Attention Management - The Context S04E15

Does it happen that someone calls you on the phone, and when they start talking you wonder why is this person even calling you? We have so many alternatives available today that can be much better than the old way of phone calls for certain interactions. The ability to use, take advantage of, and properly configure these options is pretty essential in today's technological world.

If you want to talk to me on the phone then you should make sure that I have your number in my contact list, and maybe you should make sure that I'm available and I know what you want to talk about, for how much time we plan to talk. What I am describing is basically a calendar invite; it can be something less formal too, like just a couple of messages on WhatsApp or Telegram, with a message that says “Hey, I'd like to talk for 15 minutes about X, Y and Z tomorrow at 3PM. Are you available?” I do like calendar invites. My family and friends laugh about it, because I send calendar invites to them for almost everything, I just find it convenient and relaxing.

Managing information flow is important for our attention span, and that is why these tools are so useful. That is what I mean about them being relaxing, because I can concentrate on what matters, the substance of the communication, the decisions that flow from it, agreeing to go to the movies together or settling on a partnership or a business deal and not having to worry about the details and the mechanics.

When I talk with someone so directly on a video call or conference, which is now becoming universal, I do like to see the other person and encourage the camera to be turned on, and accepting when it cannot is wonderful. That is why knowing how to develop the tools, adapt, configure them, and how to then take advantage of the opportunity of speaking practically to anyone on the planet is an opportunity that we have to treasure and we have to take advantage of. Do you want to talk to me? You are absolutely welcome. And I am looking forward to being able to do that. Let’s follow best practices to take advantage of the opportunity.