What do I think about the lastest online skirmish?

Here’s my answer...

I believe my most valuable resource is focused attention.

Focused attention is the disciplined ability to give yourself fully to one thing at a time and remain there long enough for something real to come of it.

It resists the constant itch for something new. It is a form of self-control. It means saying no to whatever would pull you away from the worthwhile thing you have already said yes to.

At bottom, it is an issue of discernment. You are deciding that this person, this work, or this truth deserves your full presence here and now, not whatever happens to be shouting the loudest from somewhere else.

Focused attention is what actually produces lasting goods. It is how skills are learned, children are formed, churches take root, and books are finally finished. Nothing solid comes into being without someone staying put long enough for shape and order to emerge.

Scattered attention produces activity. Gathered attention produces substance.
I want substance.

That is why an attention audit matters.

Ask yourself:

- Does this way of spending my attention make me more settled or more irritable/anxious?

- More grateful for what God has put in front of me or more cynical about everything?

- More rooted in my actual place and people or more absorbed in distant noise I cannot touch?

Then ask the harder questions:

- Does this attention compound or does it evaporate?

- Does it build skill, wisdom, relationships, or institutions close to home?

- Will any of this still matter in five years (or even just 5 weeks) to my family, my church, or my community?

As someone with ADHDDDDD, developing focused attention has not come naturally. It has taken real effort to cut things out, including some good and interesting things, so I could give sustained attention to what actually matters most. That pruning has cost me options, but it has given me fruit.

By stepping back from online controversies, influencer skirmishes, and the constant pressure to have an opinion on everything, I have recovered a ton of margin.

That margin has gone into work that stays put. Raising children. Shepherding a local church. Writing things meant to be read slowly. Building institutions that do not disappear when the algorithm changes. Short-form media feeds on urgency and outrage, but very little of it survives contact with time.

There are plenty of exciting opportunities out there. Everyone has to choose where their attention goes. And everyone answers to God for that stewardship. Pulling back from the frenzy has not made my life smaller. It is just more concentrated and produces things more durable.

This is how the world is actually built. Not by chasing constant stimulation, but by patient attention given to particular people in a particular place over time. Where attention is scattered, little endures. Where it is gathered and kept, worthwhile things grow.

Where is your attention focused? Are you spending it wisely? Will future you be thankful for the decisions you are making today?