Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Parenting Teens in the Digital Age: Replacing Time Management with Attention Management
56 Plays20 days ago
How do I get my teenager to put down their phone?
In this episode of The Positively Healthy Mom, I sit down with Maura Thomas, an award-winning international speaker, trainer, and the world's most widely cited authority on attention management whose work has been embraced by NASA, Google, and Dyson. Together, we explore how moms of teens can reframe the traditional time management trap, beat screen addiction, and parent teens while modeling strategies that reclaim their family's focus in a heavily distracted world.
Key Conversations in This Episode:
- Why traditional time management fails in the digital age and what to use instead
- The dark reality of the attention economy and how it targets our children's brains
- Empowering tech habits to help your family reap the benefits of technology without losing your presence
- Simple, actionable lifestyle changes to reduce mental fatigue and build real connection
Questions Moms Are Asking and Maura Thomas is Answering:
- Question: My teen is constantly distracted by their phone—how can I fix this?
Answer: Stop trying to manage their time and start helping them manage their attention. Distraction is an environment, not a personal failure, and teaching them to control their attention is the most critical 21st-century skill they need.
- Question: How can I model good digital habits when I’m also glued to my devices for work and life?
Answer: Create deliberate friction between you and your tech. Put physical distance between yourself and your phone during family hours, and transition from constant multitasking to intentional single-tasking.
Meet Our Expert, Maura Thomas:
An award-winning international speaker, productivity trainer, and author of six best-selling books, including Attention Management. Named a Top Leadership Speaker by Inc. Magazine, she is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review and Forbes, and the founder of Regain Your Time.
- Guest Links: Website | LinkedIn | YouTube | Attention Management Book
Connect With Your Host, Laura Ollinger
Recommended
Transcript
The Manipulation of User Behavior
00:00:00
Speaker
I mean, there's no other word for it. as As much as I want to say I'm not trying to demonize technology companies, I think there really is no other word except manipulate. Right? They're really yeah very hard to manipulate our behavior. Again, I mean, that's their job. It's their job to manipulate our behavior. It's our job to not allow them to manipulate us.
Introducing Mara Thomas
00:00:24
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Positively Healthy Mom Podcast. I'm your host, Laura Olinger, teen and young adult wellbeing coach and founder of Positively Healthy Coaching. Today, I'm so excited to introduce you to my guest, Mara Thomas, who is an award-winning international speaker and trainer on both an individual and corporate level. She is a widely cited authority, the most widely cited authority on attention management Her work has been embraced by NASA, Google, and
Mara's Journey to Attention Management
00:00:52
Speaker
Dyson. So Mara, you are a big deal in this attention face so I can't wait to have your time and attention with us today. So tell us a little bit about how you got into this work.
00:01:03
Speaker
Sure. Thanks for having me, Laura. I'm super excited to be here. at My first job out of college was for a company that sold paper-based planners, you know, the huge leather binders with the zipper that people... Oh, yeah. that's book That old people used to carry around with them. Oh, yeah. we had our We had addresses in there, our calendar, our to-dos. Oh, yeah. I had one all throughout college. Yes.
00:01:25
Speaker
Yes, all the things. So I worked there for 10
The Moment of Realization
00:01:29
Speaker
years. So really, my first exposure to work was um at a company that was solely focused on helping people be as efficient and as effective as possible.
00:01:39
Speaker
And so after I left there, I started my business. And I had this one day in Starbucks a few years after starting my business where I was just, I felt like I was a horrible person. I was so into my phone that I was completely oblivious to everyone around me and I was rude to people and I didn't smile and I didn't say thank you and I got the wrong coffee and I like did all this stuff that made me feel so um angry with myself and so embarrassed. And so I sort of, it it caused me to sort of dissect like what happened that day? Because normally you think that people act that way when they're rushed and they didn't don't have enough time. and I was like, but I'm a time management person. And in fact, early, early for coffee that day, I wasn't
Understanding the Attention Economy
00:02:32
Speaker
rushed. So why what the heck was going on that day?
00:02:36
Speaker
I discovered it was because i allowed my attention to be stolen by my phone. And but then I started to think about, holy cow, well, how, I mean, that, I felt like that really affected the person that I was that day. Like, if you had been looking at me, you would have thought that I was this kind of person, that I didn't want people to think that I was that kind of person. Like, it really altered who i was at least in that in that moment and so i started really looking at all of the ways and just dove deep into like the literature and the science the neuroscience the behavioral psychology like all the stuff about how distraction and screens are affecting us and i was so just blown away by what i learned and i was like people
00:03:28
Speaker
people don't know how bad this is. And if people knew how bad this was and really how much this was affecting us, they would they would live differently. They would truly live differently if we if I got this message out.
From Time Management to Attention Management
00:03:42
Speaker
and And so that's when I started talking about, like, if you aren't accomplishing the things that are most important to you, it's not a time management problem.
00:03:53
Speaker
It's a distraction problem. And if our problem is distraction, then trying to solve it with time management is never going to work because you yeah wait you can't fix a distraction problem with a time solution. The antidote to distraction is attention.
00:04:13
Speaker
And so that's where I landed on this idea that we're doing like productivity and goal achievement and success. We're doing it all wrong.
Attention and Parenting Challenges
00:04:21
Speaker
We are using this outdated framework called time management that stopped working right about when the Internet or at least Internet connected devices became so ubiquitous. Right. When now that everybody has an Internet connected device.
00:04:37
Speaker
this time management stuff is so outdated and we really need to let it go and pick a new framework and and and pick some frameworks and so that kind of set me on this road to attention management my first blog post on the topic was in 2010 seven touch Oh, okay.
00:04:53
Speaker
Yeah, give us a time frame. Yes. And I wonder if all the moms listening and obviously anyone else listening has had one of those wake up moments, has had a similar experience. I know I did. um and And I've actually given a keynote about this as well, where ah my daughter came home from school and she was in, um I think, six or sixth grade or something. And and she was like, Mom, and this happened and this happened. And oh, my gosh.
00:05:18
Speaker
And I just caught myself because I'm
Strategies for Managing Attention
00:05:21
Speaker
staring at my phone and she said, mom, and you know are you even listening? And it was like this, like, I have felt this immediate shame and sadness that I wasn't being the mom I wanted it to be, like right? Like I wasn't being and the person I wanted to be, just kind of similar to how in Starbucks you were not being the kind of connected, friendly, you know, having gratitude for for the workers and and all that. but And it really, for me, did kind of shake me up. Like, what am I doing that I just found myself getting sucked into this device? And I think it's so kind of important to talk about as a topic with the moms because either it's possible, you know, somebody hasn't hasn't had that moment, that wake-up call, where it was like a very clear moment in time where you're like, I want this to change. Yeah. It's possible that they're still kind of in in the fuzz and the murk and the murk of it where they haven't had that. But also, I know the moms um not only feel kind of maybe confusion about this topic on themselves, but then also how to be a leader for their teenager who is watching them or their younger child who is watching them and um having a similar moment where, you know, maybe like me or or maybe not. So,
00:06:29
Speaker
Man, what is what are the kind of first steps, like whether you've had this wake-up call or you haven't, that that moms or teens or the dads or whoever can start doing right away?
00:06:41
Speaker
Yeah. So I think really the most important thing is to recognize how... it's a It is a multi-billion dollar industry to to systematically and purposefully extract our attention for profit.
Industry Growth and Taking Control
00:07:01
Speaker
That is an industry. So this this term, attention economy, has been floating around. There was a book about it, right? where where It's not the industrial age anymore. now And then it was like the knowledge age. Well, now it's the attention age.
00:07:16
Speaker
And so the attention economy. So what does that mean? What it means is that there is an industry that makes money on our attention.
00:07:28
Speaker
Like our attention is their product. And if our attention is their product, then they are going to use all the resources at their disposal and the brightest minds in the world in like neuroscience and psychology and like to to truly hack our brains.
00:07:49
Speaker
to take our attention from us. So in many ways, so on the one hand, it is no wonder. i mean, how can an individual compete with a billion dollar industry engineering an environment to steal our attention from us? How could we possibly? So on the one hand, it's like, of course, this isn't our fault.
00:08:09
Speaker
On the other hand, now it's time. This has been going on for a long time. This has been going on for at least 15 years, maybe more, like since the advent of of algorithms, right?
00:08:19
Speaker
And so it's like that, the this the the old adage about planting a tree. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second time is now. So here's the thing. we Our attention is now one of the most valuable assets we have.
00:08:39
Speaker
And so if you think about it, if you took all of your valuable assets, if you took your cash and your jewelry and your electronics and you put them out on your front lawn, right, and then they were stolen, you would bear some responsibility in the fact that they were stolen, right? Because you yeah you didn't take appropriate safeguards to make sure and that your values were valuables were secured.
00:09:04
Speaker
Well, this is where we are now with attention, I think. It is time. We are now educated enough. We now should know enough. And in many ways, it's also the smoking of our generation. Once people realize this really how bad, once the information came out, and it's the same thing because the information was hidden from us for a while, just like in
Valuing Attention as an Asset
00:09:25
Speaker
tobacco industry, right? But now the information is out. Right.
00:09:29
Speaker
And so now if we are choosing not to do anything with it, then it's kind of our fault now. and but but But to to our credit as a society, how many fewer people, I mean, so many fewer people smoke now because now we know. Everybody knows how bad it is. So we don't do it. yeah Right? Right.
00:09:49
Speaker
and At least not nearly as much as we used to. And so it's the same. i think we are in that place. Right. And the more I can get this idea out that attention is this valuable asset that needs to be protected, the more people start going, holy cow, I didn't realize how bad it was. You're right. We got right i got to do something. And so that was sort of not your question. Your question was, what can we do? Well, yeah, but I think it's is so important to pre-frame it, right? Like we can, I guess, I think I jumped in too quickly about what can we do because having that awareness, right? Then we know like, oh, this is what we're dealing with, right? Like it's this and and it's the idea that we're we're giving it away. We're letting it be stolen. We're kind of being passive in our lives. We're not being proactive about it. and So I'm glad you went there because I think that was an important setup to um recognizing like what the real issue is.
00:10:41
Speaker
So it it is, you're right. and that's And that's kind of why I went there with that answer, because if you don't really realize that whole thing and this industry and really what, I mean, you i didn't think about what what really does attention economy mean? And then, right, and but then once you realize, oh, my gosh, my attention, this thing that determines really the choices I make, the way I act, the experiences I have, right? Attention is the lens through which we live a life, right? The thing that we give our attention to determine the experiences that we have. So, for example, if you're into, um you know, volleyball,
00:11:26
Speaker
then you play volleyball and you talk to people about volleyball and you shop for volleyball gear and you look for places to play volleyball and you give your attention to volleyball so you have experiences around volleyball.
00:11:41
Speaker
So the things that you give your attention to determine the experiences that you have. a And the experiences that you have turn into your life. Right. Like when you think about your life, you're like, well, this is what I did and this is where I lived and this is who I met and this is where I worked. and Right. And I went to school and I got married and I did all these things. Right. That is your life.
00:12:01
Speaker
And so. So if you don't control your attention. You don't control your life. That's huge. Yeah.
Controlling Technology Usage
00:12:12
Speaker
And so when I realized, okay, that, that is what the attention economy means. It means someone else is extracting this personal, priceless, valuable thing from me. And not only do I not get to share in the profits that they get from extracting this from me, but I actually them paying them.
00:12:34
Speaker
for it I pay for it in the way that and how I feel and the choices that I make and and the person that I am out in the world. And so when I really framed it like that, I got mad. Yes. I got mad, right? i Yes. enough of this now i also just want to say though There is a whole camp around like technology is evil and technology needs to be regulated and technology like they need to take responsibility. And certainly they do need to take responsibility. And I think that some amount of regulation is a good thing.
00:13:11
Speaker
However, i am not about demonizing the technology company like this. This is just the world that we live in. It just is. yes It just is. and And so we have to understand that this is what's being done to us. And so like that a perfect, I think, way to sum this up is that Reed Hastings, who founded Netflix, is He said, the real competitor to Netflix is not other streaming services. The real competitor to Netflix is sleep.
00:13:43
Speaker
And we're winning. o Right? And we're winning. And we're winning. Right? Yeah. yeah so he' So he, like, let the cat of the bag. Their whole point is to get as much of your attention and keep it as long as possible, even at the expense of your own well-being. But in his defense, it's not his job to make sure you get enough sleep. Right? Right. To make sure that we get enough sleep. Right. So not here to say that like technology is bad or that companies are evil or anything like that. Technology has brought great things into our lives and the cat's out of the bed.
00:14:18
Speaker
And so we we should use it. But my goal is to teach people how to get all the benefits of technology and not pay what I call the distraction tax.
Building Awareness of Digital Habits
00:14:33
Speaker
Does your teenager tend to freak out when the new school year is about to start? Well, here's the good news. They don't have to. Sign your teen up for my free webinar called How to Start the School Year Without Freaking Out. We will tackle time management, the skills to handle the stress and pressure of school, social life, social media, and the brain-body connection behind stress and focus.
00:14:58
Speaker
Sign them up. The link is in my show notes. They're going to love it.
00:15:03
Speaker
Yeah. So, and I still haven't answered your question about how to do it. But that's okay because I don't think you're realizing that you actually are answering it because you're giving framing and language to the moms. So that's a term they can even use with their kids, distraction, text. Like then kids know, oh, wow. Like they know what that means, right? Like they know something is being kind of not by their own will being taken from them. Right. And so so you really are. We're kind of like going through like how a mom would would approach this topic if it's something for herself, which it most likely is. um oh You know, I don't know a single person that doesn't have this problem other than my dad, who does not use a smartphone. Yeah. Pretty much everybody else does. Yeah, he he's kind of in control, but he gets on his little YouTube on his laptop and then, you know, he gets sucked in there. But that's, you know, a little bit different. But we're talking about like on the go, right? Like as as moms, we're we're driving a lot. We're in the kitchen a lot. We're going to our kids' events. We're...
00:16:00
Speaker
And we always have this thing in our hand, right? It's always there because we either want to take a picture of the moment or we need our recipe or or I do it. I catch myself in the grocery store where I do. That's where my shopping list is. And then I get a text and then this and I'm standing in the middle of the produce section and I'm the rude person that's probably blocking the way with my cart because I'm so sucked in. And then my kids FaceTiming me because they need something.
00:16:22
Speaker
Right. So it's like this is what it looks like. Right. This is kind of like the practical things of how it shows up in our lives. And so it truly is when we realize it's an extension of, quite honestly, our hand. It's attached to our body. It's part of our body. And so it's like, wow, this is something that we need to, like, build this awareness about and this vocabulary about and, and like, how can we um use it for our benefit and not let it use us. Right.
00:16:47
Speaker
So. that's exactly Yeah. so So where do we go from here in this conversation? What's next for you?
Expanding Digital Literacy
00:16:53
Speaker
Yes. So so now to finally, let's let's give some practical techniques. So yes you're right. I mean, setting that up leads us to the way that our attention is extracted from us, often without really our conscious choice.
00:17:13
Speaker
Most of us don't. You're in the grocery store and you're like, I think I'm going to go down the YouTube rabbit hole right now. You don't say that. It's just, you yeah like you said, you look at the list and the list pops something up and then the thing and you get a text and it's got a link. So you click that and before you know it, it's like, right you' it's done.
00:17:32
Speaker
But those techniques have been created on purpose on purpose to make those things happen. The whole digital environment is designed for that. So so that means that we have to control the technology that this environment is served to us on, this digital environment is served to us on. And so what that means is that we have to like be very mindful about the notifications that we allow on our devices. So the notification, for example, that says the meeting that you have is about to start in five minutes, sure.
00:18:08
Speaker
But the meeting, the notification that says somebody just liked your Facebook post, like that was not designed for your benefit. That was designed for their benefit.
00:18:21
Speaker
Yeah. but We have to understand that the success metric for technology products is engagement, right? How long do people how often do people use it and for how long do they use it?
00:18:39
Speaker
And when those numbers go up, that company makes more profit. Right. Therefore, we have to realize that all technology, apps, software, hardware, all technology is designed for engagement.
Parental Success in Technology Management
00:18:56
Speaker
not for efficiency, not for really for our benefit. And in fact, it is sold to us for our benefit. Oh, it'll be so convenient. And won't it be great if um if you're walking by a coffee shop and you know that there's a discount on a cup of coffee? Wouldn't you love that, right? It's like sold to us. for our benefit but really that that hook is designed to say well in order to get that you have to allow notifications and if you have notifications then i can pretty much make you do anything i want you to do right yeah
00:19:33
Speaker
yeah So we have to be very mindful about controlling our technology, controlling our notifications, controlling how we interact with our technology and know that it is designed to be habit forming.
00:19:53
Speaker
And so if we recognize that it's designed to be habit forming, then we can start to take steps to make sure that we don't form the habits that we don't want to have. So like you said, our phone is an extension of our hand. That means that it is a habit to have our phone in our hand. And what that means is that when our phone is not in our hand, it feels wrong.
00:20:18
Speaker
It feels uncomfortable. It feels like, well, oh my gosh, where's my phone? Right? Yeah, yeah. and And so we have to notice when things like that are happening. Because if you said to people, would you choose to be addicted to your device?
00:20:33
Speaker
Like... that would you Would you prefer to ignore the people around you and have your head in your phone all the time? Of course not. With some distance. With some distance, the choices we make in the moment are not the choices we would ever make with some distance.
00:20:51
Speaker
Right. So we have to sort of predict that. We have to recognize, like, this is the distance. Right. Tomorrow when I have that meeting, or or tomorrow when my daughter gets home from school and we're driving
Benefits of Unplugged Experiences
00:21:04
Speaker
home in the car, or when we stop for ice cream or whatever it is do I want to be really present in that conversation?
00:21:11
Speaker
and if I do, then I should probably leave my phone in the car. Because that would make it easy for me. If my fault is right there, i am going to be so tempted to grab it.
00:21:22
Speaker
So why would I force myself to use willpower? I'm not going to look. I'm not going to look. I'm not going to look. I'm going to look. Right? Why don't you make it easy for yourself to be present and just leave the phone for your turn?
00:21:36
Speaker
Turn it off. Right? Right. So those are the kinds of decisions we have to be much more mindful about our notifications and our technology use because our phones are the biggest way that these companies extract our attention for their own profit and make us pay a tax.
00:21:55
Speaker
Yes, yes. And I have found there are times where, um you know, I have one of those moments where i'm I'm wanting to spend an intentional moment with someone. And, you know, you feel that impulse, right? You feel that urge. You're like, what am I missing? Or like I'm at lunch with my friends and, you know, we're all like, is i anything happening right now? and you have that, right? And so it's like getting um what I've done for myself is to really get the benefit of that present kind of connection time.
00:22:24
Speaker
is to get you know We want to get that dopamine kind of flooded in the right direction for the right reasons. And it's like to really enjoy and be like, wow, it actually feels really relaxing right now. I feel less stressed. Like I'm noticing I'm just kind of chilling and hanging out with my friends and I'm not having this like, right? Because it's it's activating, right? More stuff in our brain and and it's stressful.
00:22:46
Speaker
So it's like thinking of that, like how could I just... relax, take a breath, have a moment. and And one other thing I like to do, and this is what I tell my teenage clients, you know, if you have a soft surface, a fluffy couch, a bed somewhere, i sometimes literally just will chuck my phone. And they think that's hilarious, but it's kind of like the right thing to just get it out like that Velcro, like get it out of your hand, put it on the other side of the room so you can do your homework or so you can do whatever it is that you're trying to focus on.
Mara's Concluding Thoughts on Technology
00:23:12
Speaker
And that's just like a fun little thing that I've come up with. And and I find that it works because people think it's funny. And it really just like gets that that separation, you know, so it's not that impulse to to check.
00:23:23
Speaker
Anything else that just kind of pops in your mind ah of thoughts or ideas that the moms could benefit from? up until, I don't know, several years ago, we had this idea of digital literacy, which especially in relation to young girls was around like beauty and looks and um like the people that you see on TV don't really look like that in real life. It's, you know, it's hands and it's makeup artists. And it's like, it takes 12 people to make them look like that.
00:23:54
Speaker
And then on top of that, it's all airbrushed and it's... And the filters and everything. Yeah. Yes. Yes. And so digital literacy, it it was and still is to a certain extent about educating people, teens and girls about that. But now I think digital literacy has to include...
00:24:14
Speaker
This education about um attention for profit and um how extracting our attention from us is, um i mean, we it it really is. i mean, there's no other word for it as as much as I want to say I'm not trying to demonize technology companies. I think there really is no other word except manipulate.
00:24:36
Speaker
Right. They're really. Yeah. Very hard to manipulate our behavior. Again, I mean, that's their job. It's their job to manipulate our behavior. It's our job to not allow them to manipulate us.
00:24:50
Speaker
And so yeah I think that education as part of um like what you're teaching your daughters about how to navigate through the world, that is a big part of it.
Introduction to 'Attention Management' Book
00:25:01
Speaker
That is a big part of it. and yeah And I also think that. Everybody, humans, but also but especially kids, they don't know what they don't know. And so when people tell me stories about how, like, they took their kid's phone away, they took their daughter, they had a client tell me, my wife and I,
00:25:21
Speaker
When we are trying to ah punish our teenage daughter, the only thing that gets through to her is taking away her device. and On the other hand, when we take away take away her device, it's such a nightmare because she just hounds us all day.
00:25:36
Speaker
Like, it's just, it's like not the hill that we want to die on. but Right? But, but, then he said to me, that was, that was how we thought. And then she did something really bad that we had to really, we needed to really get the message that this was bad and she was grounded. So we decided we're going to take it away and we're going to stick to our guns. And he said, we took it away for a month and it's true for the first like 10 days, it was a nightmare and it was so hard on all of us. But,
00:26:04
Speaker
At the end of the 30 days, she came back to me and she said, Dad, I think that's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Wow. And he said, Why do you think that? And she said, She said, I just feel so relieved.
00:26:21
Speaker
It's just to your point, right? I just was just so much less stressful to know that I didn't have to, that I couldn't like stay on top of everything all the time. And like, what am I missing all this time? And I had to just let it go. and when I let it go, it was just so, it was just such a relief. And so, so what I take from that is like, they just don't know what they don't know. They think they have to. Mm-hmm.
00:26:46
Speaker
Until they have permission not to or until they're forced not to. And then they see what it's like on the other side. And it's like, oh, I didn't know what I didn't know.
00:26:57
Speaker
Yeah. So I think that is another really important lesson is that kids just don't. They think. They think with every. but Like they believe so strongly that this is truth.
00:27:09
Speaker
And yeah show them the other side. and then it's like, oh, yeah, that wasn't so true. yeah What a great kind of success story of a lesson learned by that. And um I get a little frustrated because a lot of the summer camps that I i was actually ah a volunteer camp counselor last year at a teen leadership camp um hosted by the Tony Robbins Foundation. And my kids have gone to different camps. And these days, a lot of camps are kind of giving in and they are just letting them have the phones. Wow. And they've kind of given up that battle. So I love the idea of like the retro old school summer camp where you literally have to write a letter in the mail to contact your child. Now these days they do a digital letter. I've i've done that with my kids a few times, but you're right. Like if they haven't experienced the feeling of being unplugged, they don't know what it is that they're missing. And and so like just that great success story of that family where um it was like a little bit forced. It wasn't like i the ideal setup for it. But then the end result was like this awesome thing in this awareness. And now, you know, even if she has her phone now, she still knows what it's like and what it's doing to her because she mean she can see the difference. Right. Like we as adults know the difference because there is the pre, you know, 2008 era. And then there's the post. And we remember what it's like walking across college campuses. We didn't have our phones. I was telling my daughter who's leaving for college in ah in a few weeks. We used to have to go back to our dorm room to use the phone in the dorm. And then I was talking to another guy who's even older than me. He said we used to have to to use a pay phone. We would have to like stand in a line if we wanted to call home. Right. And now kids are like texting their mom um from class in college. And it's like, okay, maybe we need to like have a little more separation. Your child's gaining their independence and we don't need to have that close connectivity at all times because that's a lot, right? It can be stressful. can be overwhelming. So Mara, any last thoughts before we kind of talk about your books and um then wrap up?
00:29:05
Speaker
Oh my gosh, Laura, I could, ah yeah, I mean, I could go on and on and on. So you don't, I know for our podcast, I think we should stop yeah here. but Yeah. Yeah. Perfect. Perfect. um So how can people find you?
00:29:19
Speaker
Yeah, my website is Marathomas.com. um But I think a great place. So I wrote a book. It's called Attention Management. and the book was designed to be read in just about an hour.
00:29:34
Speaker
It's small. It's sort pocket size. It's got pictures. It's in color. It's hardcover. It's a really um sort of engaging kind of book. It's only an hour. I mean, I wrote it for adults, but it's not like it's hard to understand. So a great thing that a lot of my clients do is that they read it with their their kids or they you know have their teenagers read it and they read it and then they have a conversation about it. And um sort of then start practicing as a family some of the ideas in it.
00:30:05
Speaker
And so as it's sort of, you know, bite-sized, even one chapter at a time only takes you probably five or ten minutes to read it. So and that's probably a good place to start. And while my it is on my website at marathomas.com, but an easy way to find it is just attentionmanagementbook.com.
00:30:23
Speaker
Perfect. I love that idea. And and even if they people, families do a chapter
Episode Wrap-Up
00:30:27
Speaker
at dinner each night or even once a week and then have that be conversation throughout the week. So, okay. I love that idea as a resource. And I'll have all the links in the show notes so everyone can find it. So, Mara, thank you so much for your time. This conversation was just so relevant. I mean, I know everyone can relate to it 100%. So thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
00:30:48
Speaker
Thanks so much for having me, Laura. When you get a chance, please go to the show notes and click on the link ratethispodcast.com slash tphmom to give my podcast a rating and review.
00:31:02
Speaker
And if this episode resonates with you, be sure to share it with your mom friends who are going through the same things. Be sure to tune in for next week's conversation. Until then, keep up the good work.