I have an unhealthy distraction: watching things that make me angry.

Usually political things. Someone says something I think is stupid, and I stay there watching it. Then I watch a little more.

During a recent conversation, I was asked what keeps me watching.

The uncomfortable answer is that it can feel like a daily delivery of righteousness. I have my position. They have theirs. I get to sit there feeling superior.

An ego thing, I guess.

I admire people who can tune all of it out. I’m not sure I want to do that completely. Politics affects our lives. Pretending it doesn’t exist doesn’t change that.

But staying aware and staying angry can become tangled together.

One question I find useful is: can I apply any of this to my life? Is it going to improve my situation in some way?

If one tab has another infuriating interview and another has someone teaching me something I can use, I probably know which is the better choice. Knowing that doesn’t always mean I choose it.

Sometimes the first move is much smaller. Breathe. Inhale, exhale. Close my eyes for a moment. Let it go.

I’m talking about a reset. I don’t need to have the next action figured out before I pause.

Then I can come back to some less entertaining questions.

Do I have something I want to achieve? What is important, as opposed to urgent? Have I been putting off something that should have been done months ago?

Those questions give me somewhere to put my attention.

I still get sucked in. But noticing the reward I’m getting from it is a useful place to start.

This week on the channel: I talked about what changed when I stopped chasing everything at once.

What pulls you in the way angry politics pulls me? Hit reply and tell me. I read every answer.

Roman