By William Carmichael
Books on time management have become a literary staple to most yet with what appear to be an endless number of time management books available, finding one that is short, simple and effective seems an arduous, if not impossible task . . . until now! Attention Management: How to Create Success and Gain Productivity- Every Day by Maura Nevel Thomas will absolutely change your perspective about how you manage time and I can promise you will never look at it the same way again. This is a good one, folks!
Time Management vs. Attention Management
The dictionary defines time management as the process of planning and exercising conscious control of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity. We all know what it is, what it looks like, how it affects us and the reality that we have absolutely no control over it. In other words, time manages us. On the other hand, attention management is more direct and refers to models and tools for supporting the management of attention at the individual or at the collective level. For our readers, these differences are important for where we do not have a reasonable control over managing our time, we do with managing our attention. It is this distinction that clarifies why Thomas has become such a recognized authority on how to master attention management.
Key Takeaways
Regardless of how successful we feel we are, this book has much to teach us. For example, to quote our author in the book’s opening, “Our problem now is one of distraction from our ever-present technology and its ability to deliver communication and information to us in unlimited ways all the time. This, in turn, has created expectations of immediate and constant availability, further fueling our need to stay connected, and therefore, our constant distraction.” Readers will discover, just as I did, that although we will never be able to eliminate all these incessant distractions, we can learn to manage them differently.
Thomas brings us to the realization that attention management is not a singular behavior but rather behaviors grouped into a quadrant;
| Reactive +Distracted | Flow |
| Daydreaming | Focused+Mindful |
Here, our author shows us how to “unleash your genius, control your distractions, be present in your moments, maximize your focus, engage your flow, and achieve your significant results.”
Thomas also shares the top ten signs that indicate you need to master attention management which are:
- Distractions run your day.
- Regularly handle email or other work after work hours.
- Work while on vacation.
- Multitask as a coping strategy.
- Available for work 24/7/365.
- Think “I can sleep when I’m dead.”
- “Busyness” is a badge of honor.
- Loved ones are frequently annoyed by your relationship to your smartphone.
- Work in an open office environment.
- Frequently exhausted and/or overwhelmed.
And whether we are guilty of one, more, or all of these (I am!), Thomas talks about the technology that helps us in our personal and professional lives, such as computers, tablets and smartphones but notes, “those devices and the content we view on them are intentionally designed to steal your attention. Afterall, the job of the Internet is to keep you on the Internet!” She looks at the ways the Internet and our connected devices use a scientific understanding of the way the brain works to keep us virtually addicted to them, and looks at the negative impacts. She talks about the harm caused by always being on, never really leaving work behind. She encourages us to take specific actions to improve our attention management, among them taking “opportunities to rest your mind and inject moments of calm into your day.” As a result of that specific change, she says, “you feel more creative and inspired, and you generate more insights and solutions.” Maura closes the book with the idea that attention management is one of the key choices in our lives.
Structure and Layout
At only 90 pages, Attention Management: How to Create Success and Gain Productivity- Every Day is a quick read with lots of actionable steps after each of the five chapters. It also has an effectively simple content design so that information flows from one page to the next. I encourage you to read it and see if the approach she describes will help you get better at focusing your time, energy, and attention on what matters most to you, so you can get the results you want.
Who Will Benefit Most from This Book?
Management at all levels, Human Resource and training professionals
About the author:
Maura Nevel Thomas is an award-winning international speaker, trainer, and author on individual and corporate productivity and work-life balance, and she is the most widely cited authority on attention management.
