## Constantly On
A typical person has on average 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Out of all those thoughts we only remember the ones that happen the most often, are the most positive, or the most negative: food, sex, and that stupid video your friend sent you, or traffic, why you hate your boss, and the fight you had with your significant other. The number of thoughts we experience is even less now due to our brains being constantly stimulated either through keeping ourselves busy with work, social media, or another form of entertainment. These distractions prevent us from living our most authentic selves by taking up the valuable real estate in our mind which would otherwise be used to focus on the things that matter. Imagine living your life on auto pilot and having that valuable real estate used for the things that truly matter to you.
## Never Be Bored Again
Boredom is an unpleasurable state of mind. Nobody wants to experience it, yet it’s a normal every day occurrence for most people. We have been talking about boredom since the days of the greek philosophers, though in those days it was only thought to afflict the most creative and intelligent amongst us, the philosophers and poets. The remedy? Alcohol and drugs. 100 years ago it was the entertainment industry in its infancy. Go see a film, concert, or take your significant other on a walk of the town. Today we have the most powerful drug in the palm of our hand that can give us unlimited hits of what we need. The shift was almost instantaneous. We went from toleration to outright avoidance so much so that even muttering those two words, *I’m bored*, will give you looks of pure confusion. How can you be bored when there’s *so much to do*? The only time it’s ok to be bored now is when we’re practicing mindfulness and even that has been modified to where we don’t have to sit alone with our own thoughts, we can listen to guided meditations and sounds of the ocean.
## The Freedom of Thinking Less
Thinking less means saving up your mental energy for those crucial moments in your day. Studying for a class, making important decisions at work, or being there for your kids. These things are hard to do if you’re constantly distracted. You may think that being distracted means you’ll think less, but when you engage in things like social media you’re actually making choices every second: Do I watch this video, do I comment on this post, what do I say, what do I think about this message, and a thousand other decisions throughout the day. By the end of the day, you don’t have the mental energy to plan for tomorrow.
Before you can get to thinking less, you must first become aware of your thoughts. Regaining awareness of your thoughts allows you to do two things:
1. Empty your mind of all the things that have been taking up space and
2. Explore possibilities for intentionality.
The second item is how thinking less comes into play.
When you have the mental bandwidth to explore those possibilities you remember the things you wanted or needed to do. How many times have you been caught up in something that takes hold of that mental space, whether it be talking with friends or browsing social media, and you completely forgot what was your focus for the day. Awareness of your thoughts enables you to consider what matters and plan ahead, giving you the ability to live your life on auto pilot.
## How to Reset Your Auto Pilot
1. Identify your distractions
Separate them into categories:
– Things you wish you didn’t do
– Things you wish you didn’t do so much
– Things you do that you enjoy
– Things you do that you enjoy, but you want more of
2. Think of the reasons for why you engage in these activities
You wouldn’t be doing these activities if they didn’t give you some sort of benefit whether it be calming, gives you energy, or is purely a way to waste the time.
3. Think of the times when you engage in these activities
Do you watch a movie every time you come home from a long day? What about eating snacks during long meetings where you have no active role? When are those times where everything was going good, but then it suddenly drops off a cliff and vice versa. Identifying these times gives you more detail for your plan of action.
4. Designate your intention
In your day to day life what are the 1 – 3 things you want to achieve. Eating healthier, making more friends, making more time for people, or starting a business? The options are limitless, but choosing only a few will give your mind the space to really concentrate instead of spreading your mental energy too thin.
5. Replace the things you wish you didn’t do, with the things you want
Instead of watching the movie when coming home from a long day, maybe you call up a friend or journal. Start off small, maybe two or three replacements until those become automatic and then pick new ones. This limits exerting a lot of mental energy remembering and the mental strain from forgetting and becoming upset or disappointed.
6. Repeat
Once you’ve successfully replaced an activity, repeat the same cycle until you have the desired level of change.
This is difficult because change can often times be stubborn. It can feel like you’re always moving backwards, but always remember the goal is worth this minor bump in the road.
## Forging Ahead
I won’t tell you that I’ve had it the easiest changing the habits in my life. Social media is still a huge distractor for me, but the more I re-focus myself, the more I hammer away at the old programming and guide my self into living effortlessly with intention.
It’s a journey to thinking less. Our society and culture as it stands is not built to support the change to more intentional living, so it is up to you to forge this path for yourself with the aide of others who have beaten a path before you. I don’t know what the end looks like as I’m still on the journey myself, but I hope to see you at the finish line.
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About the Author: C. A. Lawson writes on all things productivity, time management, and minimalism.