To get your attention to the topic of Attention, picture this:
Me, dressed up as Santa Claus in my December 2025 Newsletter with the overhead message…”I understand that 2025 was overwhelming?”
I was overwhelmed as well – I normally provide articles, books suggestions and networking tips for my newsletter but this time, I just had no energy left, no ‘gas in the tank’ as they say.
2025 was a slowdown year in consumer buying. A lot of clients told me they had budgets to spend on advertising or sales, yet they were careful to spend. After all this wasn’t the financial crisis of 2008/2009 or any symptoms anywhere near, but something was happening.
I was eager to determine why so many people said, “I’m overwhelmed”.
Many told me they just can’t focus – it ranged between the following statements:
- The boss and organization want “More with less!”
- The boss and the organization want us to change faster,
- Too many emails/ Slack/ WhatsApp messages. It was dizzying according to them throughout many industries.
Now if you add the daily commute of traffic, getting kids to/from school and late meetings my clients and peers equated this to: “I can’t seem to focus anymore”.
Sounds familiar?
Is it the moniker “ More with less” which is affecting our focus? Maybe, but I’ve heard this expression from one of my bosses, a VP when I was in my 30s so it’s not new.
Is it the speed of change and ultimately the threat of AI taking our jobs away? Perhaps but “change” is constant now so technically, we should be getting used to it or at least, accept the word and not be intimidated by the omnipresent need to change some thing or somehow.
AI people say it is the fear generator. I can see that but there are increasing numbers of companies adopting AI too fast – read massive job cuts or “AI hype outrunning reality ”- see the Salesforce.com story here: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/defaultinterstitial.cms
I’d prefer to state that “overwhelm” is coming from our lack of attention or inability to pay attention.
Let me give you a few vivid examples:
The next time you’re on the bus or subway, don’t sit but rather from a vantage point in front of you look at the number of people looking at their phones and divide that by the total number of people sitting down in that section. Chances are it’s probably 80 to 90%.
My point? This is one moment in your life, in one location where complete strangers are fixed to swiping, reading, online shopping or watching an intense video.
Next, at a restaurant where people are supposed to enjoy a meal together, people are swiping. In fact, if they’re with their children, the kids are probably behaving because they have a phone or tablet. There’s no dialogue going on because people are swiping therefore no one is paying attention to anyone.
Closer to home now, observe your partner or spouse’s phone using habit, and how the kids are keeping busy at the table, so when you ask the question like: So…how was your day today?… or what’s the plan for today? don’t wonder when you get an awkward pause; a delay; then, ”What did you say?”
Perhaps I’m dramatizing but we have been hijacked, rather our brains have been hijacked by smartphones and social media. It’s like a habit, and like any insidious habit we use the phone for digital distractions: To kill waiting time, to swipe, to get informed, to procrastinate, be entertained or quite simply because we’re bored.
We’ve all heard about algorithms that play tricks with us. They identify our viewing patterns and provide more of this “stuff”. They capture and monetize our attention through these smart AI algorithms yet as cognizant as we are about this trick, we all reach out for the phone and swipe for more.
Some forward-looking countries are considering limiting access to minors for social media. I applaud this effort, yet this requires political courage ( which becomes increasingly rare if we consider the geopolitical mess we have today) yet I don’t believe it can be sustained.
The solution?
Learning about attention or rather lack of attention and doing something about it.
Here’s a fascinating study conducted by Microsoft in 2025 to prove why Attention mastery is important for healthy leadership. These are good data points from Microsoft and it’s my humble effort to give you something credible to sow the idea that attention or lack thereof is important:
Leaders are overwhelmed by constant change, information overload and digital distraction
- 68% of people say they struggle with the pace and volume of work
- 46% feel burned out
- 85% of emails are read in under 15 seconds
- The average person receives 117 emails and 153 Teams messages daily
- We get interrupted by a digital notification every 2 minutes on average
Source: Microsoft survey on 31,000 people across 31 countries, May 2025.
These numbers are staggering. My colleagues at the NeuroMindfulness Institute have provided these statistics and will soon share results for another survey with regards to Attention mastery.
It’s always best to prove a point with research that has been thoroughly documented rather than relying on regurgitated garbage data, hearsay, news or sensationalism on social media.
Just for fun and if you’ve decided to take the “bull by the horns” to regain critical, precious attention with your loved ones and work colleagues, take this free test.
Don’t worry, this data will not be used to solicit you. Take the test and find your Archetype.
You may be shocked by the results. In fact, you may agree with the archetype and if so, great!
In my next article, I will show you how to improve your attention, diminish overwhelm and emphasize that mastering “Attention” is the new leadership superpower. By regaining control of focus this can boost energy, mental health and sustain performance – my favorite topic!
Have I got your attention now?