What I want to want

Sometimes I'm too fatigued to focus on anything that matters. I end up lying in bed, reading blog posts and random Wikipedia articles. In the moment, lying in bed is something I want₁ to do. But at the same time, I also want₂ to not want₁ that. I want₂ to want₁ to be writing a blog post instead.^[1]

The best remedy I've found is to go outside for a walk. It's far easier than forcing myself to write, and it takes barely more cognitive effort than staying in bed. Just like lying in bed, it has no destination, so no route to plan or optimize. My phone stays in my pocket.

Once my physical environment changes, I get unstuck from whatever mental state I'm in. Along the way, I almost always notice something unusual. And unlike lying in bed, it makes me come back wanting₁ to write.

Yesterday, I ended up at the top of Primrose Hill and saw a pigeon flying with a tiny yellow chick hanging from its leg. Later, I walked past a guy wearing a Street View Trekker camera. Then I started writing this post.