Attention is the cash value of time.
“You become what you give your attention to.” — Epictetus
Quite often, I hear people say, “Time is money” and “Time is your most precious resource.” Of course, they are right. The unrelenting passing of time is something you can’t control and can never get back. However, it seems to me that it is not time itself that offers value; instead, it is what you do with your attention in that time, that matters.
I was once warned, “You can become the most lazy when you have the most free time.” Through my own experience, that has proven to be true. Over the past few years, I’ve had the luxury of several periods in which I have been afforded excess free time. Luckily, because of the warning I received, in many of those free periods, I was productive. I don’t consider ‘productivity’ to be a cardinal virtue, nor do I think it is the key to happiness. But I do think that the opposite of productivity — stagnation and decay — is a pretty good pathway to unhappiness and regret. At least for me.
I’m not trying to get caught up in semantics, but really, it’s what you give your attention to, not just your time, that’s important. For example, I’ll catch myself reading or listening to an audiobook, and after five or ten minutes pass, I’ll realize that I’ve been daydreaming about something completely irrelevant. Or maybe at Jiu-Jitsu class, I’ll just go through the motions. Instead of focusing on the new techniques we are learning, I’ll get lost in thought and fall back on muscle memory to get me through the training. In both cases, I will have spent hours on a task while only spending limited attention. But it’s the attention that matters.
I might think that spending three hours “doing schoolwork” on my computer is making progress. In reality, half that time might be spent choosing a new YouTube EDM mix to listen to or googling every distracting thought that appears in consciousness. These frequent ‘context switches’ offered by technology (and my brain) can rob me of the deep focus — the deep attention — necessary for breaking ground on an idea or project. Producing really great work takes a lot of focused attention. Just showing up isn’t the only thing that counts.
I think this concept can also be split into micro and macro ‘attention decisions.’ At the micro level (tactical), this means I might choose to allow my impulse to google “Who killed JFK?” to pass by and, instead, choose to continue to concentrate on the letter I am writing about attention. At the macro level (strategic), this could mean choosing to start learning Jiu-Jitsu instead of learning how to beat every new Super Mario Brothers game.
The key to successful ‘attention decisions’ is the ability to pay attention to what appears in consciousness. The best way to practice paying attention, in my opinion, is mindfulness meditation practice. You don’t need ornate robes, incense candles, and a gong. Simply paying attention to the breath is enough. Right now, sit back and see if you can pay attention to your breath for one minute without getting lost in thought. It’s tough! But the more you practice, the more you will realize just how distracted you are.
If you are like me, and you want to make the most of the time you have, try to pay more attention. Try to improve the quality of your attention. When learning something new, working on a project, or spending time with loved ones, be present. Don’t just give these things your time; give them your attention. Attention is the cash value of time.
Have a good week, guys.
-Ieuan
