The bird saga ended with zero birds in a canyon and a handful of house sparrows in a Walmart parking lot. But somewhere between the heat and the bugs and the humiliation, it got me thinking. How many times have I gone down a week long rabbit hole into something I was never truly interested in to begin with? It happens more than I would like to admit and every time it does, it pulls me away from the things I actually care about. That is time I am not getting back. So I sat with it for a while and this is what I came up with. My lessons learned from the bird saga on how to recognize and avoid a temporary hyperfixation.
How to Avoid a Temporary Hyperfixation
Step 1. Recognize the Trigger.
The trigger was not the bird video game itself. It was the sudden excitement about something I had never cared about before. That feeling of out of nowhere enthusiasm is the trigger. Learn to spot it.
Step 2. Look for Patterns Be honest with yourself.
Have you felt this exact kind of excitement before? Has that same feeling led you down temporary rabbit holes in the past? If the answer is yes then you already know what this probably is.
Step 3. Wait.
Put it down and forget about it for a while.
The thinking already happened in step two. This step is not about reflection. It is about walking away and letting time do the work.
Step 4A. Still Interested?
Go ahead and indulge as much or as little as you want. You have earned it and it might actually be something real.
Step 4B. Lost Interest?
Congratulations. You just avoided what could have been nothing but a distraction.
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