The best way to give attention

Sometimes we tend to give people less attention than they deserve; showing disinterest in them in manners that would be called rude. In other situations, we might give someone more attention than they need that they get stuck to us, being with us in every situation in a way that one may consider most annoying.
While other people may blame them for being annoying, you should not have that luxury. You should not blame your mother for asking you to be around more often and you should not be rude to your friend because they keep calling you all day to hang out when you have explained that you have work to do.

If there is one person who has the ability to control the outcome of their life, then it would be you and it would be your life which you are controlling. Before starting to blame others on things that are happening to you, you should look back and see if what you were doing was right or not. If you hang out with your new friend every day for the past month and you expect that they are going to give you space for a couple of days then you will be extremely disappointed.
By giving someone too much space and attention, you simply place them in a position where they want more, or want to stay that way so long as they want said attention. You are the one who allows people to expect something of you, not the other way around. By giving someone less space in your life than they should have (for example: your mother or your partner) then you are going to get some drama and you will deserve it.

I will share a story that sums up the situation that happened to me. On one hand, I have my mother whom I love to no end, and on the other, I have my girlfriend whom I also love to no end. A simple conflict happened when my mother called me and told me that she is really upset with me because I happen to give my girlfriend too much attention and completely ignoring her. I could swear that I was at my mother's place the night before to visit her, but none of that mattered.
By the next day, I got a text message from my girlfriend, telling me that I completely ignore her when I'm visiting my mother and it occurred to me that I have not been ignoring neither one, but rather they only sought more attention. That was a wakeup call for me that made me realize that nothing is going to please either one of them unless they receive the attention they need because they both deserve to have my full attention the moment they need it.

Who could I blame? The only person I could blame is my own self because they belong to the closest social circle to me and they deserve my attention. Now, while I might give my friend a little less attention, it is normal because I have my priorities in order. As long as you have your priorities in order, there will be nothing to ruin your day.
Put attention where attention belongs and do not be prejudice, taking attention away from that person because they do not seem that interesting. Allow people to surprise you and at the same time, be surprising.