The flickering lamp of the chronocyclegraph device is much more fatiguing than the steady lamp of plain cyclegraphs.

PROPER PLACING OF WORKERS ELIMINATES DISTRACTED ATTENTION.—­ Workers must be placed so that they do not see intermittently moving objects out of the corners of their eyes.  In the early history of man it was continuously necessary to watch for first evidence of things behind one, or at a distance, in order to be safe from an enemy.  From generations of survival of the most fit there have developed human eyes most sensitive to moving objects that are seen out of the corner of the eye.  Even civilized man has his attention distracted quickest, and most, by those moving objects that he sees the least distinctly, and furthest to one side from the direction in which he is looking.

The leaf that moves or the grass that trembles may attract the attention where seen “out of the corner of the eye” to a point where it will even cause a start and a great fear.

As an example of the distracting effect of moving objects seen “out of the corner of the eye,” try reading a book facing a window in a car where the moving scenery can be seen on each side of the book.  The flitting object will interrupt one, one cannot get the full meaning out of what one is reading—­yet if one lays down the book and looks directly at the scenery, the mind can concentrate to a point where one does not see that moving scenery which is directly in front of the eyes.

There is a great difference in this power of sensitiveness of the corners of some workers’ eyes from that of others.  The first move of Scientific Management is to place and arrange all workers, as far as is possible, in such a position that nothing to distract them will be behind them, and later to see that the eyes of workers are tested, that those whose eyes are most sensitive may be placed accordingly.

THIS ELIMINATION MAY TAKE PLACE IN ALL KINDS OF WORK.—­The necessity of removing all things which will distract the attention is as great for the brain worker as for the shop or construction worker.  All papers that attract the eye, and hence the attention, should be cleaned from the desk, everything except that on which the worker is working.  The capability of being distracted by the presence of other things varies in all workers.

In using the dictaphone, one can do much better work if one is in a room where there is little or nothing to distract attention.  An outline of work ahead, may tempt to study and planning of what is ahead, rather than to carrying out the task scheduled for immediate performance.  The presence of a paper with an outline merely of what is being done is found to be a great help, as the eye can rest on that, and after a few moments, will become so accustomed to it that the whole attention will be given to the dictating.