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19 Apr 07 – 19 Apr 07
I read half a dozen self-improvement blogs every day. This week, I've become increasingly disillusioned with them.
Several of them focus on things to do to improve your life. Go to the gym. Get away from toxic people. Envision wild success and focus all your time on that.
But these are all external circumstances. Isn't this all about self-improvement? The true goal of self-improvement should not be to improve one's circumstances, for the best people thrive in all circumstance with any people.
15 Apr 07 – 15 Apr 07
| David Allen writes: | One subtle life skill should become part of the competency set for all professionals (and all people): How fast can you get back to "ready"? How easily and rapidly can you relax and refocus when it's necessary to do so? How good are you at creating a centered, balanced, aware, and open state of mind for the next input or impetus that emerges in your world? When something pushes your button, rings your bell, grabs your attention, bothers, upsets, engrosses, or excites you, what is your lag time to unhook from those feelings, clear the decks internally, and engage again appropriately with a fresh perspective and with the new subject/object that must now be confronted? |
This, I think, is why we all need productivity systems. We need some way to keep track of what we've agreed to do. Even if we've just agreed with ourselves to do it. Especially if we've agreed with ourselves.
7 Apr 07 – 7 Apr 07
The American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary definition of "addiction:"
| ad·dic·tion | Habitual psychological and physiological dependence on a substance or practice beyond one's voluntary control. |
Some are addicted to getting money, others addicted to getting love. Some are addicted to getting time.
I've been guilty of time addiction, and surely haven't completely kicked it. Time addiction means wanting to use every second to its fullest, and feeling disappointed when you don't. It means rushing and multitasking in all things. It means speeding through neighborhoods, eating a meal in five minutes without tasting it, and a frustrated sigh when Google doesn't load in three seconds.
Why do we want more time? Not for its own sake; for what it gives us. The ability to do more. To finish more projects and collect more things. To have more experiences. But as we all know, the more you push the gas pedal, the more the scenery blurs.
Seems to me the solution is to want less. To push off a few projects; let them wait a week or two. They may grumble, but it's good for both of you if you can give them more attention when you return to them.
Why not defer half your current projects? Just focus on a few? Give yourself some time.
Heh. By letting go of projects, you get more time. Funny how that works, isn't it?