I'm Maggie Smith, and this is The Slowdown.

Writers are professional noticers.

If you're a writer, you make it your business to be present and to pay attention,

to be sensitive, attuned, observant.

And when you're truly present in the moment taking in the world around you, it's not just going

to improve your writing.

It's going to improve your life.

There are a lot of books and podcasts about mindfulness.

Many of us need to be reminded, frankly, to stay in the moment. We need to be

reminded to be present. I have a giant reminder in my living room on the mantle above the fireplace.

It's a simple graphic print of a large hand being raised, and beneath the hand is the word

here. Remember teachers taking attendance when you were a child? When they said your name,

you'd raise your hand and say, here, you were physically there,

and that is what you got credit for when your teacher called Roll.

But there is a difference between being physically present and having present moment awareness.

Being mindful and aware in the present moment means fully engaging with what's happening right now instead of going on autopilot, ruminating

about the past, or worrying about the future. I find that I enjoy moments so much more when I

remind myself to focus, to dial in, to notice. It's easy to get stressed out or sad or grumpy

if we're stuck replaying something from the past or imagining various

scenarios about the future. And the research on this is clear. According to a 2010

Harvard study, happiness is inversely related to mind wandering. In other words, the more time we spend

thinking about something other than our present activity, the worse we feel. These findings give me

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