In a moment, you will read a simple three-word phrase. As soon as you’ve done so, and before you read another word of mine, take your eyes off this page, close them or stare out the window into nothingness or do anything else you do to vacate your mind – and think about the phrase you will have read.
Ready?
Continuous partial attention.
Back so soon, are you? Probably not enough time to absorb what you just read, but it will have to do for now.
What is continuous partial attention?
Continuous partial attention is a term coined in 1998 by tech writer and consultant Linda Stone to describe a modern adaptive behavior of continuously dividing one’s attention. Note: She used the word ‘continuous,’ not ‘continual’ – a not so trivial distinction. Further, Stone has clarified that continuous partial attention is not the same as multitasking, a subject for a subsequent post. Where multitasking is a voluntary action driven by a conscious desire to be productive and efficient – which we all know it turns out not to be – continuous partial attention is an involuntary, automatic process motivated by or caused by a need to be a part of what’s going on in more than one thread at a time – and fueled by a fear of losing connection or missing out on something that’s going on. Or both.
What does continuous partial attention look like?
Case in point: You’re home, you’ve eaten dinner, and you’ve settled into the living room for an evening of TV. Cable news comes on, and suddenly you’re paying attention to as many as many as ten stimuli simultaneously: the host, two guests (sometimes more), the virtual background, the current speaker’s name on the bottom, the constantly scrolling banner (also along the bottom), and a digital timer reminding you of an upcoming event (debate, poll closing, etc.).
Well, that’s seven, you say. Ten? Sure. You’re also talking to someone in the room, playing Candy Crush on your phone, and you’ve got a work-related Zoom call – on mute – on your PC.
This is our world, like it or not, and it’s getting more intense for one simple reason: we’re letting it happen and the producers of those stimuli know it. Just how serious is it?
Consequences of Continuous Partial Attention
Says Stone, “Continuous partial attention may lead to increased stress and decreased ability to focus and concentrate on the present moment, prohibiting reflection, contemplation, and thoughtful decision making. The constant connectedness that is associated with continuous partial attention may also affect relationships, lower productivity levels, and lead to overstimulation and a lack of fulfillment.”
Other effects include neuro-cognitive impact impairing one’s memory capacity and cognitive flexibility; impact on decision making, as continuous partial tends to make people more risk averse; impact on collaboration because continuous partial attention reduces active listening and, with that, teamwork; an overall hit to workplace productivity, for reasons that should be self-evident; and a decay in personal well-being, as stress due to the fear of missing out climbs and work-life balance goes out of whack.
How to break continuous partial attention’s chokehold
- Recognize and admit it. Just like with any other problem.
- Form or join a support group. Commitment to a team is almost always stronger.
- Time to detox. Ya’ gotta, sooner or later. Sooner is better.
- Engage in Time Blocking. Here’s where time management and scheduling come in.
- Reward, recognize, and reinforce. Old fashioned extrinsic motivators would work here.
If you weren’t in the grip of continuous partial attention when you read this, it probably took you about three minutes. If you were caught up in the problem, call me sometime in the future when you’ve – maybe – gotten to it.