learning & curiosity

nd yet . At the end of the day, attention is still ours. No matter how many forces try to seize it, shape it, or sell it - our attention begins and ends with us. We are the only ones who can reclaim it. That’s our responsibility. And that’s also our power.

The brain starts defaulting to easier modes: autopilot, mindless scrolling, zoning out. Not necessarily because we’re weak or lazy; our neural pathways are simply adapting to what we repeat the most.

If you think about it, this makes a lot of sense: seeing coincidences means finding connections or patterns that are usually hidden from view. That helps us overcome mental blocks, think outside the box, and come up with new ideas.

-learn something that fascinates you

Pick a topic, anything. Become obsessed. Not to be graded or read. Not to get ahead. Just for the thrill of it. Write a thesis, do the research, produce the paper. Watch lectures. Take notes. Make PowerPoints no one will ever see. Make homework for yourself, like you used to. Give yourself a deadline in one... See more

If I care about self-realization, fulfilment, and joy, which I do above almost anything else, then I cannot reasonably sit back and do nothing as my attention is in someone else’s hands more than it is in mine.

However, high stimulation over time leads to desensitization. The more novelty you consume (think how much content you consume in just 5 mins of doomscrolling), the more you need to feel engaged. Everything else (reading a book, sitting still, writing an email) starts to feel slow, boring, uncomfortable even.

Attention has become a currency. Every platform, ad, and algorithm is designed to compete for it. Not just to catch our eye, but to keep it. And they’re really, really good at it.

This loss of agency over our own attention that many of us are experiencing is not about willpower. It’s about neuroscience:

Following this definition, seeing connections and meaningful patterns which are hidden from the view of others (cf . [16]) might help to overcome mental blocks, enhance thinking out of the box, and increase the chance to come up with more creative ideas. Therefore, the propensity to experience meaningful coincidences might represent a personality... See more