FIA Journal
I sat down to write an email about focus and made it about ninety seconds before getting distracted. There's a joke in there somewhere.
It's almost too obvious to make.
But it did rather prove the point. My attention span isn't what it used to be, and lately I've been thinking seriously about what I can do to change that.
What I’m Doing About My Shrinking Attention Span
Hello Reader,
September always feels like the start of something, even years after my studying days.
If you're at university, it's back to lectures and studios. If you're at work, it's back from the August lull, when everyone was half on holiday and inboxes were noticeably quieter. New month, time to get focused.
I've been thinking about focus a lot lately, not as something you either have or don't, but as something you build. My attention span isn't what it used to be, and I don't think that's unique to me. Rather than just accepting this shift as the cost of modern life, I want to work on it, the same way you'd work on any other skill.
I take a lot of pride in my work and set a high standard for myself. It bothers me when I get to the end of a day and can't point to the one or two things that really mattered, because I spent my time half-focused on six things at once. That's the bit I'm trying to change.
I'm taking a couple of weeks off soon, and Atomic Habits by James Clear is going back on my reading list. I read it a while back but some books are worth returning to. Not because you forgot the ideas, but because you forgot to keep applying them. I want to use this break to rebuild a few habits properly, rather than hoping they sort themselves out once things pick up again.
I've also been thinking about Deep Work by Cal Newport, which I read a couple of years ago and still find myself coming back to. Newport's argument, roughly, is that the ability to focus without distraction on a demanding task is becoming rarer and more valuable, precisely because so much of our day is designed to fragment our attention. Worth a read if you haven't. And worth a reread if, like me, it's been a while.
Here's what I'm trying – and a few ideas for you, if you want to work on this alongside me:
- Naming the distraction. Notice what pulls you away and when. For me it's often the phone, but sometimes it's just switching tasks because the one in front of me feels hard, or because something else feels more urgent.
- One task, one block of time. Pick a single thing and give it a proper, undistracted run, rather than half-doing five things and finishing none of them well.
- Phone out of reach, not just face down. Face down on the desk is still one glance away. Out of the room is a different level of commitment.
- Doing the hardest task first. While your focus is freshest, rather than saving it for last and hoping there's enough left in the tank.
None of these ideas are groundbreaking. It's not meant to be. It's meant to build the muscle back up, one session at a time.
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Pick a thing and give it a proper undistracted run, rather than half-doing five things.
I'd really love to know how you stay focused, or what you're working on building back. Hit reply and tell me. I'm collecting ideas as much for myself as for anyone else, and I'll check back in on how this is going in a future issue.
What I've Been Working On
This theme showed up in something much more ordinary: reviewing our standard build-up template for the Future Homes work, and working through which details still hold up against the new u-values we're expecting.
When you've got tens of u-values to check against tens of build-ups, there's no version of that task that survives a half-distracted afternoon.
Every time my attention drifted, I'd catch myself three lines down having lost track of which build-up I was even checking. It was a real test of whether the ideas above hold up under pressure, and mostly, they did.
WHAT'S NEW AT FIRST IN ARCHITECTURE
In Case You Missed It
A few things we've published since the last email, worth a look if any of them catch your eye:
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Designing for Disability (Part One)
The first in a new series looking at inclusive design principles.
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Foundation Details Guide
A look at how different foundation types work and when each one is appropriate.
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Pitched Roof Details Guide
Construction principles and detailing considerations for pitched roofs.
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A Quiet Reminder
Focus isn't really about willpower. It's about deciding, in advance, what deserves your attention, so you're not renegotiating that decision every few minutes throughout the day.
And like any other skill, it takes time and practice. September feels like a good time to begin.
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Thank you for being here and taking the time to read, we really appreciate your support. Wishing you a great start to the month ahead.
All the best,
Emma
First In Architecture
