Surrounded as I seem to be by the relentless multitaskers, the whimsical, the seat-of-the-pants socialites, one thing I've been noticing more lately is my tendency to narrow my focus.

I have a tendency — needless to say, I can resist it; I'm not a robot, but I have a tendency — to eat the same food, read about the same stuff, consume the same media, do the same things, mull over the same ideas. When I change, I quickly fall into a new routine.

Of course, this is mostly what doctors refer to as "the human condition." Moreover, even to the extent that I am more obsessive than most people (who might cringe at the thought of eating the same thing every day for a week or completing a 20-hour videogame over a weekend), I don't especially mind.

The mulling part is more dangerous, since it often leads to what I've taken to calling "evil eye syndrome" or alternately, to a sort of crippling, often self-defeating conscientiousness. Still, being unusually thoughtful and reflective is an important part of how I define myself, so, well, there you have it. I'll fight the symptoms, but not their cause.

My real interest in this "narrow focus" idea, however, comes from just how much of my life I can explain (and if necessary, fix) by thinking about my thoughts and actions in this way.

(I've never understood the appeal of less narrative/descriptive approaches to self-conception. Not without a fair amount of alcohol, in any case. I mean, some people really just "wing it," not by choice but as a way of being?)