The hidden cost of your attention

Virginie Gloor
9 hours ago
2 min read

How your mental energy gets drained click after click.

Every time you get interrupted — a notification, a vibration, a quick “just replying to this one message” — your brain pays a price.

And that price is your attention.More than time, your ability to focus is the most valuable resource you own.

The multitasking illusion

No, you’re not multitasking.You’re task-switching. And every time you switch from one task to another, it can take up to 23 minutes to regain full focus.

📚 Source : Gloria Mark, University of California Irvine➤ Étude complète sur le “attention residue”

When you jump from email to Slack, to Instagram, to your spreadsheet, to WhatsApp… you don’t just shift tasks — you leave behind attention residue, and it slows you down.

What you’re really losing

Digital interruptions fracture your attention. And once it’s fragmented:

🧠 You lose mental depth.
🚫 You slow down and miss deadlines.
💭 You finish the day mentally drained, without knowing why.

A Microsoft Canada study found that the average attention span dropped from 12 to 8 seconds between 2000 and 2015 — shorter than a goldfish's 🐠.

And it keeps shrinking.

📚 Source : Microsoft Attention Spans Report (2015)

Attention is the new currency

Today’s economy isn’t based on goods or time. It’s built on your attention.

What you watch. What you click. What holds you for even 5 more seconds.

If you don’t decide what deserves your attention, algorithms will decide for you. And their goal? Retention — not your well-being.

Take back control in 3 clear steps

No, you don’t have to quit digital life. But you can set a better structure.

🔕 1. Turn off non-essential notifications You don’t need your phone buzzing every time someone posts. Decide when you check your apps — not the other way around.
📅 2. Block focus time Work in 25-45 minute sessions without interruption. Use airplane mode, Pomodoro, or headphones — choose your tool.
🧹 3. Clean your digital space Delete distracting apps. Simplify your home screen. Follow accounts that inspire, not drain you.