The wealth of attention
The wealth of attention
Attention is our true wealth, and we can either build it or squander it.
If you make more money than you spend, you accumulate wealth. What happens if you control your attention better than others control yours? You accumulate attention. Welcome to the attention economy.
Meet Alice
Alice, a businesswoman, exemplifies wealth of attention. She's known for impactful work and captivating speeches. She appears knowledgeable on TV and shares insights on social media. Alice stands for something, tirelessly working to make the world better.
Yet Alice rarely uses social media herself. She doesn't waste time on cat videos or news irrelevant to her life. She focuses on her offline world: family, friends, and spending time in nature. She manages messages and emails efficiently, protecting long blocks of uninterrupted time for deep thinking. Alice reads great books, meditates, and maintains a state of flow in her work.
When people meet Alice, they feel her complete presence. She has interesting perspectives and enjoys engaging conversations. Alice has mastered capturing others' attention while protecting her own, leading to exciting opportunities and the energy to do great work.
Meet Bob
Contrast this with Bob. He checks his phone immediately upon waking, scrolls the news while making coffee, and listens to sped-up podcasts during his commute. At work, he's constantly distracted by coworkers and struggles to meet deadlines. Bob sends spam emails hoping to increase sales and creates AI-generated social media posts that rarely engage his audience.
Bob can't remember the last book he finished. His mind is cluttered with random information from various social platforms. He doesn't notice the beauty around him and is always consumed by the next online video or social media update. When meeting friends, meaningful conversations are replaced by small talk fueled by alcohol.
Bob lacks the wealth of attention. He's at the mercy of digital devices and others' demands. He rarely experiences flow or develops original thoughts. As a result, Bob struggles to command others' attention or meet his goals.
Concentration and equanimity
To build a wealth of attention, we must cultivate two key skills:
Concentration: The ability to keep your attention where you choose for as long as you want.
Equanimity: Being present with unpleasant experiences without running away.
Alice excels at both. When strategising, she stays focused despite distractions and uncomfortable thoughts. Bob, however, can't concentrate on tasks and escapes discomfort by mindlessly switching to social media or emails.
These skills can be practised. If you were to design a practice that trains your capacity to stay focused and be grounded in the presence of discomfort, it would look an awful lot like meditation.
In fact, it is meditation. It's not just for enlightenment-seeking yogis; it's a practical way for your mind to stay fit in the attention economy. (Btw, this is why you don’t meditate).
Wealth of attention isn't a zero-sum game
We're not trying to manipulate others while avoiding manipulation ourselves. Instead, it's about discerning what information we consume and how we respond to discomfort and distractions. The world would be better if more people had a wealth of attention.
Like financial wealth, we can create more attention wealth together. When we offer genuine value in exchange for others' attention, it's a win-win. Our goal isn't to make others easily distractible but to be worthy of their discerning attention.
In Making What People Want Is Not Enough Anymore, I wrote about one side of this equation: attracting the attention of others. This essay is about the other side: commanding our own and ensuring we spend it on things that truly matter.
Mastering both the ability to attract others' attention and command our own is the foundation for every other kind of wealth. Look at any successful person, and you'll see this pattern: it's hard to capture their attention, but they command the attention of those who matter to them.
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PPPS If you’re curious, the first draft was 1850 words 🙀, but this one is about 690. You’re welcome :)
Love the PPPS Evgeny! (And a big fan of your newsletter and approach in general) 👏
This is brilliant. Accumulating attention and focus wealth is the dream. Ive not heard of equinamity before in this context. Very thought provoking. Thank you for sharing!