Attention Management
Sharpen your concentration, conquer distractions, and boost your productivity by mastering the art and science of Attention Management.
Train Your Brain to Focus: Build THIS Key Skill
The inability to focus—to concentrate on the task at hand—seems to be a common problem in our modern, always-connected world. But can you train your brain to focus better?
Recent Articles
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What Is the Attention Economy? How Dopamine and Social Media Keep You Scrolling
I’ve been thinking about the phrase “attention economy,” and exactly what that means. It’s worth considering, because it has implications for our ability to manage our attention and live a life of intention. The attention economy is the sector of businesses that extract our attention for profit (through advertising and subscriptions). This includes social mediaRead More
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What I Learned About Attention and Distraction From a Conference with No Earbuds
What happens when a room full of people put away their earbuds for a weekend? A firsthand look at attention, distraction, and constant connectivity.
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Does A Cluttered Desk Hurt Performance? What the Science Says
This article was updated March 29, 2026. A cluttered desk is often treated as a personality quirk. Some people thrive in neat spaces. Others insist they know exactly where everything is—even if no one else does. But research suggests clutter isn’t just an aesthetic preference. It can meaningfully affect how we think, focus, and perform.Read More
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“The Sirens’ Call” by Chris Hayes: The Attention Economy Explained
Updated March 28, 2026 If it feels harder than ever to pay attention, it’s not a personal failure—and it’s not your imagination. I was excited to read Sirens’ Call, and it did not disappoint. In it, Chris Hayes makes a clear and unsettling case: attention management has quietly become one of the most valuable skillsRead More
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Is Multitasking Killing Your Productivity? Attention Management Can Help
This article was updated on March 28, 2026. You were hired to think. So why are you spending your day definitely not thinking? Instead, you’re reacting to: Your experience, your judgment, and your expertise are what make you valuable. But if you’re like most professionals, you spend your days in a reactive mode that makesRead More
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Living in the Present Moment: A Guide for Working Parents
“You say I should focus my attention. But how do I know what to focus my attention on?” This is the question a mother of 4 young children and an employer of 120 asked me last week. It’s the kind of question that cuts straight to what matters most, and one that I suspect keepsRead More
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The Impact of Technology on Our Daily Lives
Years ago, during my education about the psychology of attention, I interviewed Dr. John Dovidio, an acclaimed social psychologist. At the time we spoke, he was also a professor and the head of the Intergroup Relations Lab at Yale University. Dr. Dovidio has always been, and continues to be, my go-to source to understand theRead More
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How to Use Music to Increase Productivity
Have you ever found yourself in a productivity slump, only to be jolted back into high gear by your favorite playlist? You’re not alone. Music has long been touted as a powerful tool to enhance productivity, but is this true in all cases? Can you listen to any type of music while you do anyRead More
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The New Path to Productivity: Harness Attention in the A.I. Era
by Maura Thomas and Shawn Thomas Although we recognize the pitfalls of using artificial intelligence to power our work, we are also excited about the potential it provides to increase productivity in a variety of ways. These include automating routine tasks, gathering and organizing information, optimizing decision-making processes, generating ideas, and personalizing workplace experiences. We’reRead More
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Should You Quit Social Media?
If you feel that social media might be standing in the way of your goals, you’re probably right. According to a 2024 global study by Datareportal, the average person spends 2 hours and 23 minutes on social media per day. “Over a full year, that adds up to more than 260 trillion minutes, or 500Read More
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Slow Productivity Is Empowering
Cal Newport is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and the author of several non-fiction books. His latest, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout examines the hallmarks of great achievement by sharing stories about figures from history and the modern-day who have achieved great success. The common thread heRead More
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16 Ways to Focus Better
Your goals may hinge on your ability to train your mind and focus better. Whether you aim to get in better physical shape, improve your relationship, or increase profitability for your company, your ability to manage your attention can make all the difference. To Focus Better, Build Up Concentration Slowly I travel the globe helpingRead More
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Attention Management: How to Build This Key Skill
This post was updated on March 21, 2022 The inability to focus—to concentrate on the task at hand—seems to be a common problem in our modern, always-connected world. But can you train your brain to focus better? Train your brain to focus and concentrate on your most meaningful tasks by learning to manage your attention.Read More
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How to Concentrate on Work Without Getting Distracted
It’s impossible to prevent distractions completely. But if you’re struggling to concentrate at work, you can minimize distractions by learning to manage your attention. To concentrate on work without getting distracted requires learning a new set of skills. Learning attention management skills can increase your ability to control both internal and external distractions. This improvesRead More
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What is Attention Management and How Can It Help You?
This post was updated September 20, 2021 You’ve probably been introduced to the idea of attention management before now. The phrase existed before I began using it. At that time, however, it was not used in relation to productivity. It was not used in a way that was relevant or important to our everyday lives.Read More
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17 Tips to Avoid Distractions When Working from Home
This post was updated on August 27, 2021 For many knowledge workers, the new normal of working from home still doesn’t feel normal at all. Maybe you’re heading back to the office, or maybe you’re hoping to continue working from home indefinitely. Regardless of where you’re working, I’ve got some road-tested tips to help youRead More
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10 Strategies Proven to Improve Focus in the Workplace
Finding focus in the workplace these days is harder than ever. We have distractions coming to us from technology, our work environment, and the people around us. Fortunately, there’s a set of skills you can master that can vastly improve your ability to focus in the workplace and achieve your most important results. Attention managementRead More
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Mindfulness and Resilience: An Intriguing Talk With Anne Grady
I recently spoke with my thoughtful — and hilarious — friend Anne Grady. Anne is an internationally recognized speaker and author. Her latest books are Mind Over Moment and the Mind Over Moment Journal, which focus on how mindfulness can help us with resilience. Watch the video above to see our full discussion, or readRead More
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How to Boost Productivity with Brainpower Momentum
Every leader I know wants to boost productivity for themselves and their teams. Before the pandemic, this was challenging enough. When in the office, knowledge workers routinely deal with constant interruptions—whether from a boss or coworker who frequently drops in with “emergency” requests, or the nonstop flurry of digital messages asking for urgent responses. MostRead More
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Attention Management Strategies for Business: Meditation
If you’ve read any of my books, you know that I believe meditation is one of several useful attention management strategies in the pursuit of productivity improvement. Meditation increases your ability to recognize what’s on your mind, and what “brain state” you’re in, and shift to the internal thoughts or the brain state that willRead More
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You Get Interrupted Every 3 Minutes. Here’s How to Cope.
I recently sat down with Steve Harper, a fellow entrepreneur and speaker, to discuss attention management and my newest book. You can listen to the podcast or read excerpts from the transcript below. On the Path to Productivity… SH: I know you’re excited and proud of Attention Management: How to Create Success and Gain ProductivityRead More
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Give the Gift of Your Presence This Holiday Season
The gift of your presence is one of the most valuable presents you can give your loved ones. But this time of year, we’re often so busy cooking, cleaning and shopping that we don’t even think about this simple but profound gift idea. This holiday season, rather than frantically running around for weeks, consider givingRead More
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Distraction is Making You Distractible
Every day at work might be making you more distractible. Here’s how to tell: consider how much of your day at the office is spent switching among reacting to problems, checking emails, and dealing with interruptions from your colleagues. Do you often have many things open on your desktop that are only partly done? DistractibilityRead More
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Unleash Your Genius with Attention Management
What does it mean to “unleash your genius?” Well first, when you hear the word “genius,” what comes to mind? I’m betting you get a mental image of someone like Albert Einstein or Marie Curie. And, indeed, “a person endowed with extraordinary mental superiority” is one of the dictionary definitions of “genius.” But that’s notRead More
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My Journey To Using Attention Management to Unlock Productivity
I didn’t always understand that mastering attention management is critical in today’s workplace. In the beginning of my professional career, I focused on helping people get better organized so they could take action to get things done. More than 20 years ago, a smart colleague started to talk about “focus management.” Over time, I ponderedRead More
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Dr. Ed Hallowell Interview Pt 2: ADD’s Upside, the Power of Attention
Last week’s blog article featured Part 1 of my interview about busyness and distraction with Dr. Edward Hallowell, the New York Times best-selling author of “Driven to Distraction,” “CrazyBusy,” “Shine” and several other books. This week is Part 2 of our conversation. The transcript of our conversation is edited for length and clarity. You canRead More
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Dr. Ed Hallowell Interview Pt 1: ADD, Attention and Being ‘CrazyBusy’
I’ve long admired the work of Dr. Edward Hallowell, the New York Times best-selling author of “Driven to Distraction,” “CrazyBusy,” “Shine” and several other books. So I was honored when he joined me to talk about attention deficit disorder, how it’s changed and why so many people these days are feeling overwhelmed and distracted. This week’sRead More
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Organization Tips to Help You Love Your Workspace
Whether you work from an office, a cubicle or a workstation at home, a little spring cleaning for your workspace can revitalize your productivity. I shared some office organization tips recently with writer Susannah Snider for an article in U.S. News & World Report. In this interview, I talked about how spring cleaning your officeRead More
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Two Ways to Tell if Facebook Deserves Your Attention
I get asked a lot about social media, and if I think Facebook, for example, is a “waste of time.” They reference “kitten videos” or other such silliness. I do use Facebook, and so I’ve paid attention to the interactions I’ve had on it lately, and analyzed them a bit. Today, for example, I spentRead More
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Welcome to the Attention Age
Social media is changing the way we communicate, make connections, and develop friendships. Digital convergence is changing the way we learn, think, and behave. The old ideas about “time management” and multi-tasking are no longer working. In fact, they seem to be making things worse. Some of the first studies showing that multi-tasking takes longer andRead More
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