Orientation · Protocol 07
Attention Audit
Notice where your attention actually goes before trying to control it. Attention Audit helps you see what repeatedly pulls, captures, or legitimately requires your attention so you can recognize the pattern before deciding what to change.
Three times this week…
- Pause during an ordinary part of your day and ask: “What has had my attention?”
- Look back over the last hour or so. Notice what you chose to focus on, what pulled your attention away, what your mind kept returning to, and what deserved attention but received little.
- Don’t try to fix it. Just notice where your attention went.
- After three checks, look for one recurring pattern.
What might be pulling your attention?
Interruption — something keeps breaking your focus. Rumination — your mind keeps returning to the same thought. Temptation — something more immediately rewarding keeps winning. Fixation — one thing absorbs more attention than you intended. Demands — other people or responsibilities legitimately require it. Interest — something naturally captures you.
Why it matters
Attention is limited. What receives it shapes what you notice, think about, and act on. Before you redirect attention, you need to know where it is already going.
Remember
Before deciding where your attention should go, notice where it already goes.