“Age Quod Agis”

“How you do anything is how you do everything.” -Zen Buddhist Proverb

“In the morning, when you brush your teeth, brush them in such a way that happiness is possible during the whole time of brushing – which may last only one or two minutes. That is something I do every morning and after each meal: I brush my teeth in such a way that happiness is real during the time of brushing. I don’t say ‘let us brush it quickly in order to do this and that’. Brushing your teeth is a practice and you can be in the Pure Land during a time of tooth brushing…Do everything in your daily life in that kind of spirit and the Kingdom of God becomes available to you right away.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

“Most failure isn’t due to a lack of effort, but to a lack of focused effort. We take on more and more, but accomplish less and less. We run faster and faster, but find we are getting nowhere.

Science backs this up: The concept of attention residue says that there is a cognitive switching cost to shifting your attention from one task to another. You think you’ve moved on—but part of your brain is still stuck on the last thing. You’re one foot in, one foot out…on everything you do.”

Energy is more important than time. 5 minutes of present energy is worth more than an hour of scattered energy. Remember that. -Sahil Bloom

“What you are doing on stage is the most important thing in the world at the present moment.”-Lee Strasberg

“Talent is nothing but a prolonged period of attention and a shortened period of mental assimilation.” -Konstantin Stanislavski

“Age Quod Agis” is a Latin phrase that translates to “Do what you are doing” or “Concentrate on the task at hand.” It’s attributed to Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order.

It’s a wonderful reminder to simply be present and not take any single task for granted. If you’re brushing your teeth, brush your teeth. If you’re washing the dishes, wash the dishes. If you’re writing the email, write the email. If you’re acting on stage, concentrate fully on your single action or single behavior.

We’re all human. We’re all busy. We all get distracted. Even professional athletes drop the ball because they’re thinking ahead to the next play.

It’s okay. Just pause. Bring your attention back on what you’re doing. If need be, think or say to yourself outloud “What am I actually doing right now?”

Then repeat as a mantra:

“Age Quod Agis.”

Strive to have your day be filled up with as many concentrated tasks as possible.

You’ll be a lot more effective and whole lot happier in the process.