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