I’m re-reading, Good Business by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. He’s the author of Flow and wrote this book in an attempt to help business people in the search of enjoyment at work. The book is loaded with wisdom and science to prove the authors vantage point. I’m getting a ton more the second go around. Funny, huh.
Here’s a piece of his science that I really believe. Remember, science is as much faith as religion. It just is.
According to Mihaly and his researchers, the human brain is capable of processing 110 bits of information per second. For one human to listen to another takes 40 bits of your attention. To process the “body language” takes another 40.
Translation.
If you look at your spouse, your boss, your teammate, your enemy, your neighbor, your teenager, or any other face in your life, your attention is pretty much shot. Try listening to two folks as once and you’re toast. Try multi-tasking on the phone while your doing email, burnt toast. Want to watch some TV and carry on like you care?
Give it up.
Your brain cannot multitask despite your best efforts or your relative youth. The brain, on it’s best day, can move rapidly from one to another. Trying to split your attention, however, is asking for trouble. It just is. The sooner we realize that all we have is our attention, the better. Give your attention judiciously. AND, maybe just maybe, Miss won’t have to say (at least as often)…
“How many times do I have to tell you?”
Funny, huh…
BUILT TO LEAD 