Compliments of Alexas_Fotos via Pixabay

Why is it so difficult for us to simply be in the present? We’re forward focused, fretting, worrying, planning for worst-case scenarios that never occur, and dreaming up unimaginable horrors that thrust us into a frenzy. Frantic and obsessive, we do the unnecessary to repel the catastrophic. In the process, we deplete our mental reserves and time that could have been used more productively elsewhere.

The equally unfruitful alternative is staring back—pining on missed opportunities and ruminating on what we should have done differently—all of which leave little time to focus on what we can do in the present moment. Starting where we are, with what we have, how can we chart the best path forward? If  we set goals to achieve by the end of the day, we would be miles ahead of simply plodding forth and hoping for the best.

The fourteen hundred and forty minutes each of us have been granted daily are non-replenishable. They sift through our fingers when we do not render a meticulous accounting of how they were spent.

Laser focus on daily achievement keeps us moving. Eliminating the unnecessary (like self-absorption and constant cell phone checking) is an imperative. An hour-by-hour reclamation of what could have been worthless surfing, scrolling, checking, or watching puts us closer to where we wish to be.