Learning to Tell What Truly Deserves My Attention (and What Doesn’t)

Learning to Tell What Truly Deserves My Attention (and What Doesn’t)

Recently, I was listening to an audio about attention deficit issues, especially how it's becoming more common in the generation most exposed to social media and constant digital stimulation. It got me thinking.

I reflected on this before in a previous post, but there’s another layer to this problem that I hadn’t fully explored: the challenge of distinguishing what really deserves your attention from what doesn’t.

This is a subtle but crucial skill.

I’ve come to realize that for me, something that requires immediate attention is either:

Something that could become a real problem if ignored, or something I can solve quickly and efficiently, especially after considering the impact it’ll have once resolved.

Take this simple example: a message pops up in a WhatsApp group chat with my friends, it doesn’t require my attention. But if I get a message from my boss, that does.

Seems obvious, right? But where it gets complicated is in the gray areas. Let me give you a real-life example.

I go to the gym every morning. It’s part of my routine. But let’s say one morning, something comes up at work, in an important issue that I could handle right away. Since I work from home, the temptation is there: “Skip the gym and deal with this now.”

But I’ve learned that skipping my routine doesn’t actually serve me in the long run.

Why? Because I’ve already defined the hours in my day dedicated to work. And I’ve committed to not letting anything get between me and my morning workout. If I must shift things around, I’ll go to the gym in the afternoon, but I won’t abandon the goal just because something seems urgent at the moment.

It’s all about priorities and structure.

Now, you might say: “Well, this is manageable. Just be flexible.” And sure, it sounds easy. But this is exactly why so many people struggle with consistency, at the gym, at work, in life. They don’t train their minds to identify what truly deserves attention based on the goals they’ve set for themselves.

So here’s what I’ve learned:

• Not everything is urgent.
• Not everything deserves a reaction.
• Your goals should define what gets your attention. Not the other way around.

I’m still learning to master this, but the more I practice, the clearer things get.

Discipline isn’t about being rigid. It’s about protecting the things that matter, even when distractions disguise themselves as emergencies.