The Lake of Attention
Think of attention like a lake.
When the surface is calm, you can see clearly to the bottom. Depth is visible. Direction is obvious. You know exactly where you are.
Modern digital life turns that lake into constant chop. Notifications are pebbles. Open tabs are ripples. Unfinished conversations are waves that never fully settle.
Nothing dramatic happens on its own, but together, they keep the surface in perpetual motion.
The water is still there. The depth hasn’t disappeared. But clarity is lost to turbulence.
Attention is not an abstract concept, but physical. When it is repeatedly disturbed, the system "heats up." Static builds in your nervous system. This is why you feel exhausted at 5 pm without having done anything strenuous—your brain has spent the entire day trying to resolve the "chop."
When attention is turbulent:
- Decisions feel harder.
- Identity feels less solid.
- The "bottom" (your core goals) disappears from view.
The AI Variable
AI adds incredible speed to our environment. It can move information faster than ever before. But it does not, and cannot, still the water.
AI provides the "flow," but it doesn't choose where the lake should be aimed or what deserves reflection. If anything, the sheer speed of AI can increase the chop if we don't have a way to stabilize our own internal environment.
Focus Is Subtraction
We often think of focus as a "grip"—something we have to do with more willpower. But the physics of the lake tells a different story.
Only subtraction stills the water.
When interruptions are removed, when unresolved signals are allowed to close, the surface settles on its own. No forcing. No "optimization." Just physics returning to balance.
Takeaway: Focus is not about gripping harder. It is about letting the water go still again.
From that stillness, clarity returns. And with it, a quiet, effortless sense of direction.
A simple mug. The weight and warmth provide a sensory "ground" for your nervous system. A blank notebook. A place to offload "ripples" (thoughts) so they stop disturbing the surface. An analog timer. A visual representation of time that doesn't ping, glow, or demand a response.
Stay curious!
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