Dear Reader,

Today begins a series that might seem boring at first. But this pillar is central to everything I write as an educator and in my as a psychoanalyst. It may not seem sexy or thrilling. It may not sound like, “Oh this will unlock all my troubles.” But hopefully over the next several posts, I can make a case for how vital it is.

Also, check out my recent HomeScreens post at MacSparky!

– Kourosh

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“I just don’t wanna”.

A familiar refrain for those with wandering minds. What do we do when we “just don’t wanna”?

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You may well know that once you’re in it, you’re good to go. But getting there can be difficult. Yelling “just start” at yourself hardly works, and when it does, it can carry a host of troubles.

In earlier posts, I talked about dopamine, and how we might use these idea against ourselves to say that we need a chemical or some pre-existing emotion to work. We adopt a sense that we cannot work by our own will.

A View Forward – Agency

But I believe there is another view.

We often focus on attention. One type of Wandering Mind often carries such a diagnosis: ADHD. It’s right there in the title right? Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

But what is profoundly missing from that title, and other Wandering Minds such as the anxious, the creative, the absent-minded, and the like is the sense of agency. And more specifically, that our sense of agency is injured, raw, or hurt.

First, what do I mean by agency?

Agency is the skill and degree to which we can decide and engage non-reactively.

This is a profound pillar of everything I write about and how I function as a psychoanalyst can sound boring. If you want to know the secret of what makes me stand out as a productivity talking head, it is that I focus on supporting our sense of agency.

In the next post, we’ll look at how this seemingly bland phrase can be a keystone to so many troubles, but also a pathway to significant strength.