Discardia_ More Life, Less Stuff - Dinah Sanders [66]
—George Carlin, comedian and social critic
Acting, not reacting
Living in a hurried state of mind dilutes your physical senses as well as your senses of place and self. Continually skimming over things in a rush, without taking time to consider, can push you into a state where stopping creates anxiety. Could humans have designed tools more perfect for that ceaseless motion than the Internet, email, and microblogging services like Twitter? Breaking free from that state of connection—a kind of “disconnection from contemplation”—means pushing through the discomfort of adjustment when you stop.
As process artist, teacher, and social technologies facilitator Chris Corrigan marveled, “Amazing how deep the mindset goes, how infected we are by craving, acquisition and the perpetually postponed present.”
If you step back from the datastream to think, suddenly you aren’t moving on to the next blip of input. Instead of being pulled forward wherever it leads, you are faced with choosing your direction. You thwart your expectation of knowing what comes next and of receiving something to which you can react. Suddenly nothing is steering you. What should you do?
Stop distracting yourself and decide what matters right now, and then do that. Know the problem you want to solve or the improved state of the world you want to create. Ask yourself, “What is the outcome I am seeking?” I've heard “Getting Things Done” coaches phrase this as “What would done look like?” Knowing what to do next depends a good deal on where you want to get to, so make the time to identify your dreams, goals, and projects.
Start your mornings right. Before email or voicemail, jot down your three top priority tasks today. Scan those inputs very quickly to see if anything else bumps up to (and knocks something out of) the top three, but do at least one of those three before anything else.
Learn to listen
Simple, right? Nope. This one is a lot harder than it seems and critical to success in all aspects of life. Shut up—mouth and mind and distractions—and really listen. Then think. Then respond or act. Ask questions, clarify, confirm. Even when you're working on something for yourself, 10 minutes spent unpacking and spelling out your expectations in writing or aloud can both vastly improve the finished work and steer you clear of avoidable problems.
Look with fresh eyes at self-distraction sources. What has more prominence than it deserves? Turn off the alerts for what you will check anyway. Stop interrupting yourself needlessly. Multitasking is an illusion; the best you can do is to switch tasks quickly and get back in the flow rapidly with each change.
To be more productive and rewarded, don’t try to do more at once; instead, choose your actions well and do what you are doing with greater focus. You will achieve more when working on multiple projects if you give them your full attention for set chunks of time than if you incessantly flit between them. The chunks don't need to be very large—even 15- to 30-minute laps can be hugely productive for many activities. Focus and don't give in to the “I'll just take a quick peek to see if there's new email” urges as you work. (If you need a little help with your willpower, try LeechBlock (a Firefox browser extension) to limit your work-time visiting of nonwork websites.)
When you're creating or connecting, shut down other inputs. Turn off chat and message services when writing email or blog posts. Turn the TV off during conversation. Clean all the icons off your computer desktop that do not lead to the tasks you’re doing today. Group shortcuts together in a toolbar or dock and set your system to hide it when you aren’t using it. A clear desktop on your computer allows it to take its natural role as a workbench, always ready for the project at hand.
Do the same with your physical space. Ask yourself, “What isn't here when my desk helps me do my best work?” Create an environment to encourage yourself to focus and to relax. Headphones sure help tune out distractions in an