It’s the third day of the new school term. And I have come up with a new morning routine.

Previously, I woke up at 5.30am and did household chores while watching Netflix. I still wake up at the same time to tackle the same chores, but I have been listening to podcasts instead.

Previously, I couldn’t envision a life in which I gave up TV (or watched less of it). I enjoyed my mindless entertainment consumption time, but I didn’t enjoy myself feeling rushed. I would more often than not get absorbed in the drama I was watching, which meant that my movements were slow and inefficient. The last five minutes were spent typically hustling around the house, making sure everything was in order (and that I hadn’t inadvertently left the tap running).

Yes, I neglected to turn the tap completely off in my rush to get out of the house. Yes, it happened more than once. (just twice, but yes I’m scandalised.)

Previously, I wouldn’t have listened to Fountain podcasts if I didn’t get a few sats out of it. But I decided to switch my mindset. Shouldn’t I care more about the insights I derive from the podcast? If I want to grow as a human being, surely the sats are immaterial.

Listening to podcasts and doing household chores simultaneously is still technically multitasking, but it doesn’t demand as much attention and energy as watching the tube box. I did get kinda distracted when Lewis Howes, the podcast founder of The School of Greatness, shared that he was sexually abused as a kid. Anyway, because I focused singlemindedly on the chores, I now leave the house five minutes earlier than usual.

Five minutes may not seem like a long time, but boy, do I feel in control! I think my reliance on Netflix stemmed from my belief that doing household chores is boring, so I need to spice up that household maintenance time. However, when I decided to devote myself wholeheartedly to finishing them, I got rid of the rushed feeling that would otherwise be plaguing me.

When you try to multitask, it’s like trying to hold on to water that will slip through your fingers anyway. When you decide to do just one thing, your heart is fortified because you have chosen not to let other things cloud your focus. That level of discipline you exhibit is liberating. It’s like what they say in Bitcoin, ignore the noise, zoom in on the signal.