I've noticed that the older I get, the shorter my attention span becomes. Shouldn't it be the reverse?
When I was a child, I could spend all day reading a book, cover to cover. When that book was done, I'd move on to another book. I'd build a Lego house and I won't stop until I had completed the house. Life was simple and I did not have many things to do. I had great focus, laser-like focus.
Now, I'd read half an article, think about something else, check a website on that something else, and that will link me up to three other articles. I have the attention span of a mayfly; there for 42 seconds and then it's dead. I blame it on tabbed browsing. I also blame it on being an adult.
As an adult, I now have a lot more things to do, many more responsibilities, one of which is myself. When I was a kid, someone would ensure that I get fed; now I have to work to earn money for my food, then I have to buy my food, prepare my food, clean up... and the cycle repeats, often even before I have time to clear the dishes. At any one time, I'll have multiple demands for my attention: fun stuff on my computer, a new anime episode I just downloaded, an article I have to write, three other articles to finish reading, a blog to update, emails to friends I should write, a hugely disorganized photo folder to organize, an e-book to finish, a paperback to finish as well, dishes to do, toenails to clip, bills to file away... Oh look, it's 3am in the morning, I've to sleep as well.
But it's not all that bad. As an adult, I have a lot more freedom and autonomy now. I can do anything that catches my fancy and (often) be able to buy the equipment that facilitates that fancy. This means I've more fancys now, each all grabbing for my increasingly limited attention. So I guess, in a roundabout way, it's not so bad that I now have the focus of a gnat.
When I was a child, I could spend all day reading a book, cover to cover. When that book was done, I'd move on to another book. I'd build a Lego house and I won't stop until I had completed the house. Life was simple and I did not have many things to do. I had great focus, laser-like focus.
Now, I'd read half an article, think about something else, check a website on that something else, and that will link me up to three other articles. I have the attention span of a mayfly; there for 42 seconds and then it's dead. I blame it on tabbed browsing. I also blame it on being an adult.
As an adult, I now have a lot more things to do, many more responsibilities, one of which is myself. When I was a kid, someone would ensure that I get fed; now I have to work to earn money for my food, then I have to buy my food, prepare my food, clean up... and the cycle repeats, often even before I have time to clear the dishes. At any one time, I'll have multiple demands for my attention: fun stuff on my computer, a new anime episode I just downloaded, an article I have to write, three other articles to finish reading, a blog to update, emails to friends I should write, a hugely disorganized photo folder to organize, an e-book to finish, a paperback to finish as well, dishes to do, toenails to clip, bills to file away... Oh look, it's 3am in the morning, I've to sleep as well.
But it's not all that bad. As an adult, I have a lot more freedom and autonomy now. I can do anything that catches my fancy and (often) be able to buy the equipment that facilitates that fancy. This means I've more fancys now, each all grabbing for my increasingly limited attention. So I guess, in a roundabout way, it's not so bad that I now have the focus of a gnat.
2 comments:
I can't be focused enough to write blogs like you do...
Blog posts are quite short, I don't take too long to write. So that, can do.
Post a Comment