On Attention and Motivation
Recently, I finished reading a physical book from cover to cover. While I would have taken this as a good sign that my attention span has not suffered too much from my heavy screen time, I would also attribute it to the author’s prowess at writing such a captivating book. In an era where the barrier of entry for disseminating information is lower than ever, finding genuinely good writing can feel like whiplash. This got me thinking about our attention and the things that we focus our attention on.
Every day, millions of things demand our attention: work, errands, chores, hobbies, friends, family, etc. Our ability to focus our attention is limited by our physical and mental energy. Once we’ve locked on, depending on how mundane or engaging a particular task is, we are able to channel our energy into productivity. But we can only sustain our attention for so long before boredom or tiredness sets in, forcing us to take a break. Very rarely can we enter a flow state and remain productive for hours on end.
Social media has been blamed for our shortening attention spans. Our brains seek novelty, which social media delivers in spades. We are bombarded by notifications that distract us throughout the day, each notification a call to action, an invitation to spend what little precious time we have on a constant feed of information. Perhaps no other format is more insidious for shortening our attention than short-form videos. Much like junk food, each short-form video is quick and bite-sized. Once one video ends, another video takes its place automatically, each video a data point for the recommendation algorithm to hone in on the user’s preferences to serve similar videos, creating the perfect feedback loop for maximum engagement and addiction.
In my opinion, we reach for social media because it is easy to consume. It is low commitment and disposable, allowing us to consume countless posts in a short amount of time. But how much of that time that we spend on social media truly mindful? Do we actually learn anything while doomscrolling through our feeds? In an era of AI-generated content, how can we know if the content we consume is actually factual and accurate? LLMs have been known to exaggerate otherwise unremarkable facts and stroke the user’s ego, leading them down the dangerous path of delusion.
Social media aside, if we want to achieve anything in life, I think we need to use our attention with motivation and purpose. Discipline through building habits helps us power through the boring parts and get us to the interesting parts. One thing I learned about being an adult is that the interesting parts are few and far between, and it is best to work on each task by breaking it down into smaller parts and getting them out of the way.
Perhaps our biggest hurdle to achieve anything is our propensity to procrastinate. When faced with a task that we would rather do some other time, we delay it indefinitely. Even when we have a little pocket of time to address the task, we often fall back on our mood to spur us into action, or rather inaction by deciding to put it off once more. By procrastinating, we are giving ourselves an excuse to slack off. We may know the importance of getting a task done, but due to how low priority it is, we neglect it. When push comes to shove, we may finally come to our senses and get the task done, if not out of obligation, then out of fear or even spite.
True motivation comes from a desire to achieve. It is not a one-time trick prescribed by a self-help guru, nor is it a regiment predicated on ruthless self-discipline. I find that my motivation comes in sporadic bursts: one day I might not work on something at all; another day I would focus all my attention on it; most days I would only work on it for a short while. No matter how long my motivation and attention lasts, I think it is important to set a proper pace to prevent burnout. I have experimented with various techniques to maintain focus, including the Pomodoro Technique and kanban, but I often find these techniques clunky and difficult to manage. Regardless, I think it is important to develop a personal workflow that works best for each individual.
We only have so many waking hours in the day to get anything done. Apart from work, responsibilities and commitments, we owe it to ourselves to make the most of our remaining time, be it enjoying our hobbies or spending time with our loved ones. Personally, there are definitely things I should be focusing more of my attention on, such as exercising and socialising. Maybe it is time to somehow fit them into my schedule without feeling too forced. At the end of the day, I want to be able to spend my precious time without feeling as if I’ve wasted it. Whether I’ve had an extremely productive day or a completely relaxing day, I would like to retire for the night knowing that I’ve lived that day to its fullest.