Super TRUEper - 034 - Maura Thomas

In this episode of Super TRUEper, Scott sits down with attention-management expert Maura Thomas for a wide-ranging conversation about productivity, distraction, technology, and what it means to be fully present. Maura challenges the traditional idea that productivity is about getting more things done, defining it instead as achieving results that are personally significant—from completing an important task to strengthening a relationship or building a meaningful legacy. The conversation explores Maura’s evolution from traditional time-management expert to her emerging “Attention Management 2.0” philosophy: recognizing that our attention has become one of the world’s most valuable commodities and that technology is deliberately engineered to capture it. Scott and Maura unpack social media, algorithms, AI, phone habits, creativity, relationships, and the subtle ways constant stimulation can change who we are. Ultimately, Maura argues that the goal isn’t necessarily to abandon technology, but to intentionally engineer our habits and environment so we can use it on our own terms—and spend more of our lives as the fully present, curious, creative, connected versions of ourselves. 00:00 — What Does It Mean to Be Productive? 09:41 — Meet Maura Thomas 13:12 — The Moment That Changed Everything 19:18 — How Technology Captures Our Attention 24:09 — Attention Management 2.0 30:16 — Our Complicated Relationship With Social Media 40:47 — Can You Succeed Without Social Media? 47:25 — What Constant Distraction Is Costing Us 58:50 — How to Take Back Your Attention 01:10:26 — Engineer Your Behavior, Not Your Distraction