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How to treat your attention like the superpower it is.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n By Marina Khidekel, Head of Content Development at Thrive Global<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a normal morning at work. You\u2019re on a conference call with your team\u2014at the same time you\u2019re also answering \u201curgent\u201d emails. You take a quick moment to respond to a text from your partner checking on dinner plans. You\u2019re also streaming news at low volume on the TV hanging on the wall and you have an eye on the stock market. A colleague pings you, looking for advice on a matter that needs to be handled\u2014right now! You handle it\u2014problem solved. A sip of coffee and you remember that you\u2019re still in a team meeting, and you quickly weigh in. Two more emails arrive and you reply to them before they can add to your inbox. Then a Slack notification informs you of a critical project update. And so it goes. . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n If this kind of intensely frenetic scenario sounds familiar, you\u2019re not alone. Multitasking has become our de facto approach to work and life. Our ability to take on many tasks at once is often seen as positive, even commendable. And doing this is also unavoidable, largely because giving our full attention to anything\u2014or anyone\u2014is becoming more and more difficult in our hyperconnected world that has so many competing demands for our time and attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s just one problem: Multitasking doesn\u2019t work. In this chapter, we dig into the myth of multitasking and explore how focusing and prioritizing well can lead to a more meaningful, productive, and rewarding way of working and living. We also hear from people from all walks of life who are harnessing the extraordinary power of focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We look not only at the science but also ancient wisdom about giving our attention to what really matters. The Stoics in particular, including Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca, remind us of how we tend to fill up our time with distractions, and instead how valuable it is to live in the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MULTITASKING IS A MYTH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The widely held belief that we can multitask without sacrificing the quality of our attention is a fallacy. The brain simply can\u2019t fully focus when it\u2019s engaged in what\u2019s known as fragmented work. We often think we are being super productive, checking things off, and maximizing productivity. But that\u2019s not what\u2019s really happening. A report published in the American Psychological Society\u2019s Journal of Experimental Psychology found that multitasking can cause productivity to drop as much as 40 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is even more true for those who think they\u2019re particularly good at multitasking. In one 2012 study, David Strayer, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah, found that the better people thought they were at multitasking, the more likely their performance was subpar. While Strayer identified a tiny minority of outliers he calls supertaskers, most of us pay a price when we try to focus on more than one thing at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s because interrupted work comes at a cost. As researchers from the University of California, Irvine, and the Institute of Psychology at Humboldt University in Berlin found, interruptions lead to \u201cmore stress, higher frustration, time pressure and effort.\u201d Earl Miller, a neuroscientist at MIT, puts it this way: \u201cWhen we toggle between tasks, the process often feels seamless, but in reality, it requires a series of small shifts.\u201d Each small shift results in a cognitive cost. For example, every time you switch between responding to emails and writing an important paper, you\u2019re draining precious brain resources and energy just to get back to where you started. Miller\u2019s advice is to avoid multitasking because \u201cit ruins productivity, causes mistakes, and impedes creative thought. . . . As humans, we have a very limited capacity for simultaneous thought, we can only hold a little bit of information in the mind at any single moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The flow of interruptions and distractions can be relentless, but when you get out in front of it, you can take control of your time and give your attention to what is most important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People were thinking about the value of attention long before email and iPhones came along. For the Stoics, it was about focusing on what we can control, including our attention and our reactions. There are so many things we all strive to get done, but to save time\u2014and energy and attention\u2014it pays to stop worrying about everything you can\u2019t change or do anything about. That includes many of those \u201curgent\u201d questions or distractions draining our energy. It means being disciplined with your time. It means paying attention, which helps you to focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are always going to be interruptions demanding our attention. In fact, 28 percent of the average workday is consumed by interruptions and the resulting recovery time. Those endless distractions drain our energy, and they can drain us to such an extent that it can be difficult for us to give our undivided attention to anything at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Chapter 2 and elsewhere throughout this book we explore the many ways our overdependence on technology can hinder our ability to thrive. And as anyone with a phone knows, our ubiquitous screens are especially adept at sapping our attention. Multitasking with multiple devices has been shown to actually shrink our brains. The gray matter in an area of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex, which is responsible for information processing, withers away. While we\u2019ve been conditioned to believe we can\u2019t go even a few minutes without our phones, and that multitasking is our ticket to unlocking our superhuman productivity, it\u2019s time we understand just how self-defeating these beliefs can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s fascinating is that multitasking also affects how we communicate and connect with others. We know our devices can be distracting when we\u2019re trying to talk to someone, but what\u2019s amazing is how our screens can affect us even when we\u2019re not using them. In a study by researchers at the University of Essex in the UK, participants were divided into couples and asked to talk. Half the conversations took place with a phone in the room. \u201cThe mere presence of mobile phones inhibited the development of interpersonal closeness and trust,\u201d the study contended, \u201cand reduced the extent to which individuals felt empathy and understanding from their partners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A STRATEGIC START TO THE DAY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What happens in those first few hours after we wake has a substantial impact on the rest of our day. Those activities and events set the tone for everything to come. When you wake up, instead of reflexively starting your day by checking your messages, take a minute or so to breathe deeply. That breathing space can be expansive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even before you put your mind to work on the tasks of the day, remember to focus on yourself, to set the tone for the day in a positive way. That might mean meditating, working out, walking the dog, doing some stretching, or just drinking a cup of coffee in silence. The important thing to remember is that any morning routine you implement needs to be one that works well for you, according to how your mind and body function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s no surprise that many successful leaders take an inten- tional approach to how they start their day. According to Virgin Group chair Richard Branson, waking up early is a key to focus and productivity: \u201cLike keeping a positive outlook, or keeping fit, waking up early is a habit, which you must work on to maintain . . .\u201d he wrote in a blog. \u201cI have learned that if I rise early I can achieve so much more in a day, and therefore in life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Oprah, the day starts with gratitude. \u201cI wake up in the morning, and the first thing I say is \u2018thank you.\u2019 Even before I\u2019m awake, even before my eyes are fully open. I say \u2018thank you.\u2019 I can feel the gratitude, like, \u2018I\u2019m still here. I\u2019m in a body. Thank you for that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve invested some time into nurturing your well-being, you can move on to thinking about your goals for the day. Here\u2019s one Microstep to try: simply write down your priorities for the day. Taking even a small amount of time to decide what\u2019s important and what\u2019s not can be key in reducing stress and improving productivity throughout the day. Early morning is also a good time for writing down your intentions that will support you in focusing on more ambitious, long-term projects as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n YOUR ATTENTION IS A SUPERPOWER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Modern life has been structured so that we live in an almost permanent state of fight-or-flight. The demands and distractions just keep coming: another dozen emails calling out for a response, notifications and updates lighting up our phones, even well-intended interruptions that take our attention away from our priorities. According to a University of California, Irvine, study, it takes twenty-five minutes for us to return to our prior level of focus after being interrupted. Twenty-five minutes! We can\u2019t wave a magic wand and make it all disappear\u2014 nor would we necessarily want to\u2014but by using Microsteps we can begin to liberate ourselves from the tyranny of our ever-expanding to-do lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we truly focus, we reassert control over our time. Here\u2019s a Microstep to start with that really is too small to fail. If there\u2019s something you need to do that will only take you two minutes, do it immediately. Finishing a quick task is often simpler than reviewing it, putting it in your calendar, and returning to it later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s all part of building your attention \u201cmuscle.\u201d Like any other muscle, our attention muscle needs to be exercised on a regular basis, says Thomas Oppong, founder of AllTopStartups and author of Working in the Gig Economy. Oppong notes that \u201cwhile insignificant tasks requiring minimal cognitive effort can be performed in parallel, truly meaningful work requires a much more intense level of focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His suggestion: \u201cSchedule blank space for intentional thinking to replenish your store of attention. Protect your time and manage your time like an investment portfolio.\u201d This might mean you\u2019ll disappoint others, many of whom believe their issue is worthy of your limited time. The truth is you can\u2019t meet every request from friends, family, and colleagues. As Oppong also advises, \u201cChoose to be less reactive and more intentional about where you invest your attention. . . . Own your attention. A lack of ownership of attention can only make you waste precious time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One way to own your attention is speaking up about it. Whether you\u2019re in an office, at home, or somewhere else, let others know that you are going into Do Not Disturb mode. It\u2019s a small way to protect your attention and your time\u2014with fewer interruptions, you\u2019ll be better able to fully devote yourself to your project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most talked about documentaries in 2020 was The Social Dilemma. It confronted some of the more troubling aspects of social media giants including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The film features interviews with a range of experts, including many Silicon Valley insiders who helped create the monsters they are now warning about. As they see it, by mining data and manipulating human behavior, these tech platforms have turned our attention into one of the most valuable\u2014and exploitable\u2014commodities on the planet, with implications on everything from the future of democracy to our collective mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most trenchant critics is Tristan Harris, a former Google design ethicist who founded the group Time Well Spent to raise awareness about how our society is being \u201chijacked\u201d by technology. As Harris points out, our addiction to our devices is by design. Behind those friendly, inviting icons we love so much is an incredible amount of increasingly sophisticated science. \u201cThe best way to get people\u2019s attention is to know how someone\u2019s mind works,\u201d says Harris. The behavioral scientists, neuroscientists, and computer scientists on the other side of our screens know we like the feeling of control. But they also want us to cede control of our attention. And so we\u2019re given the illusion of control. \u201cBy shaping the menus we pick from, technology hijacks the way we perceive our choices and replaces them with new ones,\u201d writes Harris. \u201cBut the closer we pay attention to the options we\u2019re given, the more we\u2019ll notice when they don\u2019t actually align with our true needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since phone notifications are such frequent intruders on our attention, one of Harris\u2019s recommendations is to arrange to receive notifications only from people, not machines. Harris set his phone to ping him only from WhatsApp, iMessage, and other messaging services\u2014instances where actual humans are on the other side requesting his attention. Any notifications coming from machines are turned off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we do this, a larger dishabituation happens. Minimizing all the buzzes \u201chelps our mind get back control of itself,\u201d Harris says, since the more your phone buzzes, the more you\u2019ll expect it to buzz. \u201cThe less frequently our pocket\u2019s buzzing, the less our mind starts to feel those phantom buzzes in our pocket, and the calmer we get,\u201d he says. \u201cHopefully that helps you get back some control of your attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adapted from \u201cYour Time to Thrive: End Burnout, Increase Well-being, and Unlock Your Full Potential with the New Science of Microsteps,\u201d by Marina Khidekel and the editors of Thrive Global. Learn more and pre-order your copy here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Originally published at ThriveGlobal<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How to treat your attention like the superpower it is. By Marina Khidekel, Head of Content Development at Thrive Global It\u2019s a normal morning at work. 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