The Relevancy Paradigm: Why We Pay Attention to What We Do
In a world overflowing with information, distractions, and decisions, one question quietly shapes our every moment:
Why do we give our attention to some things and not others?
The answer lies in what I call The Relevancy Paradigm—a framework for understanding how we assign importance to the events, people, and experiences in our lives. At its core, this paradigm suggests that the level of relevance we assign to something directly determines how much energy and attention we give it.
The Core Principle: Relevance = Energy
Think of your attention as a currency. You spend it where you believe the return is highest. The more relevant something is to you, the more energy—mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual—you’re willing to invest.
High Relevance → High Attention
Low Relevance → Low Attention
This explains why a passing comment from a stranger might be forgotten in seconds, while a single word from a loved one can echo in your mind for days.
The Four Relevance Categories
To understand how we assign relevance, we can break it down into four key categories:
Emotional Relevance
Does it stir your feelings? Joy, anger, love, fear—emotions are powerful relevance amplifiers.Mental Relevance
Does it challenge your thinking or align with your beliefs? If it stimulates your intellect or curiosity, it grabs your focus.Physical Relevance
Does it affect your body or environment? Pain, pleasure, health, and safety all demand attention.Spiritual Relevance
Does it connect to your values, purpose, or sense of meaning? These are the deep roots of long-term relevance.
How We Prioritize
Every moment, consciously or not, we’re ranking experiences against these categories. A situation that scores high in multiple areas—say, an emotionally charged conversation about your core values—will command your full attention. Meanwhile, something that doesn’t register in any category fades into the background.
This is why two people can experience the same event and walk away with completely different takeaways. Their internal relevance filters are tuned differently.
Why This Matters
Understanding the Relevancy Paradigm can help you:
Manage your energy more effectively by recognizing what truly matters to you.
Improve focus by aligning your tasks with what you find mentally or emotionally relevant.
Strengthen relationships by tuning into what others find relevant.
Live with intention by choosing where to place your attention, rather than letting it be hijacked.
Final Thought
In a noisy world, relevance is your compass. It helps you navigate what to care about, what to let go of, and where to invest your most precious resource: your attention.
So the next time something grabs—or fails to grab—your focus, ask yourself:
How relevant is this to me... really?
-Premier Rameir