Marcus told himself to do one thing at a time and to do it as the last and best thing, with his whole attention. Our minds love to be everywhere at once, which usually means nowhere fully. Half your focus on the task, half on your phone, half on a worry, and the day blurs by. The Stoic practice is almost embarrassingly simple: be where your hands are. When you eat, eat. When you work, work. When you rest, actually rest. This single-tasking is a quiet kind of respect, both for the work and for your own limited hours. Today, when you notice your attention split, gently gather it back to the one thing actually in front of you.

Inspired by the old idea of present moment. Written by Ugo Charles.