Getting more out of doing less
How to feel full when being forced to focus
Getting more out of doing less
The Busyness Matrix by Ness Labs — “meaningfulness is based on how alive these tasks make you feel”
The planning fallacy describes our natural bias when forecasting our own productivity: we focus on the best-case scenario, or something dangerously close to it. Rarely does that scenario play out.
David Epstein • Why You Should Plan To Get Less Done
From David Epstein — “Now I put one single thing atop the day’s list that, if accomplished, will mean the workday was a clear step in the right direction. Perhaps I’ll put a bonus thing or two lower down, but I want to leave room for mental meandering and rabbit holes, as well as for the occasional water in the basement. I’ve found that, rather than acting like a check-list, the to-do list has basically become a beacon — a reminder of the thing I should be focusing on. (And on the off chance that I somehow find myself ahead, I don’t seem to have trouble coming up with other things to do.) When it was a list with a dozen items, I had a tendency to start with the easy ones so that I could check something off, not the important one or two.”
The simplest way to clarify your thinking is to write a full page about whatever you are dealing with and then delete everything except the 1-2 sentences that explain it best.”
James Clear • 3-2-1: On creating the conditions for joy, how to go to hell, and the simple way to clarify your thinking
On editing yourself down from James Clear
More choices often lead to less action. Do more by doing less.
100 Simple Truths
It’s become clear that people sometimes become busy in order to feel important, but I mostly feel busy and guilty. I’ve tried reframing that reaction, replacing abject apologies (delays, after all, happen) with gratitude ( thank you so much for your patience ).
Anne Helen Petersen • The Right Kind of Busy
The world would benefit from a proliferation of omakase in every sphere of life.
read.lukeburgis.com • Why We Need More Omakase Creators
To actually engage in deep work, they not only have to create the time on their calendar, but also have to experience the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with being offline. Getting more precision around what you find aversive is the first step in learning more effective ways to deal with the emotions that come up.