We keep hearing it, No one has the attention span anymore. And at first, it makes sense. Short-form videos, infinite scroll, distractions at every swipe. It feels like our minds are constantly pulled in a hundred directions. It’s become common to say people just don’t have the patience anymore.
A while back, I wrote a piece on how our attention span seems to be shrinking. But recently, while watching an hour podcast episode (WTF – Neil Mohan), I had a tiny shift in perspective.
Maybe attention span isn’t the issue. Intention matters. When what you’re consuming aligns with what you care about, focus becomes natural. No hacks needed.
What’s interesting is how many people (including me) unconsciously assign different digital spaces for different purposes. YouTube becomes a platform solely for podcasts. Spotify stays dedicated to music. Netflix for chilling and many more. One browser for work, another for personal curiosity. These small systems help train the brain to associate each space with a certain kind of focus.
Atomic habits says the same. The Reticular Activating System (RAS), our brain’s attention filter (still learning about it) picks up on these patterns. With a little intention, we can rewire it to make focus easier.
So yes, there’s a lot of noise out there. Digital world is crazy as hell. Our attention isn’t diminishing but getting distracted. it’s just waiting to be pointed toward the right thing.
The question, then, isn’t just about attention spans. It’s about why we’ve built our environments the way we have and why those environments either support or sabotage our ability to focus on things.
Cheers!
Check out the previous post: Why does growth need solitude and interaction?
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