Inattention

It was very intentional that I call one of my workshops Stop & Think and my teaching philosophy is based on what I call the Awareness Framework.   I believe that a great deal of stress and imbalance in our lives comes from the lack of being present on multiple levels.  Turns out I’m not the only one who thinks the western world’s inability to focus is becoming an issue with big far reaching impact.  Recently the Wall Street Journal, published an article, How to End the Age of Inattention, about a new program at medical schools (Yale, Harvard, Connell to be specific)  that teaches medical students how to slow down and observe the details of life. In the program students enhance observation skills by looking and then describing paintings with whole people in them.   Turns out in a 2008 study it was found that the average attentions span over the last decade has gone from 12 minutes to 5 minutes. (One can only wonder what it is now.)  The program called Enhancing Observations Skills is now being picked up by some MBA schools as well. Perhaps this program should begin in elementary school, imagine the impact of building a child’s ability to pay attention from the get go.