Managing Your Attention

Human Hackers

Ian & Phil chat about what it takes to become super productive in terms of managing our own attention. The tendency of entrepreneurs to naturally require (demand) ongoing stimulus in order to be satisfied and that results in less than productive outcomes is discussed. Technology is a major contributor to this distractionary impact on production.

Phil rolls out the concept of considering Space rather than Time as a way of not only setting a point in which production can occur but maximising the space in which it occurs to manage the otherwise distractionary elements. People naturally lose track of time when they are performing at their best – their focus/concentration is at its highest. This has been proven years ago with “Flow” research – where outcomes were defined at loss of self consciousness, intense focus & time distortion. Phil highlights how the drive & freedom to act within this space is also critical.

A further requirement of the space itself is the accessibility of tools needed to create & produce within the space. These tools tend to be idiosyncratic, favouring the particular sensory/expressive preferences of the individual. Within the space itself it is also important to have a framework from which to work – a way of navigating to know if you are getting closer to the intended outcomes. Ian also highlights the value that orchestrating the right space produces from a welfare perspective.

Being able to focus on a task & produce satisfying results actually supports the human energy & results in positive impacts outside of the persons workplace.