Attention Span

As I write this entry, I am sipping a cup of coffee knowing that it will stimulate my brain at least temporarily as I get these thoughts into print. While talking to a friend this morning on the topic of attention span, I thought I must get these forming ideas into print before once again I forget what it is that I believe stimulates the attention span. The irony of such a thought... to forget my ideas about the attention span! Ha!

In other words this topic hits close to home. I have found that in order to improve my often waning attention there are different "coping methods" that I must practice. While there are unique situations in everything I have found that it includes starting with good sleep patterns, balanced eating habits, systems that support not losing track of your stuff, routine that fosters learning, methods that trigger recall, activities that captivate the imagination and learning, designating time for particular activities, moderating distractions, securing the mind on the information being communicated, identifying your passions, healthy self-talk, ministering to others, simplifying the stuff in our world, moving between work time and down time throughout the day, recreation & rest, edifying relationships, a colorful world, movement & exercise, light, fresh air, relieving & managing stress, having a purpose, setting goals, starting somewhere, letting go of perfection, and having an eternal hope. Okay! Overwhelming, yes! And, I know there are more! Yet, we wonder why our attentions suffer. :-)

I have found that multi-tasking is not the virtue that our culture touts. This has been reinforced for me as I have begun to educate my children. Focusing in its truest sense is the opposite of multi-tasking. Though I believe being flexible and available is important, it must be consistently evaluated against the temptation to not commit.