Bob

I'm not here by choice.

[𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 🇮🇷 ✡︎ @NiohBerg]

Who did this

[Gary Parrish @GaryParrishCBS]

Alex Rodriguez asked a question. Reggie Jackson answered it.

(Shouts to the producer and rest of the desk for staying out of Reggie’s way and just letting him talk. I doubt they expected this answer. But it’s a great few minutes of television.)

[Bob @ImNotBobAtAll]

Dolphins won't have any players left at this rate. Injuries this year are brutal #MNF

[Sahil Bloom @SahilBloom]

The silent productivity killer you've never heard of...

Attention Residue (and 3 strategies to fight back):

The concept of "attention residue" was first identified by University of Washington business professor Dr. Sophie Leroy in 2009.

The idea is quite simple:

There is a cognitive cost to shifting your attention from one task to another. When our attention is shifted, there is a "residue" that remains in the brain and impairs our cognitive performance on the new task.

Put differently, you may think your attention has fully shifted to the next task, but your brain has a lag—it thinks otherwise!

It's relatively easy to find examples of this effect in your own life:

• You get on a call but are still thinking about the prior call.
• An email pops up during meeting and derails your focus.
• You check your phone during a lecture and can't refocus afterwards.

There are two key points worth noting here:

1. The research indicates it doesn't seem to matter whether the task switch is "macro" (i.e. moving from one major task to the next) or "micro" (i.e. pausing one major task for a quick check on some minor task).

2. The challenge is even more pronounced in a remote/hybrid world, where we're free to roam the internet, have our chat apps open, and check our phones all while appearing to be focused in a Zoom meeting.

With apologies to any self-proclaimed proficient multitaskers, the research is very clear:

Every single time you call upon your brain to move away from one task and toward another, you are hurting its performance—your work quality and efficiency suffer.

Author Cal Newport puts it well:

"If, like most, you rarely go more than 10–15 minutes without a just check, you have effectively put yourself in a persistent state of self-imposed cognitive handicap."

Here are three strategies to manage attention residue and fight back:

1. Focus Work Blocks: Block time on your calendar for sprints of focused energy. Set a timer for a 45-90 minute window, close everything except the task at hand, and focus on one thing. It works wonders.

2. Take a Breather: Whenever possible, create open windows of 5-15 minutes between higher value tasks. Schedule 25-minute calls. Block those windows on your calendar. During them, take a walk or close your eyes and breathe.

3. Batch Processing: You still have to reply to messages and emails. Pick a few windows during the day when you will deeply focus on the task of processing and replying to these. Your response quality will go up from this batching, and they won't bleed into the rest of your day.

Attention residue is a silent killer of your work quality and efficiency.

Understanding it—and taking the steps to fight back—will have an immediate positive impact on your work and life.

If you enjoyed this or learned something, share it with others and follow me @SahilBloom for more in future!

[Rob @VaultOfDaedalus]

Oct 23rd Oct 24th

[FALLOUT⚡️ @falloutonprime]

Congratulations! You’re now watching the FALLOUT teaser trailer. Arriving April 12 on @primevideo.

[Bob @ImNotBobAtAll]

Jordan-Hare is built on an ancient burial ground #IronBowl

[Bob @ImNotBobAtAll]

We were just robbed of the best interception ever. #OSUvsMICH

[Bob @ImNotBobAtAll]

The ghost of Kaelin Clay haunting the Huskies!!! #Utes

[Bob @ImNotBobAtAll]

Kansas State needs to launch their playcaller into the sun. WTF were those calls!?!? #BigNoonSaturday

[Bob @ImNotBobAtAll]

Francis just got jobbed and I'm a Fury fan. Boxing has some piss poor judging #BattleOfTheBaddest

[St. Louis Cardinals @Cardinals]

On this day in 2011...a moment we'll never forget.

#STLCards

[Kris @5kl]

USC left the Barnes door open

[Bob @ImNotBobAtAll]

Reigning Hesiman winner just lost to a pig farmer from Milford, UT. Get wrecked USC!!! #GoUtes

[Bob @ImNotBobAtAll]

WHAT A RUN BY BARNES!!!!! #GoUtes

[Bob @ImNotBobAtAll]

@_MLFootball No he isn't and he hasn't ever been.

[Bob @ImNotBobAtAll]

@PFF_College Filthy cut

[Utah Football @Utah_Football]

LOOK AT THAT MAN GO!!!

Sione Vaki in for his 2nd TD of the night! 🙌

📺 @CFBONFOX

#GoUtes

[Bob @ImNotBobAtAll]

If Sione Vaki hab been used this way all season he would be the Heisman front runner. Best 2-way guy in the country #Utes