http://www.43folders.com/2008/06/13/zerstreutheit-and-attention-management-cure

“Zerstreutheit” and the Attention Management Cure
Merlin Mann | Jun 13 2008

Linda Stone: Is it Time to Retire the Never-Ending List?

Linda Stone – who coined the phrase “continuous partial attention” – makes a thoughtful distinction between managing time and attention, deflating the misconception that making long lists and then overscheduling your day can be a bulwark against distractions, interruptions, and the crippling feeling of being overwhelmed.

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What did surgeons, artists, and CEO’s have in common? Most of them reported that they managed both their time and their attention. In surgery, in the studio, and in the time carved out to think through strategies and issues, these professionals reported shutting down the devices and endless inputs (email, phone, interruptions), at scheduled times, and claiming those moments to focus. In almost every case, these professionals reported experiencing “flow” (a la Csikszentmihalyi) in their work.

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… share this William James quote, which Stone’s post mentions in passing (my emphasis).

Every one knows what attention is. It is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalization, concentration, of consciousness are of its essence. It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others, and is a condition which has a real opposite in the confused, dazed, scatterbrained state which in French is called distraction, and Zerstreutheit in German.

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“Zerstreutheit.” I love it when there’s a German word for my problem.

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me2!

It seems that this descibes the modern enterprise with its overbooking meetings, berry email during presentations, and just ‘no time to focus’. I heard someone (maybe Covey?) describe it as “the Important pushed out of the way by the Urgent”.

Quiet time?

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