The Attention Economy Cheat Notes

Take small steps 

Repeat them daily 

Reinforce success 

Create consistent routines 

Do less 

Have less 

Eat meals together with no electronic devices including the TV 

Have 30 minute family time where all electronic devices are shut off and everyone is gathered in the same location 

Initiate 20 minute family walks 

Work together on a project – puzzles, Lego buildings, art projects, baking, ect.  

Take Care of You and Your Primary Relationship 

Your behaviour predicts your home environment. The most important way to manage your children’s stress is to take care and manage your own stress. 

Your connection with your primary relationship matters.  Even if you don’t fight or argue in front of your children,  your disconnect will have a physiological response for the children in your home.  

Movement 

Makes us better learners 

Grows longer, stronger dendrites 

Promotes neurogenesis – growth of new brain cells 

Executive functioning gets turned on in physical activity 

Our neural chemistry changes when we get active 

Exercise considered a treatment for depression 

Increases production of GABA receptors which cools things off, natural stress inhibitor 

Fitness based activity versus sport based activity 

A child “acting out” requires more physical activity 

Home Strategies 

Practice the language of resiliency in your homes. You are responsible for your feelings.  It is your job to teach people how to treat you. 

Manage your own stress.  When you take care of yourself, you are taking care of your whole family. 

Encourage healthy eating and model good snacks – complex carbs and proteins versus processed foods and simple carbs. 

Repeat material to mastery and honor the process of repeating material and learning from mistakes. 

Create intense learning opportunities – the greater the intensity the more impact it has on your brain. 

Repetition is important.  It takes 10-31k to create new neural pathways. 

Have 3 minute high intensity aerobic/ movement breaks. 

Eat meals together with no electronic devices including the TV 

Have 30 minute family time where all electronic devices are shut off and everyone is gathered in the same location 

Initiate 20 minute family walks 

Work together on a project – puzzles, Lego buildings, art projects, baking, ect.  

Executive Function 

Part of the brain the helps connect past experience with present action. It is responsible for helping you: 

Make Plans 

Keep track of time and complete tasks 

Keep focus of two thoughts or more 

Include past knowledge in present discussions 

Reflect and evaluate work and behaviour 

Work with others 

Manage feelings 

Digital Use Recommendations 

0-3 years – Everything except video chatting, high quality TV programming. 

3-5 years – One hour a day, watch with child, avoid apps, fast paced programs.  

6 years and up – one hour or more physical activity, 10-12 hours of sleep every night, No more than 20 hours of gaming/app play a week. 

General Recommendations:  

Avoid using devices as a way to calm child down. 

No screen time one hour before bed. 

Bedrooms/mealtimes/parent-child playtimes should be screen free. 

Top Three Activities 

Eat together, plan meals, eat the same meal as a family, and focus on whole foods, fats and proteins. 

Have chores that are required for all family members. 

Spend non distracted, focused time with children, and all primary relationships. 

Blog Posts You Might Like: 

Youtube, Netflix and the New Normal: https://haluaghathaat.com/2017/04/youtube-netflix-and-new-normal.html#!/2017/04/youtube-netflix-and-new-normal.html 

What Makes You a Gaming Addict: https://haluaghathaat.com/2017/04/what-makes-you-gaming-addict.html#!/2017/04/what-makes-you-gaming-addict.html 

The Road to Self-Advocacy is not Paved with Kindness: https://haluaghathaat.com/2017/03/the-road-to-self-advocacy-is-not-paved.html#!/2017/03/the-road-to-self-advocacy-is-not-paved.html 

References 

Zeynep Tufekci: http://technosociology.org  

Tristan Harris: https://www.ted.com/talks/tristan_harris_the_manipulative_tricks_tech_companies_use_to_capture_your_attention 

Nicholas Carr: The Shallows http://www.nicholascarr.com 

History: www.bighistoryproject.com 

Alan Weisman: http://www.worldwithoutus.com/about_book.html 

Jane McGonigal: https://janemcgonigal.com