Isn't it about time? (Week 3)

Time is a very finite resource and inside that limited amount of time we have to decide how to balance the two different sides of attention. (1. The attention of others place on our work and the things we provide, and 2. the things we choose to place out attention in) That is the thing we have control over as individuals. Regardless of what we do, time will continue to pass by and will be used for an infinite number of things. There is nothing we can do to stop it. However, the amount of attention that we use isn't constant. We can use all of the time we have to pay attention to one thing or another, or we can choose to limit our attention to allow ourselves time to relax and recover (I personally like to sleep).

Like Davenport & Beck said, "attention is the real currency of businesses and individuals."  Every decision that is made starts with the attention of a person or group of people, so the point that they are trying to make is extremely valid. Business are trying to capture attention so they can convince you to purchase their services and/or goods. But they also have to decide which things available to them they are going to use their attention to focus on. This limited resource of attention is an extremely interesting topic and is why we have study things like selective exposure, news overload, participation etc. It all stems from someones attention. If we don't have attention, nothing matters and the work that we do is for not, regardless of the results. 

Understanding the principles of markets in association with attention is an interesting concept. The supply of information and other things that people can spend their attention on is infinite, especially in comparison to years past. Each person has a different demand curve related to the amount of information they want and the attention that they're willing to pay for it. So what is the equilibrium? What information are people demanding and how much of their attention are they willing to pay to consume it? Are they spending their attention on the right things, or are they filling their bellies with froth that does nothing to nourish the body? What are the priorities that we have for the attention we spend?