Published Essays
Words on Time, Attention, and Presence
Reflections by Susan Jane McCulley on multitasking, transience, and the quiet practice of slowing down.
Selected Essays
Four reflections
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Attention
One Thing at a Time: Pause. Relax. Do.
An essay on the myth of multitasking, and on what becomes possible when attention is given to a single thing at a time.
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Time
No Time To Rush
Published in March 2019, a reflection on transience and the choice to slow down rather than hurry through the days.
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Presence
Savoring…Time
A June 2014 piece on tasting time rather than measuring it, and on the pleasure of staying with a moment.
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Natural Time
100 Words: Natural Time
From August 2014, a short essay in one hundred words on the rhythm of natural time.
The practice of slowing down is not about doing less, but about meeting each moment with full attention. When we pause, take a breath, and allow ourselves to feel what is actually present in the body, we step out of the rush of external demands and into a deeper, grounded awareness. This is the magic of inquiry and intent: asking what truly matters, and choosing where to place our focus. Whether sitting with a morning meal, driving in silence, or feeling the sensation of the ground beneath our feet, each ordinary moment becomes an invitation to return to ourselves, one deliberate breath at a time.
About These Reflections
Writing as a way of noticing what the busy mind skips past.
These essays gather around a shared question: how do we stay present when there is always more to do? The pieces move between the practical and the reflective, drawing on everyday moments as well as the themes of inquiry and intent that run through Focus Pocus.
Susan Jane McCulley is the author of Octabusy: How to Let Go in a Sea of Doing. Her writing sits alongside her teaching in movement practices and her ongoing exploration of body awareness.
