This thing you are focused on, is it useful?

“What will your life have been, in the end, but the sum total of everything you spent it focusing on?”

Oliver Burkeman

As I have written before, one of my favorite questions to ask myself when faced with an emotional response to a situation or circumstance is, “Is this useful?” It can be incredibly clarifying and helpful in focusing life’s precious energy on what is and isn’t beneficial within a particular moment. Zooming out, I am thinking through applying this same question when faced with a decision about the investment of energy towards a project, initiative, or goal. 

“Is this useful?”

I guess the answer depends on whether or not you know what you are focusing on and why. In the end, how you answer this question will determine the impact your life has had on others. These are three simple words, yet they hold so much power when asked and answered.  

“Is this useful?”

Is this useful?

“Everything gets harder if you start going on about how hard it is.”

Stephen Covey

Have you ever noticed that certain people always want to share how much energy they spent on something and how hard they had to work to get that thing done? The amount of time spent lamenting difficulties is always challenging for me to hear as it conveys a focus on what I see as a non-value-added use of time. As a result, I sometimes find myself screaming in my head, “instead of talking about a problem, invest your very finite amount of energy into fixing it!” Fortunately, I don’t actually scream that out or even whisper it; instead, a simple phrase that I have borrowed from my meditation practices serves as a great reset question, both for myself and others. “Is this useful?”  

It is incredible how this simple question can reset the mind and focus on what is and isn’t essential. So give it a try; you might find yourself going on less and getting more done.  

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dusty

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