Focus - Leo Babauta [47]
Most people can get their work done with a laptop, or even a piece of paper and a pen. Most of us have so much that we never get much of anything done. Reduce your tools to the minimum needed to get your work done.
Ideally you want these tools to be portable, so you can take your workspace anywhere you need to focus.
2. use the simplest tools
We continue to feel the pressure to have the most advanced tools for the job. This leads to a cluttered workspace filled with the latest gadgets, regardless of whether or not they're actually being used to get our work done.
When I was a photographer, I used to feel inadequate unless I was constantly updating my hardware. Then one day I realized that the best camera you can ever have is the one you have on you.
The technology doesn't create the artist, the artist uses the technology. No expensive tool will change this fact.
In almost all cases you already have the tools you have to focus. Choose the simplest tools, and you'll be far more effective at focusing on the work you need to do. For example, a writer only needs a text editor in order to get work done.
3. forget about 'just in case'
We like to keep things around in our workspace for 'just in case.'
'Just in case' is a place in the space time continuum that invokes clutter, but not much else that's useful. We tend to throw stuff into our drawers than we might need someday, but we have no idea when we'll need it.
If you don't need something now, or have no concrete plans to use it in the future, chances are you won't need it. Don't keep things in your workspace just in case, don't buy things just in case.
The future is a mystery, let it remain that way.
The tools you need to overcome future challenges are probably the ones you're using right now.
4. unplug
We're constantly connected, which means there are literally billions of distractions at our fingertips.
The Internet is a relatively new development in the evolution of the human race. We didn't exactly evolve to simultaneously work and check Twitter at the same time. Single-tasking is a must, and the easiest way to do this is to unplug.
Turn off your WiFi, unplug your Internet connection, or go to a place that doesn't have Internet.
5. breathe
Wherever you've decided to put your minimalist workspace. Whether it's a clean desk by a window, or the crowded coffee shop that I'm working in right now in San Francisco, it's important to breathe.
Breathing is so important to focus, because it brings you into the present moment. A breath will never happen before or after you take it. So when you focus on your breath, you will be drawn into the present moment.
Take a moment before you step into your minimalist workspace to take a few slow deep breaths. This will bring focus to the work you're about to do.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
This will help you naturally focus on your minimalist workspace, and then you'll be able to get your work done.
Everett Bogue writes about minimalism on his blog, Far Beyond the Stars (http://www.farbeyondthestars.com).
3: how to take a digital sabbatical
By Gwen Bell
The words we use matter. Regardless of the length of the statement, and whether delivered in person or digitally, words matter. We must be vigilant because we have a responsibility -- not just to those we're sure will hear what we say directly. We're responsible to anyone who may experience the ripple. It may be years before we know the full impact of the words we share online.
In the immediate future, being plugged in and unfocused causes us to make small errors that result in big losses. We say things we don't mean. We do things without thinking. We send an email we wish we could unsend.
When our actions are aligned with what's happening within us, we don't need an unsend button. A Digital Sabbatical gives us an opportunity to observe our addictions, practice with what's arising moment to moment and decide what matters. A Digital Sabbatical helps us discover alignment