I am a husband, writer, and teacher exploring what it means to cultivate mental silence.

Knowing when to put it down and walk away...

I've been thinkingabout the relevance of habit tracking apps with respect to an individual'sefforts to better themselves; whatever that may mean for them personally. Why?Well, for the better part of a year I used one formally called Lift (now)Coach.me. I used it to keep track of several things (in an effort to bettermy-self)  including…

 

  • Did I write during the day?
  • Did I "do good?"
  • Did I run?

 

I engaged in thisact(ion) for myself even though the app lent itself to sharing via social mediaas well as within the app; connecting with others tracking similar habits.Initially, it felt good to check these things off during the day or at the endof the day. I was creating habits and the app made me feel like I was doingsomething good for myself. I was in short, getting better!

 

Recently though, theact(ion) of opening the app has started to feel more like a chore, noise in thechannel; a hinderance in my quest to achieve a certain level of mental silence.It seemed as though I was outsourcing an act(ion) that should be taking placeelsewhere; closer to the "place" I crave mental silence…my mind.Maybe, in the metaphorical "small bags" we carry on our respectivepaths, habit tracking apps should be seen as a tool we use temporarily; leavingthem for others to "pick up" when we ourselves are ready to bring the act(ion)…closer.

Position+Privilege+Time=Optimal Experience!

Stop! Slow down! Unplug?