Let’s face it, paying attention is a lot harder than it used to be. 

In today’s hyper-connected world, it’s no wonder we always feel mentally drained and are easily distracted.

Our scattered attention is not just a personal failure, but a societal issue. We live in an environment designed to break our concentration, making it incredibly difficult to stay on task.

When you think of multi-tasking, you think of productivity right? Wrong.

We often think that multi-tasking makes us more productive, but it actually makes us less efficient. When you frequently switch between tasks, it tires you out and reduces the quality of your work.

Johann Hari, in her book “Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again”, highlights this issue. She states, “…on average, a student would switch tasks once every sixty-five seconds. The median amount of time they focused on any one thing was just nineteen-seconds.” (Hari, 10). 

However, there is hope. There are practical steps you can take to counteract these negative effects: 

Set boundaries with your devices. Limit your screen time or turn off non-essential notifications. This can help reduce distraction. 

Practice mindfulness through meditation or breathing exercises to improve your ability to concentrate. 

Most importantly, create an environment that allows you to focus on your work and is free from distractions – like a library, or a space in your office or home that has natural lighting and a comfortable temperature.  

By recognizing the problem of our scattered attention and understanding how your mind is being manipulated, you can start to take back control of yourself. Simple changes in how we interact with our devices can lead to improvements in our ability to focus.

Don’t let the devices win. Start facing this challenge head-on and make a conscious choice to protect your most valuable resource: your attention span. 

References

Hari, J. (2022). Stolen focus: Why you can’t pay attention–and how to think deeply again.