How to make sense of the world? Hint: Mind your ‘Zone of Influence’

We are living in unprecedented times. Every headline offers another blow to the established order and deeply held beliefs, nudging us to reset our expectations, just to be upended again. Starting 2020, when the pandemic surged its ugly head, and millions were grounded to subsistence, not to mention the thousands who perished, we haven’t had a breather. The pre- and post-pandemic eras aren’t just a medical breakpoint; they're also geopolitical, environmental, and professional. 

The onslaught of AI, ongoing economic and political headwinds, and informational overload have left several of us feeling helpless, and this is indeed excusable, for we are living in hyper-connected times.

But this sense of overwhelmingness also brings with it an acute feeling of helplessness, the notion that we are pygmies cranked by the ruthless system run by a select few. But is it really so? Is your life indeed dictated by others at your cost? I reckon we might be overreading the signals, deflecting our attention from what one can do, or rather what one must.

Let’s begin with the two zones often talked about in psychology and spirituality. The rather expansive one is the ‘Zone of Concern’. It comprises all those events, news, activities, information, thoughts, ideas, people, chores and even dreams that bother you. The more you read about and watch stuff, talk to people and try to get ‘up to speed’, or ‘on top of the things’, the expansive becomes your zone of concern. Even twenty minutes of any 24-hour news channel can sufficiently inundate you and make your stare hopelessly at the very end of it all. 

Countless expert opinions, self-help videos, and generously dished out advice fill in the gaps, and you are barely left with mental peace and piece to contemplate. As a thumb rule, the wider your zone of concern, the more miserable you feel.  

Within that ever-expanding zone of concern is your tiny ‘Zone of Influence’. It’s about your volition, your ability to influence the outcome of events. As any reasonable person would concur, one’s zone of influence is indeed a minuscule subset of the zone of concern. There’s far more bothering you than what you can bother. The zone of influence is shaped by your attention, capabilities and incentives. You can choose to attend to something and address it, provided you have the capabilities and appropriate incentives.

For instance, a doctor can attend an in-flight emergency since all three are aligned – attention, capabilities and incentives. For most others on the flight, the situation would largely be in their zone of concern, not their zone of influence.

What’s the way to shape a meaningful life? Four options: A) expand your zone of concern, B) shrink your zone of concern, C) expand your zone of influence, and D) shrink your zone of influence.

Since expanding your zone of concern makes you feel miserable, and shrinking your zone of influence gets you to lead a sub-optimal life, the best bet is to shrink your zone of concern and expand your zone of influence. Ideally, your two zones coincide – you are bothered about precisely what you can address effectively.

Call it your ‘flow channel’, or your ‘zone’. It’s the state of ace sportspeople when all they can see is the incoming ball. Their entire attention is absorbed by the event at hand. They are elevated a few inches off the ground; they lose a sense of time; there is no tiredness; and the end is the same as the means. These are the moments where creativity flourishes, and you are one with nature.

Here are three ways to shrink your zone of concern. Firstly, exit as many WhatsApp groups as possible. Remember, if it’s important, it will reach you, and if it’s not, it’d better not. You won’t miss much, nor will you be missed much. WhatsApp is a proxy for all the means of communication that keep you anxious and stoke the fear of missing out.

Secondly, stop watching 24-hour news. They are the experts in making issues out of non-issues and vice versa. Instead, read well-curated editorials, the post-facto analysis of what and why. It’s healthy to understand that the urgency of a news story is typically inversely related to its importance.

Lastly, increase your consideration time, your contemplation time, and your solitary time. Fiercely guard it. As to quote Schopenhauer, ‘A man can be himself only so long as he is alone.’ In essence, pay attention to your attention.

As for increasing your zone of influence, firstly, focus on high-leverage activities. These are investments that offer compounding returns over long periods, are assets in themselves, and seldom happen by accident. You plan them judiciously and execute those with discipline. Don’t shy away from taking long shots, like decadal goals, and then go about those diligently. For instance, writing a book, building a company, or pursuing higher studies. Secondly, learn to delegate with confidence and automate with deftness.  Even with a narrow zone of concern, you will still be dealing with a lot. The best approach is to let others take it up via delegation or to automate low-value-added, repetitive work.

This way, you can influence a lot more within your limited bandwidth and capabilities. Lastly, improve your efficiency by avoiding multitasking and practising meditation and other mindfulness techniques. You can create a significant impact by working efficiently, even for shorter bursts.

As we move along, you will be a witness to the profound and the profane, but none of it should take you away from your own duties and capabilities. Keep your concerns narrow and influence wide, and don’t bother much. Remember: it’s never as good or as bad as it seems.