Any job that can be measured for productivity probably should be eliminated from the list of jobs that people do.
—Kevin Kelly
C.J. Chilvers counsels the first world on its issues.
Posts tagged productivity:
I’m really trying.
And let go of your long to-do lists and goal lists. They are a futile attempt to keep from missing out. You will miss out, but in striving to do everything, you’ll miss out on the wonder of the thing you are doing right now. What you’re doing right now is all that matters. Let the rest go, and enjoy the fish you’ve already caught.
—Leo Babauta, Zen Habits
Productivity is for machines. If you can measure it, robots should do it.
—Kevin Kelly via Patrick Rhone
Free Time
Most people will tell you the thing they want most is more free time. But they never keep it free once they get it. Work to live.
All productivity methods tend to ensure efficient completion of unnecessary tasks.
Productiviblah
I think the whole purpose for being more productive is to get to the point where you don’t need to worry about being so productive.
Of course, you could be at that point today, if you decide to be.
Why Journal?
Dave Caolo, writer/curator of nerdery, prompted me to elaborate on the advantages of journaling for writers, after my review of Day One.
I’ve been writing for some kind of publication for 24 years. I write 8 hours a day professionally and about 1 or 2 hours for pleasure. But I know that if I could squeeze in another hour, I’d be a little better. Journaling is a small part of that 1 or 2 hours of writing for pleasure.
I can’t say what it’ll do for you, but, for me, journaling:
- Clears my head of the dozens of unresolved ideas that have gathered throughout the day, which gets me to sleep faster.
- Allows me to ask myself questions, which usually resolves big issues, without needing to hire a consultant or search for an expert (which is what “busy” professionals do today instead of just focusing on a problem that may be slightly painful).
- Gives me an excuse to write out everything I’m grateful for happening on that day. This is biggie - gratitude is the most effective solution I’ve found to combat negativity, fear and anxiety. There’s always something to be grateful for during the course of a day.
Above all, the most important reason to journal can be summed up by Socrates:
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Information overload…that’s not the issue. If it was, you’d walk into a library and die. The first time you connect to the web, you’d blow up. As a matter of fact, the most relaxing environment in the world is the most information rich environment in the world. It’s all around us. It’s called nature. As a matter of fact, if you really want to stress out and goes nuts, sensory depravation is a fast way to do that.
