We call it paying attention for a reason

“We call it paying attention for a reason! Focus is valuable. It’s valuable to us, and it’s also valuable to others.”
–Michael S. Hyatt, in Free to Focus

The idea of “decision fatigue” is common in popular science right now. The theory goes that we only have so much mental energy to give to decision-making, and when that decision-making energy is depleted, we are more susceptible to “make choices that seem impulsive or irrational,” according to John Tierney. 

This could explain why, after a long day or a busy week, we’re more likely to give up on our goals, cheat our diets, and fall into old habits. 

If we only have so much focus to give each day, then Hyatt’s line, “we call it paying attention for a reason” is insightful. If we think of our focus like Monopoly money, and our goals like a game, then it would be foolish to spend too much of that focus on things that don’t help us achieve our goals. Giving too much money away to things that distract us is a recipe for losing the game. 

Except, our goals are not a game. We can’t play this life again. Some opportunities pass us by and don’t return. 

It’s a crude calculation, but it might be helpful to run the numbers on this one. Here are some thought starters:

• How many calls can you take in one day before your focus nosedives? 

• How many big projects can you move forward in one day? 

• How many emails is too many emails? 

• How much content can you film or write in one day before the quality decreases too much? 

• How many times do convince yourself not to open social media before you succumb to a doom-scroll? 

If you estimate these numbers, an ideal schedule comes into clearer view.