Our Key Takeaways:

• Be mindful of how you spend your attention and consider the concept of attention units.
• Understand the difference between focused attention and rote activity and strive for a state of flow in tasks that are important to you.
• Recognize the impact of switch costs and the importance of reducing distractions to improve attention and productivity.
• Conduct an attention audit to identify areas of wasted attention and find ways to be more efficient with your attention.
• Prioritize sleep and self-care to optimize your attention and mental energy. Performing an attention audit can help identify where attention is being wasted and prioritize what truly matters.
• Saying yes to everything can lead to a lack of focus and productivity, so it's important to make choices based on what is truly important.
• Outsourcing tasks can free up attention units and allow for more efficient use of time.
• Multitasking can be both a stressor and a hindrance to productivity, so it's important to find the right balance.
• Writing down ideas and using tools to optimize productivity can help manage attention effectively.

Chapters:

00:00 Attention Units and the Importance of Efficient Attention

03:22 Understanding Flow: The Optimal State of Attention

10:25 Switch Costs: Reducing the Time and Energy Required to Switch Between Tasks

11:52 Conducting an Attention Audit: Identifying Areas of Wasted Attention

14:53 The Relationship Between Attention and Productivity

38:37 Managing Attention Units

40:29 Setting Boundaries and Prioritizing Tasks

45:39 Having Conversations with Yourself

49:39 Expanding Attention Units through Outsourcing

54:51 The Pitfalls of Multitasking

01:02:23 The Power of Tools and Technology

01:07:00 Being Prepared and Self-Aware

More of Project Rookie: ProjectRookie

Referenced in the Show: Why our attention spans are shrinking, with Gloria Mark, PhD (apa.org)

Owen Kattenbraker (@okatt_fitness) • Instagram photos and videos