Welcome to the Pursue You Podcast, where we are empowering you to continually reflect, design and pursue who you were created to be so you can give the gift of your best self to your family, community, and business!
Some of my favorite episodes that I get the honor to share with you are my Pursue You Picks episodes. I love to share information on this platform and I love to inspire you to do more consumption of information. Today I am discussing the book, “Attention Management,” by Maura Nevel Thomas. I hope the tidbits I share inspire you to consume the book yourself!
I first heard about this book listening to the Go-Giver Podcast by Bob Burg- Episode 155. Maura Nevel Thomas shared about her book, Attention Management. She was able to put into words the way that I was attempting to structure my life, my days and my attention. It was something I knew I needed to consume and share.
[3:29] Thomas starts with the idea that, for so long, maximizing productivity was always about time management, with the idea that, the more we manage our time, the more productive we will be. I used to see productivity as doing as much as possible in as little amount of time. Now I see it as managing attention during times of productivity to allow yourself to live a life of intentionality. I refer to the Netflix Documentary, The Social Dilemma. It is the job of the internet to keep you on the internet. Thomas calls it the Productivity Paradox. We need these tools to do our jobs, but the job of these tools is keeping us using the tools at the expense of doing our jobs or anything else! I share my relationship with Facebook while growing my Real Estate business and its importance in its growth.
[6:57] In the opening of this book, Thomas draws attention to things we as a generation of humans/works and our current business world are experiencing that impacts our attention, the amount of distractions that are coming our way and, as a result, negatively impacts our productivity. I share a quote from the book, “We all grapple with an influx of communication previous generations could have never imagined, and everything seems urgent. And that makes it hard to prioritize.” Because of this influx of communication, we never have a long time to focus on one certain project. Planning/system creation requires a LOT of focus. IF you are being interrupted every couple of minutes, how are you going to have a train of thought to accomplish that.
[10:04] I share another quote, “The ability to maintain control over your thoughts and actions rather than inadvertently relinquishing it is your defense against the damage our fast-paced, technology-rich, always-on environment does to our minds, bodies and souls. It’s essential to living the life you want to lead. Your attention determines the experiences you want to have and, when looking back on your life, it’s easy to see the experiences you want to have determines the life you live. Therefore, you must control your attention to control your life.” It is such a far-reaching concept. It is not about getting more work done! Most importantly, the piece that I want you to take away…it helps you to avoid relinquishing control to the world around you. You need to have some control over your thoughts and life or else your natural tendencies (of doing what is easy, eating Fast Food, watching too much TV) will take over.
[12:32] Thomas describes four quadrants that illustrate different buckets of where you are in your attention management. See illustration of these quadrants and their relationship to one another below:
[13:45] I discuss the Reactive and Distracted quadrant. Your control is low and attention is low. This quadrant is where I may challenge you to say you may be living in a lot, because that is how I was.
[14:45] I discuss the Daydreaming quadrant. Your control is high and your attention is low. This quadrant is where you aren’t having much external stimulus. You can control your environment, but you aren’t focusing on too much. [For example: showering, walking, standing in line. It is actually an important and can be restorative for your brain].
[16:59] I discuss Focused and Mindful quadrant. Control and attention are both high. She uses thoughtful tasks as an example here. Staying in this quadrant requires a lot of discipline and will-power.
[17:46] I discuss Flow. Control is low and attention is high. In this quadrant, focus is easy because you are doing something you are well-trained in and good at.
As we get intentional is helpful to start by keeping a time log. When I am feeling stuck or overwhelmed, see where your time is going now! What percentage of your day are you spending in each quadrant? Remember, there is no right or wrong place to be. You may just use it as an opportunity to make a shift. Start small with your shifts. I share a few hacks of my own from my past experiences growing my businesses.
I leave you with another favorite quote from the book: “Attention management is the key to a life of choice. And if you can’t control your attention, you won’t be able to speak that inaudible language of the heart. Don’t allow distraction to rob you of the moments that make up your life.” Instead, control your attention to control your life.
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More Episodes You’d Be Interested In
Episode 52: FOMO, Screen Time, Setting Goals, Mom Guilt & Your Pace
Episode 51: Internal Shifts vs External Shifts