Will What You’re Doing TodayStill Matter 10 Years from Now?

The other day, I finished — actually, listened to (because I’m obsessed with audiobooks 🤩) — the book Stolen Focus by Johann Hari.

It was interesting — though I can’t say I agreed with everything.

He offers powerful reflections on how we’re losing our ability to focus, but also a perspective that felt a bit…

polarized, especially when he talks about Brazil (and politics).

Still, one thing caught my attention — the way he describes the addiction of our time: distraction.

And then it hit me — some people have with their phones the same kind of relationship I have with chocolate.

(Yes, that Lauderac raspberry white chocolate — my true weakness 🍫).

But here’s the difference: while I know my limits, many people don’t even realize how much their phone is draining what’s most precious — their attention.

Time passes — but how are you spending it?

The author talks about how we live in a constant state of alert.

But the truth is, even when we don’t notice it, we’re choosing where our time goes.

And here’s the question that’s been echoing in my mind:

Will what you’re doing today still matter 10 years from now?

The answer isn’t in the big achievements — it’s in the small ones.

Because it’s not the moments of glory that shape who we become — it’s the tiny habits (the ones that seem harmless at first) repeated every single day.

What you do when you wake up.

What you consume.

What you talk about — and who you talk about.

The conversations you feed.

The content you choose to watch.

Those small distractions that look innocent… but quietly steal entire days of presence.

Distraction is the new exhaustio

This isn’t about demonizing the internet, your phone, or social media.

All of these can serve as tools for growth — or traps for emptiness.

The issue isn’t the medium itself.

It’s the mindset behind how we use it.

The automatic mode.

The “just one more video” loop.

The “everyone does it” pattern.

And what starts as a simple scroll quietly becomes a lifestyle where you stay informed, but not transformed.

Productive, but not evolving.

Connected, but never truly present.

What are we trading our attention for?

Every minute spent is an investment.

But in what?

In something that expands your awareness — or in something that only numbs you for a few seconds?

Because time is the only asset you’ll never get back.

And focus is the lens through which you build your future.

The real question isn’t “how much time do you have” — it’s “where are you choosing to place it?”

Clarity is the new luxury

Having focus today is almost an act of rebellion.

But more than focus, what we truly need is presence.

Intention.

Coherence between what we think, say, and do.

What you’re doing right now — these small, everyday choices — are the raw material of the person you’ll become 10 years from now.

So ask yourself:

• Does this bring me closer to who I want to be?

• Does it raise my energy or drain it?

• Is it intentional… or automatic?

The future doesn’t happen all at once — it’s being built minute by minute, in the pauses, in the subtle

choices.

And maybe the real stolen focus isn’t on your phone — but on what you’ve stopped looking at within yourself.

With love,

Priscila Iwama