Attention Residue

There's no such thing as multi-tasking, some are just better at task switching.

"Attention residue" refers to the lingering effect of one task or activity on your attention when you switch to another task. The idea is that even after you've finished a task and moved on to something else, traces of your attention remain with the previous task, affecting your focus and performance on the new task. Basically, if I am working on my next Leadership Course and then my business partner calls, it is IMPOSSIBLE to instantly be 100% focused on the phone call. There’s some residual mental work occurring with regards to my last task. This concept is often discussed in the context of cognitive psychology and productivity.

Why do business leaders care about attention residue? Because how we set up our work environments drive productivity. It also impacts what attributes we look for when hiring for specific positions.