Belly Button Lint

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Tag: productivity

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    Living vs Achieving

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    1–2 minutes

    The paradox: we know that the "right thing to do" is to think long-term, which tends to be a costly upfront sacrifice, but it incurs the greater benefit (and less heartache and loss) in the future through less living now.
    As a slave to the future we increasingly aggregate metrics on a weekly, daily, or hourly basis. Our new "living in the present" is the hyper-granular metrics of productive achievement for the future.

    And yes, getting 1% better daily, aggregating marginal gains, and system optimization can get you to your goal. But even if you have to schedule it in, put down your system and return to the land of the living at least once a day.

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    Creativity is expensive and brave.

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    1–2 minutes

    Given a real world situation there are a set of constraints leaving maybe 2 or 3 realistic, rational, and cost effective options open.
    Thus, we all end up looking, doing and thinking the same way because of the "rational efficiencies" we are surrounded by.

    The more creative you try to be the more costly the effort in terms of time, money, and trust extended. Kudos to those who undertake the challenge.

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    Exhaustion leads to productivity

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    1–2 minutes

    Exhaustion can lead to a dumb form of productivity simply because you are too tired to transition.
    You won’t learn anything and you will make mistakes, but you do get to check all the little boxes on your to-do list.

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    Processing Anger

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    1–2 minutes

    I was angry when I went to bed, I was angry when I woke up. After three hours of being angry, I sat down and let myself be angry. I looked at the anger.
    The emotion turned into ennui instead of anger; an inevitable sadness weighed upon me.
    Sitting with that sadness I began to journal, and it lightened me some.

    To dissipate the emotional cycle completely I shared the day’s struggles with a loved one.

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    Imagining made real

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    1–2 minutes

    To dream up your goals, to achieve them, to manifest the projection of the "you" you want to be is magic… it is literally a groundless illusion made from imaginings.

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    Productivity can displace the goal

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    1–2 minutes

    Productivity is necessary, but don’t forget why you are being productive.
    Why are you trying so hard? To live well? You can do that right now.
    Don’t let the "to do" block you from "being" and "becoming."

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    To be more productive, stop

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    1–2 minutes

    Always stop in the middle of a project and go for a walk, don’t power through and reward yourself when you are done.

    This does 2 things:
    1. it allows your subconscious to work on the problem.
    2. you get some perspective.

    Never fear: You will wish to continue the project when you get back. This is known as the Ovsiankina Effect.

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    Learning takes play

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    1–2 minutes

    Learning something new seems to require time, time to play and make mistakes, which is called experimentation and testing.

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    Over consuming knowledge hurts productivity

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    1–2 minutes

    Voraciously filling your brain produces little, and actually blocks productivity and conversion to reality.

    Solution: non-identify. Pull back and ask yourself what you will be happy you did tomorrow.

  • Theme:

    A good day

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    1–2 minutes

    What makes for a good day, is when I’m working for myself on projects I am interested it.

    The natural contrast would be solving problems for other people, or fixing their mistakes bothers me. But when I am self-directed and doing something simply because I want to, I feel great.

    #perspective