Being where you are

I make it a habit to check in and confirm that I’m truly present wherever I am.  That means I’m not on the phone when I’m with family and friends.  It also means I AM focused on my phone when I’m having a text or email conversation.  Intentional behavior is not a distraction.

One thing that helps me accomplish this is to ensure that I’ve accomplished enough during focused work/email/chores time, that these things aren’t like apps running on my brain when my brain should be “here”.

The goal is to follow the obvious but challenging advice: wherever you are, be there.

The case against abundance

In the old days a small amount of sugar, a bit of gossip, and some entertainment improved well-being.  But modern diseases are diseases of abundance.  Too much sugar.  Too much gossip.  Too much politicizing nuanced issues to the point of outrage.  Too many entertainment options leading to FOMO, decision-fatigue, and filter failure.

There is such thing as too much of even good things, including water (it’s called drowning).

“Filter mastery” is a modern superpower – deliberately filtering out the majority of sensory inputs that feel beneficial but are actually putting us at dis-ease.

Simple rules

To deter myself from staying up late scrolling through social media or going down a YouTube rabbit hole, I remember the rule: “don’t stay up late for something you wouldn’t get up early for.”

I enjoy the occasional cheat meal, but my rule is: if I “shouldn’t” eat it it’s not coming in my house.  When I found myself hitting snooze too many times, I started placing my alarm clock steps away from the bed.

Self-control is over-rated.  Simple rules you create (and follow) are more reliable ways to change habits.