Are Our Attention Spans Shrinking?
Season 1- Episode #2
Welcome to Tick Tock Tech! In this episode, we are focusing on Technology and Connections and how technology can help and hinder personal connections.
In each episode, we will focus on a “fire” or a problem that educators and professionals may be struggling with. We will then focus on three options or tools for helping “put out the fire”.
In this episode, we will discuss the distractions of our online world and the effects this has on our attention span and work production.
Summary of Discussion Points:
Find time to indulge
Use timers
Find distractions with a purpose
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Transcript
Consider this, the average human attention span is now shorter than a goldfish is. A recent study has found that the average human attention span has fallen from 12 seconds in the year 2000. To eight seconds today, it is reported that goldfish have a nine-second attention span
Wow. Welcome to the tic tac podcast where we talk about all things education, tech, and teacher happiness. Join hosts, myself and a cliff and Cassie frost, as they share simple ideas to guide you and bring meaning to your day-to-day experiences.
Okay, so is our quote of the day true? Probably not, I don't know, I will fully admit when I was finding this quote, It is all over the place. It is like this one specifically was from the Orlando Sentinel, which I will link in our show notes. But this is everywhere. So if you pull up the internet, you look at human attention span shortening, you're going to get a reference to this somewhere. So it is a fact that kind of is shared that attention spans are getting shorter. So whether that's true that we are developing shorter attention spans, or it's maybe just more obvious because our worlds are moving faster. That's still to be determined.
Yeah, maybe we're just so distracted, right? There's just so much going on in our worlds.
Right, and maybe attention spans have been short for a long time. They just weren't as obviously short. But regardless, I think it's pretty fair that most people admit that. It seems like it's easier to get distracted today, especially by technology.
So we've come up with some ideas right Cassie?
Correct. We've got some solutions. So you got this fire you got the first two solutions so animal rights to to deal with short attention spans and our distraction.
Alright, first thing I think we need to schedule some time to enjoy we often try to avoid those things that we find distracting or funds we can get more done we've got more on our plate, we've got to get it done.
We don't always have to be on we always as parents, as teachers, as educators as workers, right? We feel like we always need to be on with all with everything that we do and how can we take time to enjoy the things that we like so schedule that time to enjoy the life around us.
So does that include like scheduling like 20 minutes to watch tic TOCs or Instagram reels or Oh yes,
yeah, those things are so distracting but yeah schedule that time though. It's it's also there's there's can be good mindfulness and just mindlessness right both and that time so yeah, schedule that time in your day but also know when there's a time to cut it off right there's that there's that that balance between being able to do it for a little bit and then getting too sucked in that you can't get off a bit right that addiction to it. So finding that time so we can get
some so So answer once giving yourself some time to actually like let yourself be directed and enjoy those kind of guilty pleasures.
Yeah, and I think that goes into our solution number two, that timer, right. So like, yeah, have these guilty pleasures. But then solution number two, set a timer. So there are so many ways to set timers, phones have timers, we can put limits on our watches now or if or smartwatches. So we can turn that off when we when we feel like we've reached a limit. So just making sure that we put some time on and how often we're doing the things that maybe are are maybe not the best thing for us but are still enjoyable and still still help us get through our days and have some fun too.
So is this like those like completely honest moments? Do you have anything that you have timers like that you have blocked on your phone?
Oh my gosh, yes to should I tell everyone?
Well, I'll I'll own up to mine if you own a few hours.
Okay, uh, you own up your tears first. Okay,
so mine my biggest one is I have blocks on Instagram and Facebook because the videos on there will like kind of catch me and then suddenly I realized it's been longer than I would like to be. So I've set them for 15 minutes a day. And that means like, I kind of know that I've allowed myself that time, so it's okay. Um, but that will like, Give me time then to look at them. And I will admit, on occasion, like, it'll come up as like a reminder, like you've reached your limit. But then you can like, say, like, remind me in 15 more minutes. I will admit, like weekends I do that. I will extend it a little. But it's I mean, it's not like it like as a hard lock. So I think that was one of the things like people I've talked to have been hesitant about using these timers, because like, what if they were in the middle of something, or, you know, so you can get around him? Pretty easy, but it's a good mindfulness, I've really started realizing how long I spend on those things. So 15 minutes a day is my time now?
Yes, no, I'm the same way Instagram and Facebook, I put timers on them. And I will say, though, I often will be like, one more minute. I'll just put my code in for one more minute. But I do change the dark mode on my phone. So at a certain time of night, I when my phone changes to a different color. I know that it's like my time to be done. Like my eyes need a break from it. So I'll do that at night. Yeah, that's Yeah, it's like a bonus solution in there. Because, yeah, I've never considered that. Yeah. Okay, that's a good mental cue, I should pay attention to that. I don't like I know, my phone gets darker. But just my phone. Yeah, I've never,
you can change it even darker.
I like that. Okay, so I'm gonna come up with a third solution, because it's kind of like my, one of my favorites. So like, all of these videos, sometimes, like I have my time to enjoy, which is really the mindless, you know, goofy dogs running around videos. But sometimes I do also like, and here's my tip number three, or solution number three, is picking a distraction with a purpose. So like, if there's something new, I'm learning, or I'm connecting with other people, then I will let myself have like more of that time. So even though I might be distracted, it might be learning something. So for example, if there's like a new craft, I'm learning how to do or coding, like, I love coding, I think it's great. I know very little about it someday, I will know tons I know very little. But like, it's some of these things are really helpful because you can watch all these short videos on little clips of code and what they do and how they do. And I'm learning something while I'm doing it. So sometimes if you kind of need that distractible moment, which I know I do, sometimes I just need to let my brain like, hop around. Sometimes I'll try to do that with things that are going to benefit me. So either something I'm learning, or I'm gonna, like, hop on and text Anna and be like, Hey, did you see this? Just completely a distraction in my day. But again, it's that connection piece. Which if you haven't listened to Episode One. Yeah.
I love that idea. I think there's even people I follow on Instagram that I just enjoy, because they bring new ideas to my professional and like, even my personal life, I follow some parenting, some people that provide parenting advice, and just better ways I can talk with my kids. So right, like finding those things that have purpose to love it. Great solution number three. So if we go through and we pick out those three solutions, right? What are they against? We've got scheduled time to enjoy some some of those fun distractions don't always have to be on Sunday in some timers are some limits for ourselves. And Cassie, you had the third one, what was that one? Again,
pick a distraction with a purpose. If you're going to be distractible, pick something that's going to actually benefit you not necessarily dogs dancing around, right? Unless you're teaching your dog to dance around, then have adder total. So in our first episode, we kind of started talking about some networking tips. So I think we're going to try to keep that going. Right? Because connections are important. So if you are wanting to connect with people, there are some ways in addition to you know, some virtual things. Um, there's a couple of conferences coming up. So if you work in the special education field, which not all of our listeners probably do, but a good chunk probably do. There's a couple of conferences coming up. So the Council for Exceptional Children, that one is in Orlando in January, and the ATA Conference, which is Assistive Technology Industry Association. Yeah, that's it. Is that a technology conference? Yeah. That was also in Orlando in January. So both of those have virtual options. And kind of we'll talk more about this later, too. But you can actually follow the hashtags for both of those conferences and see what people are talking about and join in those conversations and learn. So if you can't attend in person, or you can get 10 virtually, you can also kind of follow them on social media and see what people are saying and learn from that. So networking tip for today, stock other people's conference stuff.
Yeah, I love that. And I, you know what, I think it would be really helpful for users. If we put some of those hashtags, and are in our notes, like some of the ones that will be coming up as we go through the future episodes, we'll share some of those hashtags.
I think that's a great idea. And we can kind of just got a whole like list of hashtags.
Yeah, I like that. I could use that.
I agree. Because I was just thinking you probably have like this list of hashtags, that are not the same hashtags. I follow. So it'd be kind of interesting. Yeah. Yeah, what we have, we should probably come up with a hashtag. Yes, we probably should. This Okay. On our to do list. Yeah, we'll have a hashtag for hashtag.
Yeah, yeah. Then all of these will be linked under our hashtag, you'll find us so easily that. I love it. Look at us getting our stuff together. Yes, we're good. We're getting there. This this could be where we have to admit to people that we don't always have our stuff together. No, we don't. I mean, that that's, that's the reality of of this podcast, right. We want people to know that we don't have our stuff together either. But we're trying.
Yeah. And you know what, it all works out? Yes, it sure does.
All right. Well, we want to thank you all for joining us for another episode of tick tock tech. You can find links to information discussed in today's episode, along with references on our website. Don't forget to like, subscribe and share this podcast so you don't miss any tips and tricks. And so your fellow educators can join us in the fun.