Man, if you want to get into reading how-to-get-stuff-done posts on the internet, you’re starting down a path that has no end. I know this because I’ve read more than my fair share of those posts.
And now, for your edification, I’m going to add to the ever-growing pile. Let me say, though, this is a less-prescriptive, more descriptive approach.
Lately, I’ve been trying to focus (for the umpteenth time) on creating more than I consume. Output > input. And here’s what I’ve done:
– I’ve cut out extraneous news sources. I read one website for local news and another for national news. If those two venues don’t cover it, I’ve decided that my world won’t end for not knowing it.
– I’ve cut out the bulk of my reading that was not related to the things I say I care about. I did a mind map of this, actually, in classic “I’m-a-geek-who-gets-things-done” style. I mapped out the things that I care about and then the things that it looks like I care about based on my behaviour. I’m working to eliminate the stuff between.
– Focus on enjoying experiences rather than understanding minutiae behind experiences. I love trivia. I love details. But as a result, I can spend a whole football game reading up on the technology that allows them to show the first-down line. Seriously. I can explain it to you in detail. I know that they moved in the past few years from that process being a two man operation to mostly being a one-man gig. I know the reasons that it’s a combination of art and science.
None of that contributes to my enjoyment of a football game, though. So, I’m trying to appreciate the experience for what it is.
That’s about it, at least lately. These are the things that are working. What’s working for you?