Will the Coronavirus Lockdown Increase Our Attention Span?

For the last 10 year, we have been on a race to boil everything down its simplest essences, to the bare bones. In all the noise, we have grossly oversimplified our communication just to get a word in edgewise. Yes, the one thing you need to know to build an airplane may be “lift,” but if you want to land that airplane, you may want to find out about landing gear, too. But in the past, (last month) we had no time for that piece of information. “Got it, lift” they’d say! And run with it.

Well, with shelter in place, we’re not running so fast anymore. In fact, we are all slowed down, shut in and downright bored. We have a friend who said sarcastically, “I finished YouTube, what’s next?” But seriously, aside from entertainment (which is a wonderful distraction), we all have the time to rethink things, explore stuff, and reboot everything.

Now is a good time to get back to basics, starting with your home and your environment. If you don’t keep it clean and organized, things could get depressing. The same is true with your work style. What will you do during the crisis, and what will you do after the crisis? What will the world and the economy look like? What will be in demand? Is now the right time to re-boot?

Now is the time for in depth research and study. Now is the time to find out details, not just broad brushstrokes you can run with. You’ve got the time. Why not take advantage of it? Sir Isaac New developed many of his breakthrough concepts about gravity and other scientific laws when he was cloistered during the Bubonic Plague and the University was closed down.

Instead of getting a cursory view of everything, why not get an in depth view of something. Be a specialist and a trailblazer. The demands are becoming more obvious every day.  Beyond the clear need for medical expertise, supplies, and pharmaceuticals, we will always need the 3 basic human requirements: food, clothing, and shelter. We will always need some form of efficient packaging and delivery. We will always need new and better tools, especially for survival. We will always need communications and relevant content. And we will always need to socialize.

And don’t forget the environment. As former President Obama put it when faced with the EPA’s recent rollback of emission standards, “We’ve seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We can’t afford any more consequences of climate denial.” Will the climate crisis that has been largely ignored, finally catch us just as unprepared?  We will need better power storage, alternative energy, and environmentally conscience everything, not to mention climate change mitigation and survival products.

Maybe now is a good time to prepare for the post-corona world just ahead. These are just a few ideas about the increasing demands of our near future. Can you help satisfy any of them? If so, you will be in demand. Now is a great time to bone up and dive deep into any of these challenges. Faced with the unfolding implications of the post-corona world and our opportunity to prepare for it right now, attention spans are on the increase for the first time in a decade!

Stay safe. Stay healthy. And use this time wisely!