Recently, I found myself checking email, checking a tracking number, checking the news, and checking a few other things — more often than it was useful.

I had just checked all of these things, and ten minutes later, I was checking them again. Reloading the browser. Refreshing the feed.

What I realize — and this happens from time to time — is that I was wanting change. I was seeking a different reality. I was in a holding pattern waiting for a shift. Hungry for a moment of progress.

And while a level of awareness is helpful, constant monitoring is not.

So instead, when I find myself over-monitoring, I try to pause. I ask myself, “Will checking help … or will it just scratch an itch?” And if it’s the latter, I gently encourage myself to refocus on the work at hand.