Hello Reader,

It starts with a moment: you're in a grocery store, navigating your cart like it's a bumper car. You stop. You look around. And you realize—no one else seems to be aware of where they are, either.

Spatial awareness used to be instinctual. You’d step aside when someone approached, feel the rhythm of shared space, make micro-adjustments without thinking. But now? It's like everyone is moving through fog—detached from the world around them, and maybe from themselves.

It made me wonder: have we lost our sense of place because we've lost our sense of attention?

Or... is reclaiming our spatial awareness actually the final boss of attention?

We often think of attention as something internal—what we point our minds toward. But attention lives in the body, too.

This is where The Spheres of Attention come in:

1. Noticing: The peripheral flicker – someone's walking up beside you.
2. Awareness: The context – you're in a shared space.
3. Focus: The task – you're here to find something.
4. Concentration: The immersion – you're deep in a process, but not blind to the world.

Spatial awareness asks you to cycle through all of these. It’s not about tuning out the world—it's about tuning into it with intention.

And that’s hard. Maybe the hardest thing of all.

Look

What happens when you let go of something that once defined you? That’s exactly what Khe Hy did when he walked away from RadReads—a platform and identity he spent years building.

In this conversation from last year, we explore themes of productivity, meaning, and attention that feel even more resonant now in light of his recent farewell post. Watch our conversation here on YouTube—it might just help you reconsider what you're holding onto… and why.

Listen

If you really want to reclaim your attention—and your presence—it starts with awareness. Not the surface-level kind, but the deep, often uncomfortable kind that wakes you up to how you move through the world. Anthony de Mello’s Awareness is one of those books that doesn’t just speak to you—it confronts you.

You can listen to the full audiobook here on Internet Archive. Let it be background noise if you must, but when something grabs you… follow it.

Learn

We live in a world where everything is urgent, but not everything is important. In a piece I wrote not too long ago, I explore the idea that attention—not information—is the real headline.

When everything is breaking news, our ability to choose where we focus becomes our most valuable asset. And, fittingly, I bring The Spheres of Attention into the picture in the piece. Read it here.​

The Final Flicker

Reclaiming your spatial awareness won’t make you more productive in the traditional sense. But it might make you more present. And that might be the most productive thing you can do.

So here’s a small challenge: the next time you're in a shared space—grocery store, mall, sidewalk—try to notice more than what you're doing.
​
Notice where you are.
​Who is around you.
And how you move through it.

It might just change how you move through everything.

See you later,
Mike

P.S. If reclaiming your attention is part of what you're working on right now, The Productivity Diet goes deeper into how attention really works—especially through the lens of The Spheres of Attention. It’s not about doing more. It’s about showing up better. You can get the book here.

Thanks for reading. Your time is valuable, and I don’t take it for granted. In a world pulling us in all directions, thanks for choosing The Lantern.

Productivityist Productivity Services Inc. | 1411 Haultain Street, Victoria, BC V8R 2J6
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