016 Maura Thomas on Attention Management

Building on last episode’s discussion of avoiding digital distractions, productivity expert Maura Thomas takes us through attention management.

(Maura is also an author, having written Personal Productivity Secrets, and Work Without Walls. She has her own productivity consulting business, Regain Your Time.)

Maura never intended to get into this field, but she was a “Kelly Girl”, as they were called back then and ended up working at a productivity company with David Allen, (grand)father of Getting Things Done (also known as “GTD” to productivity dorks).

In this episode, Maura dives into:

Why we tend to measure productivity the wrong way.
Why “time management” doesn’t work anymore.
Why the “2 minute rule” has been corrupted into bad advice.
How Maura got into productivity by accident and ended up working with David Allen the (grand)father of Getting Things Done. Plus, where she agrees with David (and where she disagrees).
The difference between “action” verbs (like “plan”) and “actionable” verbs (“call Joe”), and how this relates to productivity.
How to build up your ability to focus, including some specific hacks Maura used on herself when she was trying to write a book or convince herself to exercise.
The 3 areas of Attention Management (one of which discussed a lot in the last episode).
How being mindful can help you not only be more productive at work, but also in your relationships.
How to control your attention for your purposes, while everyone else is trying to steal it.