Here’s something you must know to survive in this day and age:
The human attention has been successfully monetized, and those who are ignorant of this fact spend their days enriching those who know how to exploit it.
It’s not just about the endless barrage of notifications on our phones or the unending trivialities of the media designed to influence our spending habits. It’s also about the never-ending demands of our personal lives and the constant need to be busy to feel fulfilled.
To truly evolve, we must consciously detach ourselves from the noise and reclaim our mental space to regain control over our lives.
Dr. Charles Awuzie advises that to survive and thrive, we must carefully master the Art of Selective Attention. We must learn how to carefully select a few things that we care enough about to devote our time and energy to.
By deciding not to give an F about most things, we are able to free ourselves from the burden of constantly comparing ourselves to others, seeking validation through social media, or worrying about trivial matters. By consciously being selfish with our time and attention, we give ourselves permission to focus on things that bring us joy, fulfillment, and growth.
To successfully master the Art of Selective Attention, we must practice the principle of the “Essential Few.” We must carefully audit our lives to remove the things that are not essential to our growth and focus on only those things that will bring us the greatest rewards.
To maximize our energies and minimize the waste of our time and lives, we must learn to practice self-awareness, set strict boundaries, and only urgently attend to issues that must be urgently attended to.
With the right amount of discipline and self-awareness, we will come to the realization that not everything deserves our attention, and not every opinion matters.
To care about everything is to care about nothing. To evolve and blossom, we must choose and focus on only the things that matter most to our growth, joy, and fulfillment.
Our rituals for day 6:
Morning ritual: Attack every new day with a small list of things you must focus on achieving. Keep this list small and prioritize what truly matters to you. It could be spending quality time with family or learning a new skill. Whatever it is, write down three of them and be selfish with your time until you achieve every single one of them.
If it helps, commit to reducing your screen time and try working without the distractions that come with being constantly connected to the rest of the world.
Evening ritual: Take some time at the end of every day to quietly reflect on the things you were able to achieve. Congratulate yourself on your wins, and try to understand what stole your time and attention. This practice of self-awareness will help you practice selective attention.
Social sharing: Take to Facebook in the next 15 minutes and write a short post about a time you spent focusing on something that was unnecessary. Encourage others to share theirs too. Use the hashtag #EVOLVECAMP to create a space for mutual growth and understanding.