The Thought Quadrant: A Mental Model of Time and Control
Thoughts shape our emotions, and emotions, when prolonged, define our mental states.
This post, ironically, is a "thought", I came up with the other day. A thought, I think, worth sharing.
Imagine a mental space structured as a quadrant, where time (past vs. future) is on the X-axis and control (under control vs. beyond control) is on the Y-axis. This engineering-inspired model may help categorize thoughts and recognize patterns in thoughts.
The Quadrant Framework
- X-Axis (Time): Past vs. Future
- Y-Axis (Control): Under Control vs. Beyond Control
| Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|
| Area Under Control (AUC) | Reflection, Learning, Growth | Planning, Goal-Setting, Preparation |
| Area Beyond Control (ABC) | Regret, Nostalgia, Rumination | Anxiety, Worry, Speculation |
Breaking It Down
1. Future - Beyond Control
Some thoughts revolve around things that may or may not happen, yet they are entirely outside our influence. This is the classic source of anxiety and stress.
- Example: "Will the supermarket have carrots for my recipe?"
- Emotion: Uncertainty, worry.
2. Future - Under Control
Here, thoughts are about the future, but they concern actions we can directly influence. This is where planning, strategy, and self-improvement happen. It can be good to stay in this zone with an intention for action. It is important to not attach ourselves to the outcome.
- Example: "I can update my resume for a job application to get a better chance."
- Emotion: Motivation, confidence, action.
3. Past - Beyond Control
Thoughts in this category focus on events that have already happened, things we wish were different but cannot change. This often leads to regret and nostalgia.
- Example: "I should have written a better job application."
- Emotion: Guilt, frustration.
4. Past - Under Control
Some past-related thoughts focus on lessons learned and actions we can still take to influence their outcomes.
- Example: "I can reach out to the company for feedback and improve."
- Emotion: Growth, acceptance.
The Illusion of Control
The key realization here is that our sense of control over the past and future is largely an illusion, a trick of the ego. The only real control we have is in the present moment, through our actions and reactions. In Bhagvata Gita, it is said as follows :
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥47॥
You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.
In a similar way, Guru Yoda says Do or do not. There is no try. This emphasizes focusing on the effort rather than worrying about success or failure. Ryan Holiday fans can read it in terms of what Epictetus said in his Enchiridion, and is described as the "Dichotomy of Control".
The key point is to bring everything that is under-control in the present moment and act on it. An important thing to be careful about here is that we might think, that there are more things in our control that we think are. That is an illusion. Judge wisely.
Why Does the Mind Drift to the Future?
Eastern philosophical traditions suggest that the mind craves novelty and possibility. The future, being unwritten, presents endless scenarios, keeping the mind engaged in speculation. This is why anxiety thrives—it feeds on imagined futures that may never come to pass.
On the other hand, the past is finite, limited to what has already happened. The mind revisits it for lessons, regrets, and nostalgia. But, much like AI models trained on past data to predict future outcomes, our minds use the past to construct an image of the future, often amplifying our fears and desires.
Social Media as Meditation Tool
Another interesting use case is that of Social Media. Social Media is designed "in a way" to not keep the human subject in the present. It presents sensory stimulus to give your mind wings to go to the future ("Oh, I wish I can also party like Alicia. Her pictures are better than mine") or to the past and project it in the future ("Damn, I wish I had taken that job in London. I could be richer like Steve"). Most of these are beyond your control. Social media is "Ego's Gym on Steroids and an occasional Redbull". It distracts the mind from the present and pushes you every where on the time horizon. This makes it a great tool to practise being in the present. Open your favourite app, and get scrolling and see where the mind goes. Try to come back.
If you want to take it to the next level, you can do a classic reflecting game, and analyse your thoughts as to why you feel that way. What is the Klishta/bias here ? What is the Vasna/cyclic thought? You can learn a lot about yourself.
Living at the Origin
The goal is to bring awareness to the center of the quadrant—the present. Here, neither the past nor the future dominates. Instead, we maximize our control by focusing on actionable thoughts. This is the essence of mindfulness: grounding ourselves in the now to minimize unnecessary distress.
Practical Applications
- Reducing Anxiety: Recognizing that many thoughts belong to the ABC (Beyond Control) zones helps us let go of unnecessary worries.
- Improving Decision-Making: Prioritizing AUC (Under Control) thoughts directs mental energy toward productive actions.
- Enhancing Emotional Regulation: Identifying which quadrant a thought belongs to allows us to respond rationally instead of reacting emotionally. We can try to bring the thought to the present. In the present, it will cease to exist.
By using this model, we may develop a feeling of self-awareness, allowing us to understand our thought cycles, biases, and engage with life in a more present way.
I built a small experiment to help us think through our biases and come back to action. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Cheers!
Rohit