Protocol 1: The Attention Audit

STOP.

You have read the diagnosis of attentional extraction — the behavioral simulation, the slot machine mechanics, the 23-minute recovery tax, the zero-inventory mind. You understand it intellectually.

Now measure where you actually stand.

The Attention Audit produces a single composite score across three dimensions of cognitive function. It takes approximately ten minutes. You need a pencil and honest answers. No device required. If you completed Protocol 0 before this chapter, your Maha Readiness Score already captured Cognitive Readiness as one of three dimensions. This audit provides a more detailed map of the attentional dimension specifically.

Score each question and write your answer in the space provided. Remember the subtractive principle: the Attention Audit is not an efficiency metric meant to turn you into a higher-producing node. It is a searchlight — to locate and sweep away the digital extraction layers compromising your prefrontal cortex, so your attention can rest organically on what matters.

Dimension 1: Focus Endurance

Your capacity for sustained, single-task concentration.

Question 1: Uninterrupted Focus Duration Without external interruption, how long can you sustain concentrated attention on a single demanding task before losing focus or reaching for a device?

90 minutes or more → 10 points
60–90 minutes → 7 points
30–60 minutes → 4 points
Fewer than 30 minutes → 0 points

My score: \_\_\_\_\_\_

Question 2: Deep Reading Capacity When did you last read a book, long-form article, or demanding document for 45 minutes or more without stopping to check a device?

Within the past 3 days → 10 points
Within the past week → 7 points
Within the past month → 3 points
Cannot recall, or more than a month ago → 0 points

My score: \_\_\_\_\_\_

Question 3: Task Completion Without Switching When working on a demanding task, how often do you switch to another application, check a message, or open a browser tab before the task is complete?

Rarely — I typically complete a defined task before switching → 10 points
Occasionally — once or twice per hour → 6 points
Frequently — every 10–20 minutes → 2 points
Constantly — I almost never finish a task without multiple interruptions → 0 points

My score: \_\_\_\_\_\_

Dimension 1 Subtotal (max 30): \_\_\_\_\_\_

Dimension 2: Device Autonomy

The degree to which you direct your device use versus being directed by it.

Question 4: Morning Phone Contact On a typical morning, how soon after waking do you check your phone?

More than 60 minutes after waking → 10 points
30–60 minutes after waking → 7 points
Within 30 minutes of waking → 3 points
Within 5 minutes, or the phone is beside the bed → 0 points

My score: \_\_\_\_\_\_

Question 5: Phantom Reach Frequency How often do you reach for or check your phone without a specific intention — not because you decided to, but because your hand moved there?

Rarely, if ever — device use is mostly intentional → 10 points
A few times per day → 6 points
Many times per day, most checks are unintentional → 2 points
Constantly — the phone is in my hand or being checked almost continuously → 0 points

My score: \_\_\_\_\_\_

Question 6: Presence in Conversation During a conversation with another person — in person or on a call — how often do you check your device?

Never during face-to-face conversation, rarely during calls → 10 points
Occasionally, for something I judge to be genuinely urgent → 6 points
Frequently — it is difficult to sustain a conversation without checking → 2 points
The phone is on the table and I check it regularly during conversations → 0 points

My score: \_\_\_\_\_\_

Question 7: Notification Load How many applications on your primary device have unrestricted access to send you push notifications — badges, banners, or sounds?

Fewer than 5 (only direct personal communications) → 10 points
5–10 → 6 points
11–20 → 2 points
More than 20, or I have never reviewed my notification settings → 0 points

My score: \_\_\_\_\_\_

Dimension 2 Subtotal (max 40): \_\_\_\_\_\_

Dimension 3: Cognitive Recovery

Your capacity to return to clarity after stimulation or stress.

Question 8: Content Recall Can you name three specific things you read, watched, or consumed on your devices yesterday — with enough detail to summarize them to another person?

Yes, easily — I can recall and summarize three or more things → 10 points
Partially — I can recall one or two things but not with much detail → 5 points
No — I consumed a significant amount of content yesterday but recall almost none of it → 0 points

My score: \_\_\_\_\_\_

Question 9: Boredom Tolerance If you had to sit quietly for ten minutes with no device, no reading material, and nothing to do — how would you experience that?

Comfortable, or even welcome → 10 points
Mildly uncomfortable but manageable → 6 points
Quite uncomfortable — I would feel a strong urge to find stimulation → 2 points
Intolerable — I cannot recall the last time I sat without stimulation for ten minutes → 0 points

My score: \_\_\_\_\_\_

Question 10: Evening Wind-Down In the hour before sleep, how often do you use a screen-based device — phone, tablet, laptop, or television?

Rarely or never — I have a consistent screen-free wind-down practice → 10 points
Occasionally — most nights are screen-free, with exceptions → 6 points
Most nights involve at least 30 minutes of screen use before sleep → 2 points
My phone is the last thing I look at before closing my eyes → 0 points

My score: \_\_\_\_\_\_

Dimension 3 Subtotal (max 30): \_\_\_\_\_\_

Your Attention Audit Score

> Optional Companion: Maha OS > > This audit can be scored by hand using the tables above. > > If you prefer longitudinal tracking and reminders, Maha OS provides a digital version of this protocol. Continue with the book normally.

Add all dimension subtotals:

Dimension 1 (Focus Endurance): \_\_\_\_\_\_ Dimension 2 (Device Autonomy): \_\_\_\_\_\_ Dimension 3 (Cognitive Recovery): \_\_\_\_\_\_

Total Attention Audit Score: \_\_\_\_\_\_ / 100

Date: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

What Your Score Means

80–100 — Green Zone Your attentional architecture is largely intact. The Attentional Veto protocols in this chapter are refinement, not repair. Your primary work is in maintaining what you have and deepening the Depth Practice.

60–79 — Yellow Zone Your attention is functional but showing clear signs of extraction damage. Begin the Feed Removal and Analog Block this week. Return to this audit in 30 days and expect a measurable shift.

0–59 — Red Zone Your attentional system is under active extraction. The Attentional Veto is not optional — it is the emergency protocol for this chapter. Do not proceed to Part II until you have completed at least two weeks of the Feed Removal and Analog Block. The doctrine in Part II is inaccessible from a cognitively fragmented baseline. The protocols must precede the philosophy.

Your Combined Readiness Profile

If you have completed both Protocol 0 and Protocol 1, you now hold a two-dimensional baseline:

Protocol 0 — Maha Readiness Score (body): \_\_\_\_\_\_ / 100 Protocol 1 — Attention Audit Score (mind): \_\_\_\_\_\_ / 100

These two numbers are your starting coordinates. Write them both here and on the inside front cover of this book. Return to both assessments in 30 days. The gap between your current scores and 80 in both dimensions is the precise territory that Part I is designed to repair.

The body and the mind are not separate systems. The metabolic work of Chapter 1 creates the neurological conditions for the attentional recovery of Chapter 2. Both protocols running simultaneously produce results faster than either running alone.

You now have both. Chapter 3 addresses what remains.