021 • The biggest drain on attention nobody is talking about
Hello again! I’m sorry this email is coming to you so late in the day. It was written in the morning and I got caught up in the day’s events until now.
My city is experiencing heavy rain so I went out with my housemate to see the flood damage at a local park…
That was about the most exciting thing that happened to me over the last week - I’ll try and provide some value for you in the rest of the issue, also based on events from the rest of the week…
Decisions weigh on your attention much more than you give them credit for.
Most decisions aren't important at all, for example - what you will have for dinner tonight. However, some are pivotal in your month, year or even life. It's these decisions, unfortunately, that we like to sweep under the rug and continue to put off rather than make.
I made this realisation over the last week because of some decisions I had to make about the future of my time at university.
After putting off making this decision for a while, it reached a point where I could do so no longer. I needed to think.
Sitting in the library, I brought out my journal and a pen and put away my laptop.
I needed this decision made sooner rather than later, so I started to think. I wrote pages about my situation until I was much more aware of where I stood. I'd made a decision - one that'll shape the rest of my time at university and likely the rest of my life.
After completing this period of thinking, I was amazed. A weight had gone from my shoulders that I didn't even know existed. By giving no recognition to the choice that I had to make, I'd convinced myself there was nothing wrong. But there was.
This is why staying mindful and true to yourself is so important. If you need to take some time to sit and think about a problem or a decision, you can do so. Deep thinking is not easy, especially in today's hyper-stimulating world. To do so requires the same commitment of time and attention that an ordinary work task like writing a newsletter might take.
Turn off your screens and grab a pen and paper for this. Trying to focus is a lot harder if you have email and social media easily available in front of you. Myself, I opt to write in a Traveler's Notebook. This notebook serves as a journal for untangling thoughts, feelings, desires and motivations. I use it as a home for anything intrinsic I don't understand or want to work through.
Stay mindful of what's most important in your life - keep things minimal, reserving time for what matters.
As always, thank you for reading. I'll see you next Friday!
What I’ve written this week…
Distractions come from everywhere, not just social media. This piece covers how and why you should limit them.
Why you shouldn’t fear haters of your content, so long as the intention behind its creation is positive.
Quote of the week…
"There is nothing as constant as change in today’s world, which is why we need to avoid rigid systems that encourage a fixed mindset towards information."
Tiago Forte, The PARA Method