“But how can I make myself do something?!”
Last time, I shared why the birthplace of agency isn’t in forcing ourselves to do, but in allowing ourselves to be. Certainly a philosophical and heady place to be. But vital, too.
Why does this matter? Because the more we practice sensing and choosing—rather than simply reacting—the more we can shape our days, our work, and even our sense of self.
Today, let’s take agency apart and see why it’s so vital—not just for productivity, but for how we relate to ourselves.
- Kourosh
Deciding Without Drama: The Skill of Agency
Agency is the skill and degree to which we can decide and engage non-reactively.
At first glance, it sounds almost boring. Why bother with such an abstract concept?
Indulge me for a moment as we take this concept apart—because this simple skill is the trellis that supports all meaningful growth.
“Non-reactive” means that we can sense the world–especially our emotional world–without being swept away. Our interests, wants, needs, impulses, worries, and cares touch, wash over, if not crash into us as waves. When we can hear their information, these messengers from within, we are more likely to engage from a place of meaning, than one of reaction.
It is far too easy, and perhaps even the default, to be carried away by these waves.
- When we catch ourselves in the middle of email not realizing how we even got there, we were reactive.
- When worry keeps us in indecision, we are reactive to that worry.
- When we flip off that person who almost ran us off the road, we are reactive.
But when we can sense these emotions to some degree, we can now decide from the options they give us, connecting to whatever we find most meaningful in that moment.
When we engage, we begin closing, collapsing the cloud of possibilities that had once been, perhaps mourning the fantasies of what could have been.
Agency Is a Practice, Not a Trait
The beauty of agency is that it’s a skill—something we can nurture and strengthen over time. Each time we notice a wave and choose our response, we’re practicing agency.
Like a musician learning a new piece, we improve not by perfection, but by returning to the practice, again and again.
Of course, we all get swept away sometimes. That’s not failure—it’s part of being human. But each time we pause to notice and then decide, we strengthen our skill of acting from what we sense as most meaningful.
An Example
As I write, I notice a message alert at the top of my screen. I click it. Oh there’s a message from someone I’ve been waiting for. Maybe I can just take care of that real quick…
A brief flicker of awareness comes to mind. I’m wandering off.
Pause. I sense my options of writing and responding to the message.
I wait more, and recognize the feeling of confusion with the writing, a difficult feeling to wade through. But if I can, I often come through with something useful.
I turn off notifications and return to writing.
The Agent Within
Of course, behind it all, is the agent, the decider, the self that senses and chooses.
Some argue, such as those in the neuropsychoanalytic community, that the very purpose of consciousness itself is decision. Agency.
We might wonder whether we have free will or if everything is determined. Rather than struggle with this likely impossible puzzle, what if we instead focused on agency, something we can practice and have more or less of?
- Kourosh
PS This week, notice a moment when you feel swept away by a wave of emotion or impulse. Can you pause, even briefly, and ask yourself: What are my options here? What feels most meaningful right now? Each time you do, you’re practicing agency—guiding your boat through the waves, one choice at a time.
PS I’ll be gathering this agency series into a single podcast episode for the Rhythms of Focus, currently planned to air on June 12th.
