The Attention Tug-of-War

I am very surprised that the subject of attention has not received more “attention” (No Pun Intended).  To the best of my knowledge, very little has been written about it.  Yet, I believe that it is a highly impactful concept that should receive more attention by all of us!

There is so much going on these days.  We have many demands for our attention on top of being constantly bombarded by information (distractions and attractions) on a 24×7 basis.  And I really mean 24×7!  We are “bombarded” even when we are “sleeping” (or trying to).  Think about some of your recent dreams or the “thoughts” that wake us up in the middle of the night.  A lot of it comes from our many pending list items, problems we have or imagine having, etc.   When we can’t sleep, many of us turn on the TV or start reading email on a PDA, or do something else associated with “dumping” (more) information into our brain.

We are being pulled in so many directions by so many demands from people and by the things we should, have, and/or want to do!     At “home”, the family (parents, siblings, spouses, kids, partners, relatives, etc) needs your attention.   Your friends need your attention.  At work, your boss, your customers, your employees, etc., need your attention.  Sometimes, even YOU need your own attention. Your problems need attention.   Your opportunities need attention.   Your money (investments) needs attention.  Your health needs attention.  WOW!!!  That’s what I call the “Attention Tug-of-War”.

Imagine being in the middle and being pulled by not two but by many ropes tied to your waist in a 360 degree fashion.  Depending on what day or time it is, one of those ropes is pulling harder than the others.  Sometimes two or more are pulling with the same force.  That is when we feel that we are being torn apart.  OUCH!!!

So what can be done about this “challenge”?   How can IT Managers win these personal and organizational “tugs-of wars”?  How can they assist their teams/team members win their own “tug-of-wars”?

In my experience, the best approach to alleviate this tug-of-war feeling is through the development of what I call “Intention Clarity”.  I have found that when I become certain about what I want to accomplish, when I know what I want, I can easily adjust my focus and pay better attention to the people and things that matter most relative to my (clearest) intention.  I must tell you that the “tug-of war” does not necessarily end as a result, but it does become less “stressful” for lack of a better term.  It makes it much easier to choose what to attend to out of the many choices that we face.  It makes it easy to say “NO!” to the unrelated things and “YES!” to the things that align with our clear intention.  I have found there is nothing more powerful than clarity and conviction!  It helps us become more aligned and attentive. Less conflicted!  And that conflict is what produces most of the “tug-of-war” stress in the end.  When we are not sure of what we want to do or are supposed to do, we have a harder time.  We become torn between two, or sometimes several, choices.  However, when we know what we want to do or are supposed to do, it is a piece of cake.  We are comfortable and feel energized.  The stress we may feel under this situation is better stress, not bad as I talked about last month in my post “The Stress Paradox”.

In his book Secrets of Personal Mastery, L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. posed that many individuals diagnosed with “Attention Deficit Disorder” (ADD) really have what he calls “Intention Deficit Disorder” (IDD).  I believe Dr. Hall is right on!  He is not only right from an individual standpoint, but from an organizational one as well.  You could say many organizations operate as if they had some form of ADD, but I suspect that what they really have is IDD!

If you, your organization, or any of its members are involved in a “tug-of-war”, try to find some clarity — Intention clarity, or clarity of purpose.  Once you do, I promise the tugs-of-war that can end up killing some will subside. They will become less harmful to your health and to the quality of your life and to that of others.  I am clear of that!

The BEST is Yet to Come!

Epi Torres, CEO