{
  "author": {
    "name": "Dylan Fitzgerald",
    "url": "https://dylanfitzgerald.net/"
  },
  "blyg": "0.4",
  "changelog": [
    {
      "at": "2022-06-10T03:54:00Z",
      "note": "Imported from the Ctrl+Shift archive",
      "version": 1
    }
  ],
  "content_hash": "sha256:938af74c23399a122f3bfde519c40ddc05885e86dab67fe51bd8c333e1b78481",
  "content_html": "\u003ch1\u003eHow did you decide to do that thing?\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe thing you\u0026rsquo;re doing right now. What is it? Why are you doing it?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOkay, how about now? And does that match with what you thought you\u0026rsquo;d be doing today?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo often, we describe the thing we intend to do, or the thing we\u0026rsquo;re doing, as Our Current Priority. And in some sense, that\u0026rsquo;s always true: we gave it our attention before something else. But the word Priority can be so much more powerful, so obvious, if only we\u0026rsquo;ll let it be so.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet\u0026rsquo;s break this down a little: most of the time, the thing you\u0026rsquo;re doing is:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ea habit\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ea preference\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ean actual priority\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you had to think about doing it, and decide over something else, it\u0026rsquo;s probably a preference.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re doing it automatically, it\u0026rsquo;s probably a habit. Nothing wrong with that! Habits and routines are most of what gets anything done.\nIf you dropped something you were in the middle of to do this thing, especially without having to think about it, it\u0026rsquo;s probably a priority. Emergencies are when a priority is threatened in the moment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce we give Priority the strength to mean what it should\u0026ndash;the way you act when your child falls and starts crying, or your entire dashboard goes red\u0026ndash;it\u0026rsquo;s easier to discern that much of the rest of our daily behavior is habits and preferences. And that\u0026rsquo;s where you can get empowered.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe likelihood of you deliberately changing your priorities is \u003cspan class=\"underline\"\u003every low\u003c/span\u003e. That\u0026rsquo;s actually kind of the point. We want to change other stuff in service of our priorities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo we can focus on the other stuff. If you want to change a habit, you need to plan ahead of time. (That\u0026rsquo;s a long topic, covered delightfully well in James Clear\u0026rsquo;s \u003ca href=\"https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits\"\u003eAtomic Habits\u003c/a\u003e or more concisely in \u003ca href=\"https://tinyhabits.com/join/\"\u003eTiny Habits\u003c/a\u003e). If it\u0026rsquo;s a preference you\u0026rsquo;re acting on, though, I suggest you first check in on \u003cspan class=\"underline\"\u003ewhose preference it is in the first place\u003c/span\u003e. Is it \u003cspan class=\"underline\"\u003eyour\u003c/span\u003e stated preference? Your boss\u0026rsquo;s or client\u0026rsquo;s? Your spouse? Essentially, what are you trying to satisfy here?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy splitting off the many things that are mere preferences and habits, we give ourselves the space to actually think about the real priorities\u0026ndash;the parts of our lives that we value the most\u0026ndash;and to stop binning them in the same place as preferences and habits. Our priorities deserve better.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd then we can decide to act on them, even when they\u0026rsquo;re not emergencies\u0026ndash;to make the space for what\u0026rsquo;s important, at the justifiable expense of what\u0026rsquo;s loud or has inertia.\u003c/p\u003e\n",
  "content_md": "# How did you decide to do that thing?\n\nThe thing you're doing right now. What is it? Why are you doing it?\n\nOkay, how about now? And does that match with what you thought you'd be doing today?\n\nSo often, we describe the thing we intend to do, or the thing we're doing, as Our Current Priority. And in some sense, that's always true: we gave it our attention before something else. But the word Priority can be so much more powerful, so obvious, if only we'll let it be so.\n\nLet's break this down a little: most of the time, the thing you're doing is:\n\n-   a habit\n-   a preference\n-   an actual priority\n\nIf you had to think about doing it, and decide over something else, it's probably a preference.\nIf you're doing it automatically, it's probably a habit. Nothing wrong with that! Habits and routines are most of what gets anything done.\nIf you dropped something you were in the middle of to do this thing, especially without having to think about it, it's probably a priority. Emergencies are when a priority is threatened in the moment.\n\nOnce we give Priority the strength to mean what it should--the way you act when your child falls and starts crying, or your entire dashboard goes red--it's easier to discern that much of the rest of our daily behavior is habits and preferences. And that's where you can get empowered.\n\nThe likelihood of you deliberately changing your priorities is \u003cspan class=\"underline\"\u003every low\u003c/span\u003e. That's actually kind of the point. We want to change other stuff in service of our priorities.\n\nSo we can focus on the other stuff. If you want to change a habit, you need to plan ahead of time. (That's a long topic, covered delightfully well in James Clear's [Atomic Habits](https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits) or more concisely in [Tiny Habits](https://tinyhabits.com/join/)). If it's a preference you're acting on, though, I suggest you first check in on \u003cspan class=\"underline\"\u003ewhose preference it is in the first place\u003c/span\u003e. Is it \u003cspan class=\"underline\"\u003eyour\u003c/span\u003e stated preference? Your boss's or client's? Your spouse? Essentially, what are you trying to satisfy here?\n\nBy splitting off the many things that are mere preferences and habits, we give ourselves the space to actually think about the real priorities--the parts of our lives that we value the most--and to stop binning them in the same place as preferences and habits. Our priorities deserve better.\n\nAnd then we can decide to act on them, even when they're not emergencies--to make the space for what's important, at the justifiable expense of what's loud or has inertia.",
  "created": "2022-06-10T03:54:00Z",
  "id": "7csc9h2pbkqjn7ya6xh9y40x7q",
  "kind": "thread",
  "media": [],
  "origin": "https://dylanfitzgerald.net/blyg/",
  "page": "https://dylanfitzgerald.net/blog/deciding_the_thing/",
  "transclusions": [],
  "updated": "2022-06-10T03:54:00Z",
  "version": 1
}