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Doctor’s Insight: Time is measurable. Attention is biological. Manage the right one.
Dear Andrea Csilla,
A client recently told me:
“I time-blocked my whole week. Everything had its place. But by Wednesday, I was behind — and exhausted.”
She didn’t have a time problem.
She had an attention problem.
As a doctor, I know that your time and your attention are not the same resource.
Time is objective. Attention is biological — and limited.
🧠 Why Attention ≠ Time
You can spend two hours on a task and produce nothing…
Or spend 45 minutes in deep focus and move mountains.
The difference is your cognitive energy — your ability to sustain focus, make decisions, and resist distraction.
This energy is affected by:
When your cognitive energy is low, you may have time — but not the capacity to use it.
🧪 The Science
Studies in cognitive neuroscience show that attentional control and executive function degrade throughout the day, especially after multitasking, interruptions, and stress (Boksem et al., 2005; Lim & Dinges, 2010).
Your prefrontal cortex — the part of your brain responsible for planning, reasoning, and attention — gets fatigued.
Think of attention like a muscle: the more you use it without rest, the weaker it gets.
💡 Doctor’s Tip: Budget Your Attention, Not Just Your Hours
Try this:
✅ Every morning, choose 1–2 high-focus tasks — and do them first.
✅ Use the afternoon for admin, meetings, or collaborative work.
✅ Add a 5-minute break after every deep block to mentally reset.
✅ Track how long you can stay focused before your energy dips — that’s your personal “focus window.”
You’ll get more done — with less struggle.
🎯 Time-blocking is helpful.
But attention-blocking is powerful.
Your brain isn’t a robot. It’s a biological system with limits — and patterns.
Protect your focus. Protect your health.
👉 Book a 30-minute Team Productivity & Well-Being Strategy Session with me — and let’s rebuild your week around your real capacity.
📚 References
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Boksem, M. A., Meijman, T. F., & Lorist, M. M. (2005). Mental fatigue, motivation and action monitoring. Biological Psychology, 70(3), 123–132.
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Lim, J., & Dinges, D. F. (2010). A meta-analysis of the impact of short-term sleep deprivation on cognitive variables. Psychological Bulletin, 136(3), 375.
Have a productive day!
Andrea
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LinkedIn: Andrea (Csilla) Szabó
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Website: Stress-free Team
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