Is a scattered mind stealing your depth?

On Renaissance Man + the 15 hour work week

We love to pull out stats about our attention spans getting shorter but the other day, I noticed another cost:

It’s not just a matter of shorter attention spans. It’s a matter of more consumption, more mental switching and more ideas because we have shorter attention spans.

If our attention span went from 12 seconds in 2004 to 8 seconds in 2013, that’s like ¹ … almost 2,500 more potential thoughts a day? Is it any wonder nearly all adults feel like they have ADD?

A study from the University of California Irvine found it takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds to return to focus after being interrupted. This sounds BRUTAL. Why? Because we’re not being interrupted once an hour. We’re being interrupted within seconds which means focusing can feel near impossible. And would you believe it? Constant attention switching is linked to increased anxiety, decision fatigue, and decreased productivity.

We bouncing from an endless supply of thoughts. And let’s not pretend we’re bouncing from Scripture verse to prayer to whatever is true or noble. Maybe sometimes but the majority of the bouncing around is—are you gonna make me say it?—scrolling my phone.

Here’s how I’d characterize it:

• A result of impulse

• Normally reactionary

• Lacking intentionality

So it made me wonder:

What if I focused on something for a full hour every day?

Would the bouncing slow? Would this simple practice affect the rest of my days and how my attention handled details?

Would a few less thoughts a day remove some unnecessary stress?

Would I battle a few less temptations?

Would it keep replenish that willpower supply that always gets used up trying to resist one more reel?

And really when was the last time I let my mind marinate for an entire hour?