Writing as Radical Presence: Simple Practices to Reclaim Attention

The opposite of doom‑scroll isn’t discipline, it’s devotion. As someone who spreads their attention across way too many domains, I find these micro‑practices invite me back to presence when the day is scattered across a dozen tabs.

Worn Down Fences

how beautiful and enduring

tarnished and varnished can be

not painted over

and pretending

they haven’t aged

Practice 1: The One‑Object Meditation (5 min)

Place one ordinary object in front of you (key, leaf, mug). List 10 details you’d miss at a glance. Write 3 lines that begin with “Even now…”

Practice 2: The Breath‑Line (7 min)

Inhale: write 5 words.

Exhale: write 5 words.

Repeat for 10 breaths. Don’t edit. Read it aloud once.

Practice 3: Doorway Noticing (5 min)

Every time you cross a threshold today, whisper one word about your inner weather. Collect them into a poem tonight.

Practice 4: Letter to the Next Hour (8–10 min)

“Dear Next Hour, what do you need from me?” Answer as specifically as you can. Close with one sentence you can keep.

Practice 5: Sensory Roll‑Call (6 min)

Five things you see, four you hear, three you touch, two you smell, one you taste. Stitch the list into 6‑8 lines with because.