Stick With Me

8.25 seconds. That’s the human attention span reported in a recent study. You can find it here.

It’s no secret that we live in a society driven by entertainment. But less than ten seconds? By the way, the same study reports a goldfish has more focus than the average adult. Eeeek!

I suppose one can blame it on various reasons from a society that defines success as bigger, greater, and faster to the misconception of multitasking (which is horribly wrong, by the way). After all, we’re all victims of someone/something, right? Hear the sarcasm?

Here’s the thing: if we’re aware of an extremely short attention span in us and in others, what do we do about it? Assuming we want to correct it, what do we do?

STEP 1: Beware of the issue. The first step is to acknowledge something that is a real problem. Without acknowledging the challenge, there will never be a plan to become better.

STEP 2: Have a plan. One can’t just reflect on an issue, without taking steps to improve that issue. The plan needs to be specific enough but not so rigid it will never be followed.

STEP 3: Work the plan. Begin and complete the plan. As the adage goes, “It’s not about how you start but how you finish.” This is the step where discipline is a must!

Anyone still here?!? Ha.

Once we recognize the lack of attention in ourselves, we then turn to the same in others. How do we teach? How do we have conversations with those who have a very small attention span? How we force ourselves to completely listen? And how do we communicate in a way that helps those within earshot to discern what is being said? This challenge is unlikely to go away on its own.

Next time, let’s talk about how the attention span thing affects the Church.