Category: Attention

What Makes You Come Undone?

Imagine this: your life is busy, but under control. Something happens, though, and everything spirals until you’ve come undone. One event, one that you could have otherwise handled easily, makes everything fall apart. What causes that?

For the most part, human beings are pretty adaptable. As long as the change is not too sudden, we can absorb remarkable changes in our environment.

Take the news, for instance. As recently as a few decades ago, we got our news from newspapers once a day, and a half hour of national news and an additional half hour for local news on TV. That was it!

Now, there are multiple 24-hour news stations, and tuning in to one provides an incredible amount of information all at once. An on-screen anchor is delivering an opinion, or conducting an interview. Chyrons appear regularly to recap what is being discussed. A ticker of other headlines runs across the bottom of the screen. There might also be weather alerts, sports scores, stock market updates, or additional information flashing somewhere on the screen.

It’s a lot to take in, but we do it fairly easily. Our focus can’t be everywhere all at once, but we figure out what is most important to us, and jump around as necessary.

However adaptable we are, there are limits. We can be overwhelmed, with our ability to switch from topic to topic swamped with information. And once we reach that saturation limit, it feels like everything comes undone and we can’t do anything. All but the most simple tasks escape us.

Are there triggers of this type for you? Sometimes it is just a matter of one random thing being one too many. But there might also be a recognizable action that causes you to struggle. Can you think of what yours might be?

Related questions: What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Is our attention fractured? Are we too busy? How do you find peace when you need it?

 

Tuned In Or Tuned Out?

When the news is relentless and depressing, it is tempting to reach for escapist fare. Are you tuned in to the news. or tuned out?

Share why if you wish.

Tuned In Or Tuned Out?
Results

What Should We Be Paying Attention To?

Sometimes it seems like there is too much news for our limited attention span. When that happens, which stories should we focus on?

On the international stage, there are many ongoing stories that would seem to deserve our attention. There are two significant wars that threaten to turn into world engulfing conflicts, in Asia and in the Middle East.

In addition, there is the ongoing climate crisis. As global temperatures continue to rise, weather events grow stronger and more frequent. More people are displaced from their homes than in any other time in human history.

Domestically in the United States, there are also too many stories to try to follow. Which is more important, ignoring due process or blatant political corruption? Announced tariffs threatening a global trade war or unmarked police forces kidnapping people? Threats to judges and law firms or people around the world going hungry or getting sick because of cancelled contracts and staffing shortages? People suffering from natural disasters being ignored or a significant uptick in airplane accidents threatening flying safety?

The current administration is employing a tactic called “flooding the zone.” This means pursuing multiple actions in a short period of time, so that media, courts, and the public attention span all have trouble keeping up. It is a deliberate strategy designed to sow confusion and apathy.

So what to do? When there are multiple balls being thrown at the same time, how do we decide which one to swing at? What should we be paying attention to?

Related questions: What deserves your attention? Should we pay attention to the news? How do you set priorities? What unimportant things do you focus on too much?

What Is The Proper Level Of Engagement In National Politics?

National politics happens to get the major headlines, from the president to Congress to the Supreme Court. Should they?

Who gets elected president is a big deal. The presidential race, including primaries, debates, and a lengthy campaign season, is covered extensively by national and local media. And yet, individual voters have almost no influence on the president.

The situation is similar in Congress. A resident of a state can call their senator or congressperson, but even if that call is successful, the politician is just one of a large group.

It would seem that a person would be much more likely to make a difference at the state or local level than they would at the national one. In a town environment, one resident is a much larger percentage of the constituency. As a result, they wield much more influence. In addition, the issues at the local level often have a more direct impact on someone’s day-to-day life.

And yet, it is at the national level that most of the attention is directed. Many major media outlets have someone – or even a team – dedicated to covering the president. You may well know members of Congress, even those that don’t represent your district or state.

Overall, how much should we pay attention to events and people that are beyond our control? How important is it to follow what transpires over which you have little input? Is that being an “informed citizen” or are you spending your attention on something that doesn’t deserve it?

What is the proper level of engagement in national politics?

Related questions: Politics: local or national? What deserves your attention? Are you politically active? What is important?

What Are You Going To Neglect?

There is more to do in this world than there is time to do it. As a consequence, you will have to neglect some things. But what?

There are many strategies for setting priorities. For instance, there is a plane with urgency on one set of axis, and importance on the other. You sort tasks appropriately, and go from there.

However, one way of looking at the events in your life is from a negative point of view. That is, instead of thinking of what things you want to include and what you want to do, instead think about what you are willing to neglect in favor of other things.

Listen to a podcast where Michael and Lee discuss a related question: ‘Are we too busy?’ We also discuss a bonus question: ‘What are our responsibilities to others?’

After all, there is not enough time in the day to do everything. No matter how efficient you are, no matter how little sleep you need, you won’t get to everything. You can, however, choose which things get skipped.

An advantage to viewing life this way is that unimportant yet enjoyable things don’t get skipped. There may be activities or tasks that might not make your top ten list of things to do, but your life would be poorer without them. Conversely, something might seem more pressing and yet you can make do without it.

Are there things in your life that you simply don’t want to do without, even if they might not seem to someone else to be “must do” activities? Are there things that you know you can neglect?

Related questions: How do you set priorities? What is important? Are we too busy? What is one thing you feel the need to do each day?