Bring attention back to the task at hand

Attention enables relaxation. Our primary job is to continuously bring attention back to the task at hand, whatever it is.

We often do something while wishing to be doing something else. “Now I write; oh wait, this is boring, and I wish I was outside walking.” “Now I am outside walking; I wish I was at the fight event in that venue by the beach.”

Such constant wondering, wishing, and lying to oneself leads nowhere, except through a self-reinforcing spiral of not wanting to be here but wanting to be there instead—never ending.

So, assuming you can see through this situation and its insignificance, there is a way “out”, even though this concept itself is a lie, but useful for explanatory purposes.

A way out is to continue practicing bringing attention back to the task at hand, whatever arises in the thoughts or emotional domains.

“Now I write; it’s boring and I wish I was outside walking; ah, let’s remember: now I am writing; oh, there is the trash can collection the day after tomorrow, and I must remember; ah, back to writing; …” (and so on indefinitely).

Bringing attention back to the task at hand is done through softening, releasing the tension often generated by interruptions.

What else is there to do, if not the current thing there is to do? If you’re here, you’re not there, so why want to be there?