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ISSUE 168

When Did Thinking Get So Hard?

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
William James

Hi dear friend! As I’m writing this newsletter, it’s Friday morning and I’m sitting in a coffee shop. In the time it has taken me to write this editor’s note, I’ve answered Slack messages, exported the design file, discussed an excerpt from Rory Sutherland’s Alchemy, made a note to explore the topic of third spaces, ordered another coffee, and returned to this sentence several times. I’ve been busy. But have I actually been thinking?

We talk about distraction a lot, but lately I’ve been noticing that our thinking has become fragmented. So this week, let’s practice staying with one thought long enough to actually finish it.

P.S. I use a lot of arrows in this email. They’re my way of giving a thought somewhere to go.

Until next Monday, 
Veronica Joce,
Senior Editor at Intelligent Change

Ideas for Reflection

Focus vs. fragmentation

Distraction is easy to spot. It can be something like I checked Instagram.

Fragmentation can be harder to notice because, technically, your mind is still working the whole time. You answer something, return to what you were doing, remember something else, open another document or tab, come back again trying to remember what you wanted to say, only to realize you have lost the thought you started with.

Let’s break down the difference between these two types of thinking:

FRAGMENTED THINKING

Start → switch → return → reconstruct → switch
Attention moves between several unfinished threads.

You keep returning, remembering, catching up.

FOCUSED THINKING

Start → stay → finish

One idea gets enough uninterrupted time to fully develop.

You stay with it until you reach a clear stopping point.

The key word here is continuity. A thought rarely arrives fully formed, it often needs time and an outlet before it leads somewhere. You start with an idea or problem, question it, make connections, notice what is missing, and eventually get somewhere. That process needs your focus. And every time you switch your attention, you break some of that continuity.

Switching tasks also takes more from you than the few seconds it appears to take.

Task A → disengage → reorient → Task B

Moving between tasks requires the brain to adjust to a new set of information and rules. Coming back often means working through the same questions: Where was I? What was I doing? What had I already decided? Research on task switching has a name for this: switching cost. One switch may feel tiny, but repeat it throughout the day and you spend a surprising amount of mental energy simply getting back into things.

So focus starts with protecting continuity. Which brings us to another question: What helps a thought stay intact long enough to finish?

There are five conditions I want to explore.

Getting Things Done

5 conditions for finishing a thought

01. A clear finish line

Sometimes the hardest part of focusing is that the task has no edges. “Work on the presentation” could mean 30 minutes or three hours. Do you research it? Rewrite it? Finish it? Stare at slide five for an unreasonable amount of time?

Give the work a finish line before you begin:
Work on → ______ (the presentation)
Finish → ______ (the first five slides)

Now your attention knows where it is going. Clarity → focus → finish.

02. Fewer open loops

Your brain is very good at remembering things at exactly the wrong moment. Reply to that email. Book the appointment. Look up that idea. Don’t forget the other project... Each one feels small, but the problem starts when every thought becomes a new action.

Instead, keep a small piece of paper beside you. You can even call it something like Not Now list. Thought appears → write it down → return.

Now that thought has somewhere to live, and you can come back to it later without asking your attention to follow it now.

03. A way back

Sometimes switching is unavoidable. A meeting starts, someone needs you, or you reach the end of your focus block. Life happens. Before you leave the task, make one small note for the person who has to pick this up later: you.

Here is how it works:
Next → ______ (check the numbers in section three; rewrite the opening paragraph; add the final two references; etc.)

It takes less than a minute and saves you from reopening the task later with absolutely no idea what past-you was doing.

04. Empty space

We spend a remarkable amount of time taking things in: articles, articles about the other articles, podcasts, messages, meetings, research, other people’s ideas, and even your favorite show playing in the background.

All of that gives your brain material, but that material still needs somewhere to go.

Leave a little room between receiving information and reaching for more: Input → Space → Connection.

Sit with the question before searching for the answer. Write down what you already think before reading someone else’s opinion. Take the walk without pressing play. Some thoughts need quiet moments to find each other and click.

05. Writing is thinking in practice

I keep noticing how much time we spend in our heads – thinking, ideating, planning, visualizing, observing, assuming, gathering evidence to confirm or challenge what we already believe. A lot is happening up there. And somehow, it can all feel perfectly clear until you try to put it into words. Then you notice the missing piece, the assumption, the contradiction, the sentence you can’t finish because the thought underneath it isn’t finished either.

Thought → words → structure → clarity

Writing gives a thought somewhere to stay while you work through it. You can follow it further, question it, move things around, cross something out, and see what remains. Sometimes you write because you know what you want to say. Sometimes you write to find out what you think.

Mindful Conversation

Ask Veronica Anything

Last week, you asked me:

How do you motivate yourself to do the necessary work to achieve a goal?

Some days, I can’t. Every meaningful goal comes with work that is exciting, and work that is simply part of the deal. Training for a race includes runs you would happily skip. Writing includes editing the same paragraph again and again. Building something includes admin tasks I bet nobody puts on their vision board.

So here is what I’ve started practicing over the last month: I decide the work before I need the motivation. A goal usually feels exciting when you imagine the result, yet getting there usually asks you to repeat certain tasks long after the initial excitement has passed.

So I take a notebook and write down this question: What does this goal require me to repeat? Then I create a simple mind map. For example:

Write a book → write consistently.

Run a marathon → complete the training.

Build a business → keep putting the work in front of people.

From there, I bring it all the way down to what I need to do today or this week. If you have to decide what to do from scratch every time, there is a lot of room to negotiate with yourself. Knowing what the goal asks of you makes that decision smaller and clearer :)

Let’s keep talking. Leave your question here

In The Spotlight

Give your thinking somewhere to land

I am a big believer that thinking gets easier when there is less to hold in your head. This is one reason I keep coming back to the Productivity Planner, especially around September, when that nostalgic back-to-school feeling makes me want to begin again with a little more structure. This planner brings several of the practices I shared above into one place.

Prioritize → block time → focus → write it down → get the thing done.

The prioritization framework gives your work a clear direction. The timetable protects time for it. Writing everything down gets those open loops out of your head and gives you a place to return to. And the full notes page gives your thinking room to develop on paper.

Find Your Focus →

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2a:T3327,[SHOP](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections) [NEW ARRIVALS](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/new) [READ](https://www.intelligentchange.com/blogs/read) ISSUE 168 When Did Thinking Get So Hard? The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. William James Hi dear friend! As I=E2=80=99m writing this newsletter, it=E2=80=99s Friday= morning and I=E2=80=99m sitting in a coffee shop. In the time it has taken= me to write this editor=E2=80=99s note, I=E2=80=99ve answered Slack messag= es, exported the design file, discussed an excerpt from Rory Sutherland=E2= =80=99s Alchemy, made a note to explore the topic of third spaces, ordered = another coffee, and returned to this sentence several times. I=E2=80=99ve b= een busy. But have I actually been thinking? We talk about distraction a lot, but lately I=E2=80=99ve been noticing that= our thinking has become fragmented. So this week, let=E2=80=99s practice= =C2=A0[staying with one thought](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collecti= ons/productivity/products/productivity-planner) long enough to actually fin= ish it. P.S. I use a lot of arrows in this email. They=E2=80=99re my way of giving = a thought somewhere to go. Until next Monday,=E2=80=A8 Veronica Joce, Senior Editor at Intelligent Change Ideas for Reflection Focus vs. fragmentation Distraction is easy to spot. It can be something like I checked Instagram.= =E2=80=8BFragmentation can be harder to notice because, technically, your m= ind is still working the whole time. You answer something, return to what y= ou were doing, remember something else, open another document or tab, come = back again trying to remember what you wanted to say, only to realize you h= ave lost the thought you started with.=C2=A0=E2=80=8BLet=E2=80=99s break do= wn the difference between these two types of thinking:=E2=80=8BFRAGMENTED T= HINKINGStart =E2=86=92 switch =E2=86=92 return =E2=86=92 reconstruct =E2=86= =92 switch Attention moves between several unfinished threads.You keep returning, reme= mbering, catching up.=E2=80=8BFOCUSED THINKINGStart =E2=86=92 stay =E2=86= =92 finishOne idea gets enough uninterrupted time to fully develop.You stay= with it until you reach a clear stopping point.=E2=80=8BThe key word here = is [continuity.](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/productivity= /products/productivity-planner-linen)=C2=A0A thought rarely arrives fully f= ormed, it often needs [time and an outlet](https://www.intelligentchange.co= m/collections/productivity/products/quarterly-productivity-planner) before = it leads somewhere. You start with [an idea or problem](https://www.intelli= gentchange.com/collections/journals/products/best-year-journal-essential-bl= ue), [question it](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/play/produ= cts/get-closer-conversation-game-shadow-self), [make connections](https://w= ww.intelligentchange.com/collections/productivity/products/premium-notebook= -beige), notice what is missing, and eventually [get somewhere.](https://ww= w.intelligentchange.com/collections/journals/products/life-designer-journal= ) That process needs [your focus.](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collec= tions/journals/products/the-stoic-journal) And every time you switch your a= ttention, you break some of that continuity.=E2=80=8BSwitching tasks also t= akes more from you than the few seconds it appears to take.=E2=80=8BTask A = =E2=86=92 disengage =E2=86=92 reorient =E2=86=92 Task B=E2=80=8B[Moving bet= ween tasks](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/productivity/prod= ucts/productivity-cards) requires the brain to adjust to a new set of infor= mation and rules. Coming back often means working through the same question= s: Where was I? What was I doing? What had I already decided?=C2=A0Research= on task switching has a name for this: [switching cost.](https://www.apa.o= rg/topics/research/multitasking) One switch may feel tiny, but repeat it th= roughout the day and you spend a surprising amount of mental energy simply = getting back into things.=E2=80=8BSo focus starts with [protecting continui= ty.](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/productivity/products/pr= oductivity-daily-desk-pad)=C2=A0Which brings us to another question:=C2=A0W= hat helps a thought stay intact long enough to finish?=E2=80=8BThere are fi= ve conditions I want to explore.=E2=80=8B Getting Things Done 5 conditions for finishing a thought 01. A clear finish line Sometimes the hardest part of focusing is that the task has no edges.=C2=A0= =E2=80=9CWork on the presentation=E2=80=9D could mean 30 minutes or three h= ours. Do you research it? Rewrite it? Finish it? Stare at slide five for an= unreasonable amount of time? Give the work=C2=A0[a finish line](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collec= tions/productivity/products/productivity-planner-beige) before you begin: Work on =E2=86=92 ______ (the presentation) Finish =E2=86=92 ______=C2=A0(the first five slides) Now your attention knows where it is going.=C2=A0Clarity =E2=86=92 focus = =E2=86=92 finish. 02. Fewer open loops Your brain is very good at remembering things at exactly the wrong moment. = Reply to that email. Book the appointment. Look up that idea. Don=E2=80=99t= forget the other project... Each one feels small, but the problem starts w= hen every thought becomes a new action. Instead, keep [a small piece of paper](https://www.intelligentchange.com/co= llections/productivity/products/productivity-daily-desk-pad) beside you. Yo= u can even call it something like Not Now list.=C2=A0Thought appears =E2=86= =92 write it down =E2=86=92 return. Now that thought has somewhere to live, and you can come back to it later w= ithout asking your attention to follow it now.=C2=A0 03. A way back Sometimes switching is unavoidable. A meeting starts, someone needs you, or= you reach the end of your focus block. Life happens. Before you leave the = task, [make one small note](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/p= roductivity/products/productivity-planner) for the person who has to pick t= his up later: you. Here is how it works: Next =E2=86=92 ______ (check the numbers in section three; rewrite the open= ing paragraph; add the final two references; etc.) It takes less than a minute and saves you from reopening the task later wit= h absolutely no idea what past-you was doing. 04. Empty space We spend a remarkable amount of time taking things in: articles, articles a= bout the other articles, podcasts, messages, meetings, research, other peop= le=E2=80=99s ideas, and even your favorite show playing in the background.A= ll of that gives your brain material, but that material still needs somewhe= re to go.=E2=80=8BLeave a little room between receiving information and rea= ching for more: Input =E2=86=92 Space =E2=86=92 Connection. [Sit with the question](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/bundl= es/products/stoic-bundle) before searching for the answer. [Write down what= you already think](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/stationer= y/products/premium-notebook-midnight) before reading someone else=E2=80=99s= opinion. Take the walk without pressing play. Some thoughts need quiet mom= ents to find each other and click. 05. Writing is thinking in practice I=C2=A0keep noticing [how much time we spend in our heads](https://www.inte= lligentchange.com/collections/mindful-affirmations/products/mindful-affirma= tions) =E2=80=93 thinking, ideating, planning, visualizing, observing, assu= ming, gathering evidence to confirm or challenge what we already believe. A= lot is happening up there. And somehow, it can all feel perfectly clear un= til you try to [put it into words.](https://www.intelligentchange.com/colle= ctions/stationery/products/essential-notebook-blue)=C2=A0Then you notice th= e missing piece, the assumption, the contradiction, the sentence you can=E2= =80=99t finish because the thought underneath it isn=E2=80=99t finished eit= her. Thought =E2=86=92 words =E2=86=92 structure =E2=86=92 clarity Writing gives a thought somewhere to stay while you work through it. You ca= n follow it further, question it, move things around, cross something out, = and see what remains. Sometimes you write because you know what you want to= say. Sometimes you write to find out what you think.=E2=80=8B Mindful Conversation Ask Veronica Anything Last week, you asked me:=C2=A0How do you motivate yourself to do the necess= ary work to achieve a goal?=E2=80=8BSome days, I can=E2=80=99t. Every [mean= ingful goal](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/journals/product= s/life-designer-journal) comes with work that is exciting, and work that is= simply part of the deal. Training for a race includes runs you would happi= ly skip. Writing includes editing the same paragraph again and again. Build= ing something includes admin tasks I bet nobody puts on their vision board.= =E2=80=8BSo here is what I=E2=80=99ve started practicing over the last mont= h: I decide the work=C2=A0before I need the motivation. A goal usually feel= s exciting when you imagine the result, yet [getting there](https://www.int= elligentchange.com/collections/journals/products/best-year-journal-green) u= sually asks you to repeat certain tasks long after the initial excitement h= as passed.=E2=80=8BSo I take [a notebook](https://www.intelligentchange.com= /collections/stationery/products/premium-notebook-midnight) and write down = this question:=C2=A0What does this goal require me to repeat?=C2=A0Then I c= reate a simple mind map. For example:Write a book =E2=86=92 write consisten= tly.Run a marathon =E2=86=92 complete the training.Build a business =E2=86= =92 keep putting the work in front of people.=E2=80=8BFrom there, I bring i= t all the way down to what I need to do [today or this week.](https://www.i= ntelligentchange.com/collections/productivity/products/quarterly-productivi= ty-planner) If you have to decide what to do from scratch every time, there= is a lot of room to negotiate with yourself. Knowing what the goal asks of= you makes that decision smaller and clearer :)=C2=A0 [Let=E2=80=99s keep talking. Leave your question here](https://intelligentc= hange.typeform.com/ask-veronica) In The Spotlight Give your thinking somewhere to land https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/productivity/products/product= ivity-planner I am a big believer that thinking gets easier when there is less to hold in= your head. This is one reason I keep coming back to the [Productivity Plan= ner,](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/productivity/products/p= roductivity-planner) especially around September, when that nostalgic back-= to-school feeling makes me want to begin again with a little more structure= . This planner=C2=A0brings several of the practices I shared above into one= place. Prioritize =E2=86=92 block time =E2=86=92 focus =E2=86=92 write it down =E2= =86=92 get the thing done. The prioritization framework gives your work a clear direction. The timetab= le protects time for it. Writing everything down gets those open loops out = of your head and gives you a place to return to. And the full notes page gi= ves your thinking room to develop on paper. [Find Your Focus =E2=86=92](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/p= roductivity/products/productivity-planner) https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections Enjoyed this newsletter? Send it to a friend. Was Intelligent Weekly forwarded to you from a friend? If so, you can [sign= up for more here.](https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/subscribe?= a=3DnFEe3R&g=3DVU8Fit) Live a full life. Leave a small footprint. Sustainable routines begin with = sustainable practices. We use only natural, recycled, and biodegradable mat= erials and are committed to donating a portion of our profits, products, an= d time to causes around the world.=C2=A0 No longer want to receive these emails? 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