At the gym, I often find myself mindlessly checking my phone as I’m resting between sets. I’ll check Twitter, which I don’t actually care about but it can be a nice distraction. I’ll check texts. I’ll check email. I’ll check Twitter again for any updates since 12 seconds ago. And so on and so on until I’ve wasted anywhere from two to five minutes, completely thrown them in the trash.

This morning at the gym, I caught myself doing it again and I thought, “What did you come here to do?” The answer, of course, had nothing to do with my phone. I decided I’m going to apply that question/philosophical filter to more areas of my life.

When I’m driving, for instance. Did I get in the car to (again) check my phone, even if I’m at a stoplight? Did I get in my car to text? No. I got in my car to drive. So drive. And only drive.

Did I go to work to wait until 5:30 p.m. when I can leave? Some days, that one’s up for debate, but primarily: No. I came to work and to do a good job.

The list goes on. It’s another way to phrase the idea of living mindfully. Do what you came to do.