Lecture 9: Attention Time Management Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is Time Management?
Definition: Organizing and planning how to divide your time between tasks.
Key Insight: Helps prioritize responsibilities but can cause stress if tasks take longer than expected.
Example: Using a planner to schedule daily activities.
What is Attention Management?
Definition: Focusing on getting tasks done at the right time while limiting distractions.
Key Insight: Attention management is task-specific and depends on motivation and minimizing interruptions.
Example: Turning off notifications while working on a project.
What is Time Scarcity?
Definition: Feeling like there’s not enough time to do everything you need or want.
Key Insight: Often leads to stress, unhealthy behaviors, and emotional exhaustion.
Example: Skipping meals due to a busy schedule.
Ideal Free Time for Well-Being:
Question- How much free time per day is ideal for well-being?
A) 1-3 hours
B) 2-5 hours
C) 4-7 hours
D) 6-10 hours
Answer: B) 2-5 hours.
Reason: Empirical studies show this range maximizes happiness without causing boredom.
What is Passive vs. Active Leisure?
Passive Leisure: Activities requiring minimal effort (e.g., watching TV).
Active Leisure: Engaging activities that involve physical or mental effort (e.g., exercising or painting).
Key Insight: Active leisure is more impactful on well-being.
Compare Time and Happiness
Insight: Prioritizing time over money and spending money to free up time is linked to greater happiness.
Example: Hiring help for chores to have more family time.
What is The Problem with Time Management?
Insight: People tend to underestimate how long tasks take, leading to frustration and inefficiency.
Quote: “Any task you’re planning to tackle will always take longer than you expect.” – Douglas Hofstadter.
What is The Attention Span Myth?
Definition: The false belief that humans have an attention span of only 8 seconds.
Reality: Attention depends on the task and interest, not a fixed duration.
Key Insight: Media often misrepresents this for dramatic effect.
What is Persuasive Design?
Definition: Techniques in digital platforms designed to keep users engaged.
Examples:
Infinite scrolling.
Personalized content feeds.
Push notifications.
Gamification (e.g., badges or rewards).
What is Multitasking?
Definition: Performing multiple tasks simultaneously.
Key Insights:
Reduces performance quality and creativity.
Increases errors and stress.
Example: Texting while solving a Sudoku puzzle.
What was The Multitasking and Performance Experiment?
Design:
Participants completed Sudoku puzzles under different multitasking conditions (discretionary, mandatory, sequential).
Results:
Mandatory multitasking performed worse on hard tasks.
Interruptions reduced overall performance.
Takeaway: Multitasking impairs effectiveness, especially for complex tasks.
What is Attention Residue?
Definition: The lingering thoughts about unfinished tasks that reduce focus on the next activity.
Experiment: Participants who didn’t complete their initial task showed more attention residue.
Key Insight: Completing tasks reduces distractions and improves focus.
What is Shallow Work vs. Deep Work?
Shallow Work: Low-focus, often administrative tasks (e.g., replying to emails).
Deep Work: High-focus tasks that require undivided attention (e.g., coding, writing).
Key Insight: Deep work leads to greater productivity and long-term accomplishments.
What is The Deliberate Practice Theory?
Definition: Focused, goal-driven practice aimed at improving skills.
Principles:
- Specific goals.
- Intense focus.
- Immediate feedback.
Example: A pianist practicing difficult passages repeatedly
What are Deep Breaks?
Definition: Short, meaningful breaks that recharge mental energy.
Examples:
- Going for a walk.
- Daydreaming or light reading.
Key Insight: Helps maintain focus and improve deep work sessions.
What are the four Deep Work Philosophies?
- Monastic
- Bimodel
- Rhythmic/Chain Method
- Journalistic
What is the Monastic Philosophy?
Definition: Devote maximum time exclusively to deep work while minimizing or eliminating shallow work.
Key Features:
- Focused entirely on one goal or project.
- Avoid distractions and unnecessary commitments.
Example: A researcher who works in isolation for months to complete a book or paper.
What is the Bimodal Philosophy?
Definition: Divide your time into two distinct periods—one for deep work and one for shallow work.
Key Features:
- Allocate large chunks of uninterrupted time for deep work.
- Use the remaining time for administrative tasks or less demanding activities.
Example: A professor dedicating mornings to writing research papers (deep work) and afternoons to meetings and emails (shallow work).
What is Rhythmic/Chain Method?
Definition: Create a consistent schedule or routine for deep work every day to build a habit.
Key Features:
- Incorporates deep work into daily life in a sustainable way.
Example: An author who sets aside 2 hours every morning to write, no matter what.
What is the Journalistic Philosophy?
Definition: Fit deep work into your schedule whenever you find available time
Key Features:
- Requires strong focus and discipline to shift into deep work mode quickly.
Example: A journalist writing a detailed article in between covering breaking news stories.
