The Magic of Conscious Inattention
Making the mind more productive
It is well known in the business world that every meeting has a hidden cost. The number of participants and their hourly wage determine that cost. By limiting the time and number of participants, discussions turn more productive, reducing organizational costs. Jeff Bezos instituted a policy at Amazon that limited the meeting size based on how many people two pizzas could feed. There are simple, easy-to-use apps to calculate meeting costs.
If there was such an app for what it costs us to engage with thousands of thoughts daily, it is unlikely that we would spend time passively ‘scrolling’ through thoughts that may not lead us anywhere, especially the negative variety. Encounters with thoughts, however fleeting, are ‘micro meetings.’ Productive or unproductive, the cost is time we cannot get back.
Let’s say someone accidentally bumps you from behind at the airport as you are trying to balance a cup of coffee and your luggage. The coffee spills on your suitcase and soaks the suit you planned to wear for a meeting the next day. Societal norms may prevent you from physically retaliating, but the mind will continue to curse long after the unfortunate incident.
Like a drop of poison that is potent enough to immobilize an elephant, a brief encounter like this can…
