Imagine your conscious attention, which really is a limited resource, is a jar and all the thoughts inside it are marbles—or, as I call them, things taking up headspace. The more marbles you have in your jar:
♦ the less conscious attention you have available
♦ the less you’re able to focus
♦ the more easily you’re distracted
♦ the less you’re able to cope with difficult or trying circumstances
♦ the less you’re able to maintain balance or equanimity
♦ the less you’re able to think clearly
♦ the greater your chances of forgetting something or making a mistake
♦ the less you’re able to grasp the bigger picture
♦ the more likely you are to be chronically anxious, stressed, depressed, or irritated
♦ the less joy you’ll experience
You can’t keep adding more marbles to the jar indefinitely. Your brain needs breathing room (headspace) to work efficiently. Otherwise, your thinking and your life are likely to become claustrophobic. If you want to be able to access as much of your conscious attention as possible, you need to develop the intention and the habit of removing marbles from the jar.
First, take care of business. Complete outstanding projects or tasks, resolve issues, fix what needs to be fixed, and get rid of as much clutter and excess baggage as possible.
Second, stop indiscriminately adding new marbles to the jar. Continue taking care of business, don’t take on new stuff or new obligations unless you have to or they are truly meaningful to you. Recognize the allure of these colorful shiny objects and inure yourself to their appeal. You can do it!
Donald T. Morgan says
Sort of the reverse of “Having All Your Marbles, huh?
Joycelyn Campbell says
Sort of. 🙂 Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. And then it’s not.
Jean Sobers says
Love it, Joycelyn, Ah, the appeal! So often a downfall for me.
Joycelyn Campbell says
Jean, I suspect the appeal of bright, shiny objects (and activities and projects) is probably universal. On to the next cool thing!
poetdonald says
Joycelyn, I have only recently begun to get my mind around the concept that we have a limited amount of conscious attention. The jar is a great analogy.
So when I cut out TV and news, and cut way back on sports, I was losing my marbles – in a good way…….
Joycelyn Campbell says
Don, exactly right! More space in the jar for haiku. (And a different perspective on being a Jarhead…). 🙂
poetdonald says
I hadn’t thought of the jarhead Joycelyn, I love it!