Gaining Time Through Wasting It
In a fast-paced world full of intense economic/scientific/intellectual competition and decreasing opportunities for solitude, it is harder than ever before to justify spending significant time on intangible work that may or may not pay off. You can’t put on your resume—“I spend a lot of time thinking about ideas and scribbling notes that I don’t sh... See more
Roger's Bacon • The Myth of the Myth of the Lone Genius
“Nothing is more alien to the present age than idleness,” writes the philosopher John Gray. He adds: “How can there be play in a time when nothing has meaning unless it leads to something else?” In such an era, it’s virtually guaranteed that truly stopping to rest—as opposed to training for a 10K, or heading off on a meditation retreat with the goa
... See moreOliver Burkeman • Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
People will struggle to structure their time now that virtual activities carry more social weight than they did in the past. IRL hangouts have more tangible controls and barriers to entry that prevent people from engaging endlessly, and physical anchors that help form habits and routines. Without that, people are going to either burn out or quickly... See more
Toby Shorin • Premonition
Many people strive for efficient lives, where no hour is wasted. But an overlooked skill that doesn’t get enough attention is the idea that wasting time can be a great thing.
Morgan Housel • Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes
The answer lies in a new way of thinking and doing that can serve as a map to pursue rich, generative lives. But first we need to understand why so many of us see time through the lens of productivity instead of that of curiosity.
Anne-Laure Le Cunff • Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World
While these answers came from a group of people self-described as “in recovery,” burnout is a widely documented ailment of our time. Meanwhile, the desire to make the most of our weeks remains universal. How can we honor this desire without sacrificing our health in the process? The answer lies in a new way of thinking and doing that can serve as a
... See more