I may potentially be preaching to the choir here, so if you’re already aware and practicing, feel free to move on.

We live in an attention economy. A marketed economy. An economy that is built to encourage us to consume. In such an economy, increased awareness and control of our attention is critically important. Unfortunately, though the process is simple to understand, gaining and maintaining agency of our awareness and attention requires regular, ongoing practice. Our brains developed over millions of years to be drawn to what is out-of-place, enabling our species to survive a plethora of physical dangers. Sadly, this has been taken advantage of in various ways to hijack our attention.

I invite, even encourage, practicing this simple process 3-5 minutes each day, maybe a few times a day. The most common anchor for focusing attention is the breath. Just observe it coming in and going out. And when you lose focus – which is inevitable, so no judgment whatsoever – simply return to observing the anchor, typically your breath, again, and again, and again. In the same way repetition builds physical muscle, it also builds mental capacity.

This practice creates space that allows us to respond rather than simply react. Reaction in physical danger was and is a benefit. Social dangers, however, require response-ability.