Quote
“We are what we pay attention to.”
— Chris Bailey, in Hyperfocus (2018) · Hyperfocus →
Why it was said
Chris Bailey uses this line in Hyperfocus while arguing that choosing where to direct our attention, and keeping it there, is the most consequential decision we make in a working day. He applies it as much to what we read and watch as to the tasks we work on.
What it actually means
The line compresses a practical argument. Attention is limited, so whatever occupies it crowds out something else, and over months the things we attend to shape what we know, what we notice and what we produce. Bailey treats this as a matter of choice rather than willpower: decide in advance what deserves your attention, remove what competes with it, and take the same care with the information you consume as with the work you do.
How to use it
- 1Before you open your laptop, write down the one thing that deserves your attention first today.
- 2Look at what you read, watched or scrolled through yesterday and ask whether you would choose it again.
- 3Move one regular source of low-value information, such as a news feed or a group chat, off your phone's home screen.