How’s your attention span these days? Are you finding it easier to be distracted and more difficult to stay focused, present, and in the moment?
(Are you still reading?)
I’d not heard of the term TLDR (Too Long Didn’t Read) until I read one of Seth Godin’s blog posts. Here’s how Seth describes it:
“TLDR is internet-speak for “Too long, didn’t read.” It’s one of the consequences of too much to choose from, combined with a lazy quest for convenience. It’s a checklist mindset. And all we get after we finish a checklist is a bunch of checked boxes, not real understanding.”
I reckon we can add to this acronym:
- TLDL – Too Long Didn’t Listen
- TDNP – Too Distracted Not Present
- TTCC – Too Tired Can’t Concentrate
- TBNI – Too Busy Not Interested
- TDNT – Too Detailed No Time
And maybe underpinning all of these is …
NMDC – Not Me Don’t Care
Can you think of any others? Let me know in the comments (if you’re still reading haha).
We live in a world where our attention and focus are constantly attacked. Often, we get distracted by the very technology that’s supposed to be improving our lives in some way. But it’s not just technology that distracts us … it’s laziness and a lack of clarity about intentionally behaving in ways that demonstrate the kind of person we want to strive to be.
For many of us (me included at times), we’ve become lazy about protecting and honouring our human capacity to be intentionally more mindful in more moments that matter more often.
We Don’t Pay Attention!
Our attention is not an expense … we don’t PAY attention … it is an Investment.
When we intentionally invest our intention – especially in our business and personal relationships, we are investing in our own (and others’) sense of life satisfaction and well-being.
None of us is perfect – we all make mistakes.
However, mistakes repeated become habits that move us away from being at our best … and right now, the humanity needs for each of us to be striving to be at our best.
Most of us readily admit we live in a fast-paced, always switched on, time poor, and often, goal diffused world.
That’s not going to change!
So, it’s up to each of us to reclaim our focus and to honour how we invest our attention.
Let’s get more intentional about our attention … it will make our world a better place.
2 Responses
Thanks David. Your comments always come at the right time
Time to change my routine
Thank you as always ?
Mary as you know, the comfort that often comes from routine in our lives is … well … comfortable. It does take courage to change our routines and habits – and when it moves us toward our best selves, the discomfort we feel for a short period of time is quickly overtaken by the sense of achievement and being aligned with our values of who we strive to be. Thanks for your feedback. Warmly, David