Hi, I’m Kathy Snyder, the director of the Midland Area Wellbeing Coalition. Today, I want to share a Life Hack #51 Honoring Your Attention Span.
Studies show that we can pay attention to something for about 20 minutes before our minds start to wander. There are times when I feel my attention span is less than that. So, I honor my attention span by setting a timer. I'll work for 20 minutes, and if I'm feeling scattered, maybe just 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, I get up, get a drink of water, move around, and then get back to work.
This Life Hack helps me stay productive, focused, and honor where my attention span is during any given part of the day. I also notice I can focus better in the morning or late at night, but during the day, especially after lunch or between back-to-back meetings, my focus time is shorter, so I adjust my timer to accommodate. It prevents me from feeling frustrated, and I get more done.
For anyone trying this Life Hack, my advice is to set an intention to be aware of your attention span throughout your day. To help you with this you can leave a note by your computer to remind yourself to take breaks or use a timer to see what works best for you. It might take time to figure out your attention span, and it can depend on what you’re working on. If you're passionate about something, you might stay engaged longer, but for tedious tasks, a timer can help you focus and get them done without feeling overwhelmed.
Play around with it and see what works for you. Some days, you might focus for 10 minutes, other days for 20. Just be aware and adjust as needed. For tasks like reading a book, set a timer for 10 minutes and see if you can focus. You might find you can stretch that time as you practice.
