What's holding your attention right now? How valuable or necessary is that thought for you? If given a choice, what'll you pay attention to right now?

Remember how every time we post something on Facebook, it always cares or dares to ask us: What's on your mind?

Same way, it's essential for us to be aware of what's holding our attention- most of the time, some of the time, or even slightly?

Let's shed some light on the concept of- Attentional Space.

It refers to the level of mental capacity that we possess & that we need to focus on something & process that information at that very moment. In layman's language, we can think of it as a scratch pad or a rough notepad of the brain, where we store temporary information.

Attentional Space allows us to hold, manipulate, and connect information simultaneously. This information can be accessed quickly and is temporary. If your brain were a computer, your attentional space would be the RAM (the Random Access Memory). Our attentional space can hold limited information for a given period as this space is considerably small.

Even while daydreaming or not focusing on anything, in particular, we tend to fill our attentional space with different thoughts & scenarios. It holds minute information about everything that you are aware of at the moment. It's the total of your entire conscious world at any given point in time.

Whether you're drafting an email, watching something on TV, having dinner with your family, you'll often find yourself spending half the time thinking about things that are not even in front of you. Sometimes when you're doing something, you must have noticed that your mind tends to wander away.

The more conscious and aware you are about your attentional space, the faster you get back on track if & when your mind starts to wander away. Taking charge of your attentional space will help you lead an intentional life, enhance productivity & positively impact every area of your life. You'll become more mindful of your choices, better manage stress & achieve more with fewer inputs.

Being aware of the contents of your attentional space is like writing the book of your own life. You are already halfway through before you even start to walk. I start my training sessions with this as it helps build a stable foundation to enhance one's productive excellence.

Here's a quick question: What's holding your attention right now?

If you feel like there's an overload of information/thoughts at any point in time, you can deal with them by penning them down.

Note down some pointers or record an audio file so that you can tend to them later with complete focus.