How many plans or ideas have we put off, telling ourselves that we'll return to them later, and we never do? How many times have we convinced ourselves that the change we seek can begin, but not right now? How many times have we said "next time"?
Our lives have become increasingly complicated and filled with competing demands on our time and attention. We input information for hundreds of sources every single day, and each brief comment is vying for our attention. It's trying to convince us that it's the most important thing in the world at that moment and we should pay attention. I say this as someone who has fallen down an Instagram Reels rabbit hole far more often than I'd like to admit. Our attention is drawn away from whatever it is we were doing, and we're left to say "next time".
Focus can be finicky and can allude us, even when we think we have it. We easily find all sorts of ways to divert our attention away from whatever it was we were attempting to do at that moment. The random text message from a friend. A quick peek at Facebook (or TikTok for you young folks :)). A side conversation at a meeting, or a not-so-quick conversation with a colleague in the hallway. About your weekends. About your kids. Probably something unrelated to what you initially intended to do.
Distractions certainly have their place, and they allow our minds to relax, reset, and recovery. We need those small joys in our lives. They can very quickly become the single blooming sunflower in a sea of brown and gray. However, sometimes perhaps we don't pay enough attention to those small moments of joy. Perhaps we put off that idea or big plan and tell ourselves we'll get to it next time. But next time never comes. If it's important enough to do, it's important enough to do now. This time trumps next time.
