Category: Everything else

As a rule, the world is a messy place. There’s a lot of chaos and randomness. While our actions certainly influence what happens to us, we’re also influenced by the actions of the many humans around us who are working to influence their lives. It isn’t an easy job facing an unstructured mess as we wake up in the morning (of course, it gets much harder if we’re sleep deprived – that’s a topic for another post).

The simplest tool I’ve found to move from unstructured to structured is the morning routine. I have a list of things I copy and paste into my task list every morning – blog, read feeds, clear email, charge phone, send a text to my wife with the day’s schedule, freshen up and get breakfast. All of this takes between an hour and ninety minutes but really sets me up for the day. And, there are two reasons it works.

The first is momentum. These are tasks I know how to do. So, getting started with these and checking them off builds momentum.

The second is comfort. I definitely find comfort in the predictability of this morning routine. While structure is helpful in providing the requisite clarity to remove procrastination and get things done, I think comfort is a very important effect of structure. On mornings when the rest of the day feels like going to war while running uphill and against the wind, a touch of comfort is always appreciated.

On mornings like today when I feel like I need a healthy dose of both momentum and comfort, it is nice to know that the morning routine will give me a head-start. The rest will be up to me and will depend on the choices I make through the day, of course.

But, that’s just normal service and is what makes life life. And, I sure am glad I’m in good health to experience it.

I came across this quote – “Weak people revenge, strong people forgive, intelligent people ignore.”

While in jest, I find this very true. Forgiveness, while an act of strength, does mean you spend time thinking about what happened. And that is often not worth the effort. Sh*t happens. Depending on how we’re feeling, it might even seem personal and directed at us. Sometimes it is. Most of the time, it really isn’t. Mountains and mole hills are often matters of perspective.

As I grow up, I’m learning to ignore so much more than before. I’m also learning that it is best to keep intensely focused on what we need to do and just be kind.

The world will roll on without us.

There’s one thing we cannot get away from – intensity of focus. The more intense our focus, the more we get done.

We can tweak to-do lists, internalize a hundred productivity hacks, and buy the latest-and-greatest time saving cool gadget. But, there’s no hacking intensity of focus.

We either need to find out the schedule and diet that best suits our ability to focus or learn to do so regardless of environment. Sleeping well, eating well, and focusing hard are important pre-requisites to intensity of focus.

As we plan our week, let’s plan for days when we spend our focus energy well. That is the single most important contributor to the results we will have at the end of the week.

The longer your task list, the more tempting it is to do two things at once. What happens after that is predictable – dilution of focus, result of two tasks completed with 60% quality, and frustration.

The way it actually works is that the longer your task list, the more important it is to be fully present in what you are doing now. Attempting to do two things simultaneously is not the solution. Focusing on what you are doing now is.

So, take the time to really think about what you want to get done. Once you commit to it, there’s no escaping being present. The more you have to get done and the more packed your schedule is, the more important it becomes to be present.

“The essence of Zen is doing one thing at a time.”

It is getting cold where we are and, the other day, my wife commented how having hot water when we need it is such a boon. I realized that it isn’t just hot water that is a privilege. All of “hot,” “water,” and “hot water” are. There are billions of people who don’t have regular access to these.

Privilege is a funny beast. You could be speaking its language without even being aware of it, e.g., complaining about flights being late, about internet being slow, or about bad weather on vacation.

Guilt is not the answer of course. Acceptance followed by action is.

If you’re worried about whether you are capable to make a big difference, stop. Frequent tiny differences made consistently over a lifetime will work very well.

The conventional approach to organizing to-do lists is to do so by chronology.

I’d suggest trying a different way. Ask the question – “which item’s completion will remove the most stress?” – and reorganize the list.

My experience so far is that it seems to work much better. We seem to have a natural internal prioritization system that understands what needs to get done. When we ignore it, however, it sends us signals by increasing our internal stress levels. That’s the feeling when we know something needs to get done and also know we aren’t doing it. The build-up of this stress leads often to frustration and paralysis.

I guess it points to an important productivity principle – we are most productive when we are at peace. And, to be at peace, we have to learn to ask ourselves the right questions and listen…

A friend of mine started a blog recently and sent over the link for feedback. This isn’t the first time this has happened. I think there must have been a hundred or more friends who’ve started blogs and sent links over the past few years. The number of friends who’ve kept their blogs going approach zero however.

So, every time I get a note like this, i just like to say – “Awesome. I’ve subscribed!” The principle I follow is straightforward – no feedback, only encouragement.

Sure, they could improve their blog’s layout and formatting. And sure, they could improve the way they’ve written their first or second post. I just know that that isn’t what matters. What matters is that they feel enough encouragement to continue writing. Many start writing for various reasons – to educate, to inform, to improve their own online presence, and maybe even to drive change of some sort. That’s the period of romance. It soon hits you that you’ve been blogging for a year and you only have one dedicated reader (hi mom!).

The only insight I have to offer here is that, when you write, write for just two people – yourself and one reader who you can picture (hi again mom!). If you can do all those things you set out to do, that’s great. But, as long as your writing benefits these two folk, you’re doing just fine. We all set out to change things when we start writing. We often forget that the person we change most is ourselves.

As an outcome, that’s one that the British would term “not too shabby.” (=> the rest of us would say – that’s awesome!)

Have a great week, everyone.

1. Call your mother

2. Spend some time thinking about your long term goals

3. Play (not exercise – play)

4. Get lots of sleep

5. Kick back for a bit with a book or a movie

And, if you feel tempted to say that you don’t have time to do this, then you definitely need it more than you think.

We will get back to changing the world tomorrow. Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

People whose help you need vs. people who would appreciate your help

Things you haven’t achieved vs. successes you’ve been fortunate to have been part of

People who are richer than you vs. people whose financial needs are much greater

What you are upset about vs. what you are thankful for

…..

There are always 2 kinds of lists. The first kind is the “get” list – described best by want, desire, and comparisons. The second is the “give” list – described largely by perspective and gratitude.

The “get” list seems to work great for the short term. The happiness that comes with it, however, isn’t happiness. All you get are fleeting moments of joy. The “give” list, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to do much for you for the longest time. Until it does.

The best part? You get to pick.

Happy picking!