I’ve been contemplating my screen habits recently, and while listening to a podcast today I heard a scientist recommend being ‘judicious’ with your social media use. It got me thinking about the meaning of the word: having, showing, or done with good judgement or sense, from the Latin word judicium (‘judgement’). Proposed synonyms are wise, sensible, prudent, shrewd, astute, thoughtful, and percipient. Good word, right? To be judicious with a decision is to be deliberate, to have care, to consider.

And then I thought, how many of us actually apply this concept to our everyday lives? Our species has built this great society over thousands of years, in which, in today’s world, most people do not have to fear being killed on the street, starving to death, or dying in a meaningless accident. We still have several major problems to work out of course, but overall the world has become more stable with time. Because those of us living in 2020 didn’t necessarily do that building, and potentially only merely benefit from our perch on the shoulders of giants, have we left the trait of judiciousness behind? How often are we making thoughtful daily decisions, and how often are we on autopilot?

Perhaps a way out of our current troubles—the disinformation online, the abrasive, polarized political landscape, the struggling global economy—is to focus on being more judicious in our decision-making. To be more sensible in our selection of tools, friendships, and habits, to be wiser with our time. This is something every single coherent adult is capable of improving. It isn’t easy, but it is simple. A little consideration goes a long way, in so many ways. Let’s focus on our daily judiciousness. Let’s all do our part to keep improving our world.