It’s Friday as this is getting written. A decent chunk of the white-collar population doesn’t do anything on Fridays after about 3 o’clock.  Not looking at any of you in particular, here.

Actually, my concern is how much we are getting done before that. Like, now. Or Tuesday at 4?

Screens, doom scrolling, WFH distractions (what is that damn dog up to now?)

It’s hard to maintain attention.

Obviously, by ‘attention’ I mean, zooming in on a task, focusing the entire power of our highly experienced brain.  We all know that don’t we?

We also know human ‘attention spans’ have dropped below that of the goldfish. (Thank you, technology.)

But is this a problem? 

The phrase ‘attention spans’ is in apostrophes, above. That’s because psychologist Gloria Mark thinks the truth is humans actually pay attention in loads of ways.  Your dog doesn’t necessarily undermine all of them.

What’s the attention model we all currently think we are trying to practice? It’s called ‘flow’, (first defined by Mihal Csikszentmihalyi); that deep work state where distractions fall away and time starts to pass unheeded.

Our common mistake is to believe that unless we are experiencing that exact thing, we are not really paying ‘proper attention’.

In fact, Mark suggests, humans shift among 4, perfectly valuable, modes of attention:

1. Focused Mode
   • Deep concentration on a single task.
   • Beneficial for complex problem-solving, writing, coding, or learning something new.
   • Can lead to fatigue if sustained too long.
2. Rote/Automatic Mode
   • Performing familiar, low-effort tasks (e.g., routine email checking, data entry).
   • Requires minimal cognitive control.
   • Helps conserve energy for later tasks.
3. Exploratory or Scanning Mode
   • Rapid shifting between tasks, browsing, or information foraging.
   • Useful for creativity, discovery, and staying aware of broader contexts.
   • Not “distraction,” but a legitimate way of engaging with information.
   • Unless you are on TikTok FFS. (She didn’t say that, I did).
4. Recovery or Restorative Mode
   • Downtime, breaks, and mind-wandering.
   • Essential for replenishing cognitive resources.
   • Often where insights and creative connections emerge.

Rather than insisting on constant concentration, practising effective attention challenges you to move flexibly among these modes, depending on the task and the level of mental energy at the time. For example:

A student might focus while studying a difficult concept, then switch to scanning mode to explore related resources, and later engage in rest to consolidate learning.

And, a worker alternating between focused writing and lighter administrative tasks is not “letting themselves get distracted” but managing attentional energy.

The key is that our brains aren’t wired to do focused mode all the time. If you can’t do it at all, it’s a problem, for sure.

But if you try to do it constantly, you will fail.

So maybe we shouldn’t be beating ourselves up too much this Friday, or whatever day it is you’re reading this.  Go and find the brilliant Waitrose 2025 ad about chicken that ‘checks out’. (Enjoy the lyrics, but don’t try to hard to learn them, in this mode.)

Alternatively, spend two minutes finding a new song by a favourite artist and play that while looking out of the window.

While you’re doing that, your restorative mode might come up with some good ideas for your current Big Project.

Let me know if this helps!