Our attention span is getting shorter
Let’s admit this, our attention (yes, all of us) span are getting shorter as compared to ….say…10 years ago? Perhaps it’s due to how we’ve been brought up (babies who watch TV often tend to have shorter attention span when they grew up), or perhaps it’s because we have too many choices thanks to the Internet.
Well, irregardless of the reasons, it is a fact that we all must admit. Just look around you and I’m sure you can find the following examples pretty easily:
- People having problem listening to others properly.
- People interrupting while others are doing or saying something.
- People getting agitated when something goes on for a bit longer than usual.
- People falling asleep during a long meeting session.
- People getting tired of a new toy which was bought few months ago.
- etc….
As more and more content come pouring onto us, our attention span will become shorter and shorter because there just isn’t enough time for us to go through every single content. In the end, we’ll spend very very limited amount of time on 1 single content before we chuck it aside and go on to the next one. And yes, content in this context can be the person talking in front of a meeting.
I know this (the amount of content pouring in) cannot be avoided at times but what can be done here is for us to be less wasteful. Pick the content carefully and give our full attention to it. Listen to the person WELL if you chose to listen in the first place. Focus on what the person in front has to say if you chose to sit in the meeting (remember that nobody can force you to do so besides yourself). Fully utilize the new toy that you have just bought…. or better, justify why you need it before buying it and remember those reasons AFTER you bought it.
And I believe that is the best we all can do for ourselves, our money, our toys and also the people around us. Be more selective and then give our full attention whenever we are engaged in something or with someone.
Oh, and as for businesses or content providers….it also means if your stuff is not good enough, you will be totally ignored. 
but either you try to make us look at you….or don’t try at all. It’s up to you.
yeah , and i think we often make stupid decisions because of short attention span ..
whether is it in a relationship , or investing or buying a product ..
gapnap´s last blog ..The Bigger Picture
@gapnap
Yeap, we are getting impatient at many things and also, we can’t seem to focus or pay proper attention to them. In the end, we bail out/rush things….and most often than not, the results can be disastrous.
I used to wonder how board decisions are made until I saw that they are made by a bunch of old men with short attention spans and full bladders, lol.
@Damien Tan
hahaha, that’s the issue in most BIG companies isn’t it? people either wanna escape from the meeting as soon as possible, or they just want to stay inside and talk nonsense…or just feed their ego by arguing with one another.
Yup, you can see expressions on their faces. “Guys can we hurry up and make that decision already. Just make a decision – anything. I need to go to the bathroom!” Now you know why some corporations make senseless decisions, lol.