Our capacity to focus is our most incredible skill as cognitive workers. However, attention has become a resource. We live in the attention economy, where businesses compete for our attention every day, following us around in our homes, through our phones, on public transport, at work and especially during our time off.

How has this impacted the way we use our attention, the way we self-regulate? Do we struggle to stay focused, get distracted by technology, or procrastinate more?

We are here today with Xenia Angevin to help us uncover some of the truths and myths about our attention. Xenia is a multi-lingual psychologist, expert negotiator & learning & development specialist who helps clients become more strategic in the environments impacted by globalisation, high pressure, ambiguity and volatility.

Xenia focuses on helping to develop a powerful sense of purpose, life-work balance and stress tolerance. In her work as an ADHD coach, Xenia uses cognitive psychology to increase her capacity for clarity, focus and productivity and get away from procrastination and the distractions of the attention economy.

Episode Questions:

1. In your role as an ADHD coach and psychologist, have you noticed any recent trends regarding attention?
2. Can you give us a few examples of what attention dysregulation looks like?
3. How can we better understand whether we fall on the ADHD spectrum or our attention is just a little bit poor this month?
4. What is causing this attention problem? Is it something we are born with or something we can train?
5. Is the work environment supportive for people who have a genetic predisposition, or is there more we can do to help those struggling with attention?
6. Is there anything practical a leader can do to help a team member struggling with attention?
7. What are a few practical things I can do as an individual to train my focus and attention?
8. What do you think about mindfulness and meditation to improve your attention?

Quickfire Questions:

1. If I recently started noticing that my attention is going down, what is your number one tip for me to do before it escalates?
2. What is the number one tip you’d give yourself when you are becoming distracted or noticing your attention going down?