Optimising attention for task execution
In 1913, Thomas Mitchell wrote:
It is wonderful how much work can be got through in a day, if we go by the rule—map out our time, divide it off, and take up one thing regularly after another.1
Almost one hundred years later, Sophie Leroy writes:
…when people’s fundamental needs for completion and cognitive closure are not met on a prior task, people will find it more difficult to disengage from the goal of the first task and switch their attention to the next task – that is, they will experience attention residue (emphasis mine).2
Leroy, in explaining the concept of residue says, it’s a type of ruminative thought that is specific to the context of task transitioning and the issue of allocating attention among activities; specifically, it describes thoughts that relate to a prior task when working on a subsequent task.
Here are some ideas to help minimise or avoid this attention residue.
One thing at a time: …map out our time…and take up one thing regularly after another, is the ideal. This means going into a well-planned day and exercising a focused discipline in task completion.
Stop, plan, repeat: When life speeds up, our instinct is to multitask, but that often backfires. Instead, pause, breathe, list your tasks, and map out the next hour. Then dive in with focus. My mantra: the busier I am, the more I plan.
Milestones: For larger tasks that span multiple sittings, break them into milestones. When you hit one—or even if you don’t—take 30 seconds to review and jot down your progress. This helps mentally close the loop, providing more attention on the next task.
Work at 95%: Easing off the inner intensity and working at a slightly easier pace reduces mental fragmentation and thus increases productivity.3
This week, a client likened the lack of cognitive closure on tasks to having too many programs open on a computer—each one quietly draining memory and processing power. It’s a fitting metaphor for daily work life; and the more we can mentally close one task before fully engaging with the next, the greater our speed, productivity, and quality of work will be.
Ray
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Essays on Life by Thomas Mitchell, Farmer
Leroy, Sophie. "Why is it so hard to do my work? The challenge of attention residue when switching between work tasks." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 109, no. 2 (2009): 168-181.
Great message this week Ray, for sure there's a take away in there for every reader to apply, today!