2022-05-26 On not getting distracted

One big idea that has inspired me to be so focused on what I do is something Marcus Aurelius said: “No random actions, none not based on underlying principles.”

To me, that means everything you do has a reason. But not just any type of reason. If you follow a certain philosophy or religion, your actions are based on the underlying principles of what you believe in. I happen to live by Stoic principles, which are straightforward:

1. Focus on what you control
2. Live in agreement with nature

There are other principles, but they always lead back to those two things. The first part is straightforward. When you focus on what you control, you get clarity. You’ll soon enough figure out that you control very little in life. So you can concentrate on spending your energy on those things (particularly on being the best version of yourself).

The second principle, living in agreement with nature might sound less clear. To the Stoics, humans are rational beings who also should behave rationally. To live well is to live in harmony with the facts of life. And one fact of life is that we quickly get distracted. I experienced that the first week I got here. There’s so much to do around here, and the weather is so great that I can fill up my days with leisure.

But here’s the thing: Living a good life is about not getting distracted.