r/attentioneering • u/Phukovsky • Aug 02 '25
Welcome to r/attentioneering
Hey everyone! This community (while still small) has grown dramatically over the past week, so I want to introduce myself and share what we're building here.
I (Tyler) created this subreddit because other communities like r/productivity are great, but they don't have a dedicated space for people working on their focus. I wanted somewhere people could regularly check in, share what they're dealing with, and actually get helpful advice on how to improve.
I strongly believe that in a world drowning in distraction and constantly on the hunt for productivity advice, the ability to pay attention is the overlooked key to it all.
Here's why:
- You quite literally are what you pay attention to.
- Your brain changes based on how you pay attention.
- Big tech is spending trillions of dollars training attention to do its bidding and most people are too busy with busyness to notice.
- The ability to concentrate is the major value lever for your professional life. It’s the single most important job skill that will never become obsolete and never be replaced by artificial intelligence (but to take advantage of AI, you need to be able to concentrate).
- Concentration is a muscle that needs to be developed in order to grow stronger. You cannot simply read about it and expect to improve. Just like watching videos of workouts won't make you strong. You must practice.
- The quality of your attention determines the quality of your life.
What you'll find here moving forward:
- Tools and experiments for training attention
- Real discussions about the struggle to focus deeply
- Research on how attention shapes your brain and your life
- Strategies that go beyond surface-level productivity tips
- A community that understands why this work matters
- Opportunities to practice together
Most productivity advice treats symptoms. We're interested in building the underlying capacity for sustained, deliberate attention. Concentration is hard work, but developing this skill will change how you work and live. It's changed mine.
r/attentioneering welcomes your posts and comments about where you’re struggling, what’s working, and what isn’t.
Please feel free to share anytime!
2
u/cobdequiapo Aug 05 '25
much ado about nothing Tyler the sub creator. anyway can we get tldr: on this one?
2
u/Phukovsky Aug 05 '25
Haha. Absolutely!
TLDR:
Your attention is under constant attack from tech companies spending trillions to capture it, but concentration is a trainable skill that determines your success and quality of life.
This community focuses on building sustained attention through practice and real strategies.
It exists to help you develop the mental muscle that makes everything else possible.
3
u/AnthonyMetivier Aug 03 '25
Great mission!
I especially love you calling out the problem of busyness of the sake of busyness.
Seneca called this out back in his day with:
Nihil minus est, hominis occupati, quam viveri.
I'm typing that from memory, so my Latin spelling may be flawed. But the general idea is that we too often busy ourselves with the busy matter of life to our deficit.
I focus a lot on focus in my teaching because it's so essential to memory so look forward to contributing.
Power to those who practice focus!