Focus - Leo Babauta [10]
It's crucial that you admit to yourself: you can't read and consume everything. You can't do everything, respond to everything. Not only would the attempt take up all of your waking hours, but you'd fail. There's too much out there to read, too many people to potentially connect with and respond to, too many possible projects and tasks to actually complete.
It's impossible. Once you admit this, the next logical argument is that if you can't do and read and respond to everything, you must choose what you'll do and read and respond to, and let the rest go.
Let the rest go. This is unbelievably important. You have to accept this, and be OK with it.
an information cleanse
If you look at information and communication as a form of mild (or sometimes not-so-mild) addiction, it can be healthy to force yourself to take a break from it.
Go on a mini-cleanse. Start with something that's not so scary: perhaps a day, or even half a day. Do this once a week. Later, as you get used to this, try a 2-3 day cleanse, and maybe even work your way up to a week.
Here's how to do the cleanse:
Don't check email or other types of digital inboxes.
Don't log into Twitter, Facebook, or other social networks or forums.
Don't read news, blogs, subscriptions.
Don't check your favorite websites for updates.
Don't watch TV.
Don't use instant messaging of any kind.
Do use phones for as little time as possible, only for essential calls.
Do send an email if necessary, but try to avoid it, and don't check your inbox if you do.
Do use the Internet for absolutely necessary research. Be vigorous about this rule.
Do spend your time creating, working on important projects, getting outside, communicating with people in person, collaborating, exercising.
Do read: books, long-form articles or essays you've been wanting to read but haven't had the time for.
Do watch informative or thought-provoking films, but not mindless popular movies.
You could make a personalized list of your dos and don'ts, but you get the general idea. Again, start with half a day or a day -- something manageable. Do it once a week, and gradually expand the time you spend on the cleanse.
reducing the stream
If you've done the cleanse, you now know the value of disconnecting, and you know that you can live without having to check your streams of information and messages all day, every day.
You've cleaned your plate. Now it's time to figure out what to add back on it.
Give it some thought: what are the most essential ways you communicate? Email? Skype? Twitter? Cell phone? IM?
What are the most essential information streams you consume? What blogs? What news? What other reading or watching or listening?
What can you cut out? Can you cut half of the things you read and watch? More?
Try eliminating at least one thing each day: a blog you read, an email newsletter you receive, a communication channel you don't need anymore, a news site you check often. Take them out of your email or feed inbox, or block them using one of the blocking tools mentioned in the "Focus Tools" chapter.
Slowly reduce your stream, leaving only the essentials.
using the stream wisely
Just as importantly, reduce the time you spend using the essentials. If email is essential, do you need to be notified of every new email right this second? Do you need to be in your inbox all day long?
Place limits on the time you spend reading and communicating -- a small limit for each channel. Only check email for 30 minutes, twice a day, for example (or whatever limits work for you). Only read the limited number of blogs you subscribe to for 30 minutes a day. Only watch an hour of TV a day (for example).
Write these limits down, and add them up for a grand total of what you plan to spend on reading, consuming, communicating. Is this an ideal amount, given the amount of time you have available to you each day? The smaller the overall limit, the better.
2: you don't need to respond
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."
– Lao Tzu