1-Minute Wednesday No. 137: Beating the Algorithm of Distraction

Bing. Bing. Bing.

We live in a world of distraction.?

Emails. Text messages. Slack notifications. Social media. The list goes on.?

In her new book,?Attention Span, Dr. Gloria Mark, professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, shares that our current attention spans are roughly 47 seconds and declining?(1). That’s down from 75 seconds in 2012 and two and a half minutes in 2004?(2) (3).?

But there are things Dr. Mark says we can do to fight distraction and maintain our attention.?

1. Realize we can’t be at full attention all of the time:?Just like we require rest between lifting weights, our attention spans require rest.?
2. Rejuvenate and replenish our attention:?When your attention begins to wane,?find easy, rote tasks like taking a walk, tidying up, or even playing a game on your phone to give your mind a break and replenish your ability to focus.?
3. When it’s time to focus, eliminate distractions:?Silence notifications, close your email, and leave your phone in the other room.
4. Avoid self-interrupting:?Recognizing?your self-interruption triggers can help you stay focused. When tempted to self-interrupt, stop and ask yourself, “Do I need to do this right now??

Learning to manage the peaks and valleys of our attention span will allow us to use our windows of attention to reach our highest point of contribution.?

(1)?Mark, G. (2023). Attention Span. Harlequin.

(2)?Mark, G., Voida, S. and Cardello, A. (n.d.). ‘A Pace Not Dictated by Electrons’: An Empirical Study of Work Without Email. [online] Available at: https://www.ics.uci.edu/~gmark/Home_page/Publications_files/CHI%202012.pdf [Accessed 17 Feb. 2023].

(3)?González, V. and Mark, G. (n.d.). ‘Constant, Constant, Multi-tasking Craziness’: Managing Multiple Working Spheres. [online] Available at: https://www.ics.uci.edu/~gmark/CHI2004.pdf.

Listen

The Greg McKeown Podcast

“Algorithms are very sophisticated. We can’t deny that, but I do believe that humans have more power than algorithms do.” - Dr. Gloria Mark?

Want to learn more about increasing your attention span in a world of digital distractions?

Join me in my conversation with Dr. Gloria Mark on?The Greg McKeown Podcast?as she shares data-driven research and practical steps to help you reduce distractions and increase your attention span.?

?Learn

To Strengthen Your Attention Span, Stop Overtaxing It

Top performance requires complete focus. But no one can be at full attention all the time. In this article, Daniel Goleman, co-director of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations at Rutgers University, argues that the work-rest-work-rest cycle that helps top athletes perform at their best is also important for executives and high-achievers to maintain peak performance. You can read the full article?here .?

Essential Tools

One Sec App

Not ready to tackle your interruption triggers on your own? Let technology help.

One resource I've been using is the one sec app. It helps you stay focused by delaying the opening of a social media app, allowing you to make a conscious decision about whether you want to open the app. It can be an excellent self-interruption disrupter. Learn more?here .?

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Weekly Wisdom

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul” - John Muir

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