Be in the Now, Turn Off the Autopilot

Do you ever find yourself operating in autopilot mode, not really being aware of what you’re doing? A recent small example for me. In the morning I turn on my computer and then go to shave before sitting down to writer. Several times recently, I’m shaving and can’t remember if I turned on my computer or not. It had become a habit and I didn’t even pay attention to what I was doing.

Now there is something to be said for not wasting a lot of brain cycles doing something like turning on a computer, but it does beg the question. Am I paying attention to what I’m doing? At the time I was turning on the computer was I thinking about something I had done the day before or thinking ahead to something I’d be doing in the future? I clearly wasn’t in the present.

I know I can easily get lost in the past, trying to relive some event that didn’t turn out very well. Likewise, I can stress over things that are off in the future. There is something to be said to be in the present, live it and enjoy it. This doesn’t mean giving up on planning. But the planning exercise is something that is being done in the present.

The present moment can be an interesting and exciting place. Do you find yourself operating in the past or future and missing the present?