Just Seven Things

Exploring why and how we do what we do, and how we can do it better

Archive for the tag “Happiness”

Influenced by Randomness II

I continue to read and be influenced in a (very) good way by Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s marvellous Fooled by Randomness. My first post (only) nine days ago on how the book was impacting me seems like a long time ago:

1. The mental state required to engage with his work means that I feel like I’m blowing some cobwebs from the furthest recesses of my brain. I had to scan a couple of articles earlier today in the Harvard Business Review and it felt like I was reading the Sun.

2.  It makes me feel a bit intellectually cowed/ inadequate. I like this because it makes me strive to be better and relax into thinking in a better way

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The Twist in the Tail of Control

One of the problems of the control for stress relief urge is, for me, the focus on the long-tail of activity.

Completely contrary to all the time management guidance on frogs and Do It Tomorrows etc. It feels more like an explosion of Allen’s trusted system.

Unfortunately, when I’m in control-craving mode I seem to default to explode the light touch of the trusted system out too far. I want to process everything as quickly and as immediately as possible. I want shiny, spanky empty in-box. Yes I want everything managed and prioritised. But there’s a kick in of the need to get in control. To redress the balance of out-of-control.

I know it’s also about redressing the happiness balance and calming the mental and gut noise. But again, there’s that driver for control kicking-in. It’s a virtual auto-pilot of working for achievement. The multiple quick-wins that act as a placebo for solid action clearance.

But I still love it in a way.

Happiness System IV

Nearly there, I promise. I think I’m equally feeling the need to get all this down, structured and internally debated as I seek a life raft of more stability/ process/ systematic behaviour in my life as a result of the amount going on in my life at the moment. As well as the amount that I’m trying to achieve.

9. One 24hrs of total brain rest. Nothing being done to self-improve or create or build mentally. All and anything brain relaxing allowed.

10. A weekly time slot to review commitments, obligations and list and drop, drop, drop. Make more time.

11. (too much confusion with 1,2 and 3 below and I’ll work on the differentiations, but:) One view of overall life mission, and cascade to visions, goals, accountabilities and responsibilities with an ability to view Very Next Actions for each project (a BIG sheet of a paper) 

12. A daily/ weekly/ monthly/ yearly plan that I’m actioning, and know that it’s right. I need to sort out the overlap or alignment with My3Things

I think what’s as interesting as anything else in trying to define all of this in such a systematic and dispassionate way is a. how realistic it is to ever maintain the mindfulness and energy levels to operate t this level to ahieve the happiness anticipated and b. how likely I am to reacte, reaching a tipping point of just doing what feels right at the time rather than following the system

My aim is to see whether using these pages to debate this system and its conflicts will make my usage more habitual and ingrained. Or not.

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