what’s there now is an incessant feeling of being off-balance and leaving things half-baked. We need to talk to get things back on track.
Managing Attention: The Next Challenge
As work orients towards information and knowledge, as the number of inputs and distractions increase, controlling our own attention becomes an essential skill to master.
- Failing to do so undermines our ability to perform, connect, create, and innovate, let alone enjoy life.
The High Cost of Mismanaging Attention
Scattered attention feels like war because you never know where the next “attack” is going to come from
- Even a 2.8-second interruption can cause a doubling of mistakes
- It takes nearly half an hour to return to the original task
- The number one source of interruptions is other workers
Why Multitasking Makes Us Stupid
Splintering attention between two or more things undermines performance, increases mistakes, and makes us shallow learners
- The more we multitask, the worse we tend to be at multitasking
- Multiitasking makes us better at being distracted and weakens self-control
- It undermines the ability to disregard the irrelevant
Attention is the Most Essential Human Resource
Attention is energy we use to engage with the world
- How we use our attention affects everything we do
- Focused attention leads to our most exhilarating moments
- Facilitating quality of attention is essential for creating top performance
- Deep focus promotes deep thinking
Attention Drives Meaningful Connections Essential for Management
Relationships are forged by the exchange of attention
- Quality of attention is the foundation for sustained success-in every part of your life
- A founding partner of a top-flight Bay Area accounting firm discussed how her ability to sense nuanced reactions in her clients uncovers and resolves their unspoken concerns
