Hello Reader,

Every day, your attention moves.

It shifts between tasks, screens, conversations, internal noise. Sometimes you guide it. Often, it gets pulled.

And rarely—rarely—do you pause to ask: Where is it going? And why?

Attention isn’t just focus. It’s not about trying harder to concentrate. It’s a finite resource. A vote. A signal of value.

When you give your attention to something, you give it your time, your energy, your care. It’s not a tap to scroll past. It’s an exchange.

But the world isn’t neutral about your attention.

It’s designed to capture it. To scatter it. To spend it for you.

That’s how you end up checking email before bed. Jumping between tabs. Half-listening to a podcast while answering Slack messages. That’s not failure. That’s friction.

The good news? Once you see it, you can shift it.

You can reclaim moments. Rebuild margins. Remember how to place your attention, not just give it away.

This isn’t about control. It’s about clarity.

It’s not about productivity. It’s about presence.

And once you begin to notice where your attention goes, you can begin to chart a path for it—one that leads not to exhaustion, but to alignment.

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Look

What if you spent a whole week not adding tasks—but deleting them?

In this clip from one of his Solopreneur Simplifier Skill Sessions, Josh Spector shares a practice he calls Delete Week—a dedicated period to reassess and remove. Not out of overwhelm or frustration, but with intention.

If attention is your most valuable resource, what you eliminate matters just as much as what you focus on. This is a great way to sharpen your lens. Watch it here.​

Listen

In this thoughtful episode of Rethinking, Adam Grant speaks with author and YouTube creator John Green about how attention shapes meaning.

John explains how he realized that attention is the “rarest and purest form of generosity,” quoting Simone Weil. They explore how noticing things—really noticing—can help us build better relationships, live more intentional lives, and resist the pull of outrage culture. Green reflects on his experiences with obsessive attention, social media, and the creative process, and why he believes that where we direct our attention shapes not only what we see, but who we become.

This isn’t just a conversation about focus—it’s about what deserves your focus. Listen here on Spotify and here on Apple Podcasts.

Learn

We tend to treat attention as a singular resource—something to conserve, direct, or protect. But what if it’s more nuanced than that? In this post, Austin Kleon breaks it down beautifully: attention isn’t just a matter of what you’re looking at, but how you’re looking.

He explores the idea that attention comes in two distinct forms: narrow (focused, goal-oriented) and wide (open, ambient, receptive). Both serve a purpose—but many of us spend too much time locked into one and neglect the other.

As Kleon writes, it’s in the interplay between these modes—like zooming in and pulling back—that we can not only do better work but live more fully. This is a short read with long-lasting implications.

It’s worth paying attention to. Read the post here.​

The Final Flicker

You don’t have to chase your attention. You can choose where it lands.

And when you do, even ordinary moments gain weight.

Not because you did more. But because you were there.

See you later,
Mike

P.S. I go much deeper into the topic of attention—including the framework I call The Spheres of Attention—in my book The Productivity Diet. If today’s issue resonated with you, you’ll find even more to explore inside the book. Grab your copy here.​

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Thanks for reading. Your time is valuable, and I don’t take it for granted. In a world pulling us in all directions, thanks for choosing The Lantern.

Productivityist Productivity Services Inc. | 1411 Haultain Street, Victoria, BC V8R 2J6
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