Insidious Offshoots
Working through a difficult problem can feel like dragging you’re feet through a long, treacherous tunnel.?
In contrast, distractions like scrolling through a news feed or watching a quick video are like little offshoots on either side of the tunnel that feel bright and easy to traverse. The only caveat, and it is a rather major one, is that none of these offshoots actually bring you closer to solving the problem.?
Where is the line between a distraction that provides us much needed relief in order to continue moving forward and a distraction that we’ve learned to habitually take refuge in at the expense of making progress and meeting our goals??
My offshoot of choice is hitting CTRL + T to open up a tab in my web browser, typing in the characters ‘Yo’ on my keyboard at which point I know my browser will autofill the URL with ‘youtube.com’, going to the site, and choosing from an array of videos on my homepage to watch.?
The first video is harmless. If I’ve reach reached a 4th or 5th video, it’s safe to say in my eyes that what started as a therapeutic break has transitioned into all-out problem avoidance.
I don’t know that the line is always clear or that it is the same for everyone.
You have to decide: how much time and energy am I willing to set aside for the myriad of offshoots life has on offer?
We can’t realistically protect our energy and promote progress if we don’t make a conscious choice about this.?
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I'm a second-generation Taiwanese American trying to find life’s greatest sources of meaning and make the most out of it