Tag: attention

Pencils for notes, keyboards for ideas

TL;DR: “Type as quickly as you can and always carry a pencil.” — Clive Thompson. When the late Iain Banks talked about the inevitable “where do you get your ideas?” question that authors are dogged by, he said, “we have exactly the same amount of ideas as everybody else – authors are just better at…… Continue reading Pencils for notes, keyboards for ideas

An inbox for the mind

This post comprises notes on a work in progress – a drive to reduce tech-based distractions and learn how to use personal technology help me get things done more effectively and with less distraction and stress. There is only one red dot on my smartphone now. It is to remind me to do things with…… Continue reading An inbox for the mind

Connecting some dots around social, earned and satisfaction

Working through the connections between these things… …Oliver Blanchard says: If you treat earned media like paid media long enough, you will teach it to act like paid media. …This is connected with the idea we explored that editors should be in charge of paid digital media (or at least have control of their own budgets)…… Continue reading Connecting some dots around social, earned and satisfaction

The Dehumanised Moment

Paying attention to a device while you are in conversation robs you of your ability to create a “human moment” reflects Daniel Golemanthis LinkedIn post: An article in the Harvard Business Review calls this kind of interaction a “human moment.” How do you have a human moment at work? You have to put aside whatever…… Continue reading The Dehumanised Moment

Turning down the distraction on our devices

Apps. When did they get so needy? Like newly hatched chicks they chirrup and gawp, those little red dots having a similar cognitive effect on us to a chick’s open beak does for its parents – except we cough up some some attention instead of food. When we get a new phone (or a new…… Continue reading Turning down the distraction on our devices

Tools and distraction

Despite having at least four other devices with Kindle apps on them at any given moment at home or work, my reading weapon of choice is the Kindle Paperwhite. I rip through books on it, lose myself in them fast and deeply. Two reasons: first, there is less pull from the web and apps; second,…… Continue reading Tools and distraction

The big lie of always-on, multi-tasking culture: “We think we’re thinking faster, but actually we’re slowing down.”

“We think we’re thinking faster, but actually we’re slowing down.” Caroline Webb, Partner at McKinsey & Co. Following on from my last post, where I mentioned the brilliant “For Your Information” episode of Peter Day’s BBC series In Business in the context of advertising business models, I’d like to look at the other strand of the…… Continue reading The big lie of always-on, multi-tasking culture: “We think we’re thinking faster, but actually we’re slowing down.”

Optimising for attention: what media and marketing need to focus on in 2011

Here’s a prediction for you (why not, it is New Year’s day). In 2011, media and marketing will move beyond optimising for platforms and start optimising for attention. Following a thread of thinking prompted by Sam Michel’s comment earlier on today, I came back to the thing about our repeated mistake of focusing on platforms…… Continue reading Optimising for attention: what media and marketing need to focus on in 2011

Faris on the “natural selection of interesting”

After Mr Obama got sworn in some things threw me off kilter – sorry for the indecent silence… Warming up with some things catching my eye, I’ll be building to an outpouring of pent up thoughts about social, strategy and the business of everything. Hail Faris Yakob for weaving together two of my best-loved skeins…… Continue reading Faris on the “natural selection of interesting”