Programmable attention centers around making high-level decisions that orchestrate how we later spend our attention. It is rife in everyday life, albeit (usually) in a weak way. Examples include:email inboxes with snoozessetting a recurring event on the calendartodos which appear based on locationGetting Things Done “Tickler” Fileshabit-enforcing systems (e.g. Beeminder, StickK)spaced repetition (e.g. Anki, SuperMemo)ML-trained “smart email inboxes”
We already use programmable attention in everyday life, but it should be more integrated, potentially at an OS level.
HeyFocus and ad blockers could also be considered under this umbrella.