Continuous Partial Attention: Alway on. Never Present.

🚀 Subscribe to the newsletter: https://sketchplanations.substack.com... 📚 Buy the book: https://sketchplanations.com/big-idea... Continuous Partial Attention describes the state of being constantly connected and alert; trying to do multiple things at once, which often leads to an ever-present, low-level form of stress. It was coined in the 1990s by Linda Stone. In this episode of the Sketchplanations podcast, we explore how this phenomenon affects modern life, contrast it with multitasking, and discuss both the positive and negative aspects. We also look at how technology has exacerbated this issue and practical tips to manage continuous partial attention and its implications in various contexts from family life to professional settings. Links to things we discussed: Linda Stone - https://lindastone.net/about/ Dan Kahneman's book Thinking Fast and Slow - https://geni.us/thinking-kahneman (affiliate link) Mind Over Tech - https://www.mindovertech.com Video of Woman who Walks into Fountain Whilst Texting -    • Woman Falls in Mall Fountain While Texting   The Film: Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/ Other Sketches and podcast episodes referenced: Phubbing episode - https://podcast.sketchplanations.com/... Phone Zombie - https://sketchplanations.com/phone-zo... Hegel's Dialectic: Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis sketch - https://sketchplanations.com/thesis-a... Yak Shaving - https://sketchplanations.com/yak-shaving 5 Ways to Wellbeing - https://podcast.sketchplanations.com/... Everyone's a Geek About Something - https://podcast.sketchplanations.com/... How to Instantly Feel Better - https://podcast.sketchplanations.com/... Picking the Perfect Present - https://podcast.sketchplanations.com/... Buy Jono's Book: Big Ideas, Little Pictures, for a loved one this Christmas - The Perfect Present and then some... https://sketchplanations.com/big-idea... Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Continuous Partial Attention 01:31 Depicting Continuous Partial Attention in a Sketch 04:25 Personal Experiences with Continuous Partial Attention 05:54 The Impact of Technology on Attention 08:49 Multitasking vs. Continuous Partial Attention 11:15 The Challenge of Staying Focused 17:05 The Role of Continuous Partial Attention in Different Professions 20:38 The Dilemma of Turning Off Notifications 21:15 Balancing Work and Family Life 22:03 The Art of Multitasking 22:59 The Pitfalls of Continuous Partial Attention 23:49 Turning Cognition into Automation 25:25 The Rise of Single Tasking 27:54 The Productivity of Focused Work 32:07 The Future of AI and Continuous Partial Attention 34:20 Final Thoughts and Recommendations All music on this podcast is provided by the very talented Franc Cinelli.