Your Attention is a Valuable Asset

Hi Friends,

I was thinking about what to write to you when the world order has tilted so suddenly and dramatically. As I noticed myself leaning toward old bad habits of doomscrolling, I decided this would be a good time to talk about attention. 

Capturing your attention and monetizing it has become part of our culture in an unprecedented way. Just look at the 24-hour news cycles you can’t stop watching, games on your phone you can’t stop playing, and social media feeds that you can’t stop scrolling.

I’m not here to evangelize about giving up social media, the news, or your favorite games. My point is that if your attention is such a valuable commodity for them, then it follows that it’s a huge asset for you.

To be clear, this isn't some hooey where I encourage you to turn away from the suffering of the world. What I'm encouraging you to do is consciously use your powers of discernment to decide how you're going to focus your precious attention in ways that are both effective and nourishing. You get to decide what that looks like for you.

For me, this means I need to resist the urge to engage in arguments with strangers online, which just fuels the outrage machine. Instead, I gently direct my attention back to myself and my real life. Scrolling or virtually shouting does nothing to alleviate anyone's suffering.

I encourage you to sit quietly for a few moments and contemplate these questions about how you'd like to use your attention during these intense times.

1. What pulls your attention in ways you don't like?
2. What are 1 to 3 small actions you can take to recapture your attention?
3. Where do you want to direct your attention instead? List 1 to 3 concrete actions.

Feel free to send me a note to let me know what your attention plan is.

Take exquisite care of yourself,