Give me your undivided attention

What is "undivided attention" anyway?  Officially, something like the capacity to maintain selective or sustained concentration in a manner which is not separated or divided.  More importantly though, is this even possible? 

Reflecting on my day, for how many moments is my complete attention engrossed in any single activity?  Never.  Even when I am focused on one individual and one situation, my mind is still noting other things...  The phone ringing, what my co-worker in the next office is saying or doing, my impression of the individual I am working with, formulating an assumption of their impression of me, thinking of the next step of the current exchange, and going over my mental checklist.  Simultaneously.  Effectively?  Maybe not.  Part of the norm?  I think so.

What does this mean for a Gen Y like myself?  Nothing out of the ordinary.  According to an article titled, "Motivating Gen X, Gen Y Workers", I am part of what can "be thought of as the 'over-scheduled' generation".  This is nothing new to me and probably not news to most of the individuals around my age.  It is an inherent part of how we function and how we are motivated.  We have grown and developed into highly functioning individuals looking for real-time results in a multitude of areas simultaneously.  As I mull over this post tonight, I have counted five things that I am working on at once.  And it is normal.

I think we saw the last of "undivided attention" when we weren't paying attention in the second grade. 

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