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Squandering Attention

  • Writer: Deric Hollings
    Deric Hollings
  • Oct 8
  • 6 min read

 

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

 

When working with clients to help improve their mental, emotional, and behavioral health, I often find that they squander (to spend extravagantly or foolishly: waste) their attention (the act or state of applying the mind to something). About this, Epictetus stated (page 129):

 

When you let your attention slide for a bit, don’t think you will get back a grip on it whenever you wish—instead, bear in mind that because of today’s mistake everything that follows will be necessarily worse. . . . Is it possible to be free from error?

 

Not by any means, but it is possible to be a person always stretching to avoid error. For we must be content to at least escape a few mistakes by never letting our attention slide.

 

Squandering attention detracts from daily practice of REBT. Without intentional focus of one’s attention on the ABC model and unconditional acceptance, how will one become proficient with use of these tools? Regarding this matter, authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 129):

 

Winifred Gallagher, in her book Rapt, quotes David Meyer, a cognitive scientist at the University of Michigan: “Einstein didn’t invent the theory of relativity while he was multitasking at the Swiss patent office.”

 

It came after, when he really had time to focus and study. Attention matters—and in an era in which our attention is being fought for by every new app, website, article, book, tweet, and post, its value has only gone up.

 

The more I read The Daily Stoic, the more I realize how erroneous some of the information is which is covered by the authors. For years, I’ve been dispelling the notion that our brains are capable of “multitasking” on a conscious level. Addressing this matter, one source states:

 

Though some people claim to be excellent multitaskers, the truth is, our brain is not capable of multitasking. In the book “Neuro Teach: Brain Science and the Future of Education,” authors Whitman and Kelleher explain that “the brain cannot multitask – instead it rapidly switches from meeting the demands of one task to meeting the demands of another. There is a switching cost for doing so…it results in more effort for less efficient performance.”

 

If you take nothing else away from this blogpost, I hope you understand that on a conscious level the human brain rapid-switches, though it doesn’t multitask. Perhaps a relatively brief thought experiment may enrich your understanding.


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Imagine you work from home, using a laptop. On a particular day, you have five major tasks to complete. You need to attend a teleconference meeting, complete work on a major project, contact several consumers of a product, finish online training, and file a quarterly report.

 

Suppose you’re able to attend the meeting while also working on your major project. You’re required to listen and respond to your work colleagues, though as you’re reading through project details, you miss what’s being said by your coworkers.

 

Essentially, your brain is capable of rapidly switching between tasks. However, you can’t conduct meeting responsibilities and project obligations simultaneously (i.e., so-called multitasking). Adding another degree of difficulty to this scenario, imagine the TV being on.

 

While you attend a teleconference work meeting while rapidly switching to work on your major project, sounds and images from the TV distract you. Congratulations! You’re effectively squandered your attention. About this, authors of The Daily Stoic conclude (page 129):

 

Part of what Epictetus is saying here is that attention is a habit, and that letting your attention slip and wander builds bad habits and enables mistakes. You’ll never complete all your tasks if you allow yourself to be distracted with every tiny interruption. Your attention is one of your most critical resources. Don’t squander it!

 

When working with clients, in the interest of remaining focused on daily REBT practice so that competency may be established, I advocate intent focus on what takes place in the present. As not to squander attention, this means that rigorous attention is required. What do you think?

 

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

 

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

 

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

 

 

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

 

References:

 

Carlson, J. (2021, March 22). The multitasking myth. Foundations Cognitive Schools. Retrieved from https://foundationscognitive.com/blog/the-multitasking-myth

Daily Stoic. (n.d.). Translating the Stoics: An interview with “The Daily Stoic” co-author Stephen Hanselman. Retrieved from https://dailystoic.com/stephen-hanselman-interview/

Edutopia. (n.d.). Ian Kelleher. George Lucas Educational Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/profile/ian-kelleher/

Gallagher, W. (n.d.). Rapt. Retrieved from https://www.winifredgallagher.com/#Rapt

Gallagher, W. (n.d.). Winifred Gallagher – writer [Official website]. Retrieved from https://www.winifredgallagher.com/

Holiday, R. and Hanselman, S. (2016). The daily stoic: 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living. Penguin Random House LLC. Retrieved from https://www.pdfdrive.com/the-daily-stoic-366-meditations-on-wisdom-perseverance-and-the-art-of-living-d61378067.html

Hollings, D. (2025, June 17). Daily practice. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/daily-practice

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