digital-minimalism
-
📚 Four Thousand Weeks: it’s as good as they say.
Nothing original, but a great collection of wisdom distilled from various traditions (faith, agile/lean, strategy, psychology, etc.).
-
📑 Sunday Quote
(see my reference and review)
-
Cheri’s tips for a better relationship with the Internet:
1. I abstain from ad-supported and/or algorithmically manipulated social media.
2. I avoid websites with an endless scroll. Aka “doomscrolling.”
3. The only notifications I allow on my phone are calendar appointments.
4. I use privacy-respecting hardware and software, when they exist. When they don’t, I make do with the next best thing. (I’m looking at you, Apple!)
5. I minimize opinion-checking. That is, I form my own conclusions rather than caring what “the internet thinks” about a topic.
6. I don’t frequent places where assholes thrive. -
I like this approach to tracking lists and will try it.
Probably works best paired with clarity on your values & priorities, and time-blocking to focus on your priorities.
H/T @jmaxb
-
2020: News & Magazines Review
To view other 2020 review posts, visit thee main post here. Newspapers and News Magazines I tend to prefer “slow ... -
📚 The Time-Block Plannner by Cal Newport ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Newport’s method is not new, but the planner summarizes it well and provides a good structure for executing it.
The physical product is less fit for purpose (page size, binding, paper), so practicing here and moving elsewhere.
-
(previously, text-only version of NPR)
We need more non-hyper news options like these.
-
I still have a ways to go, but did some good work on my Resilient booklist this morning.
-
Coping with Covid
This is not another form letter from a company assuring you that we are taking care of things. Instead, this is a Resil... -
Thinking about the confluence of quarantine, Lent, spring break, climate change, & other events.
What have you been learning and evaluating about your rhythms, habits, priorities, & schedule? Are you finding things that weren’t necessary, aligned with your values, etc.?
What’s been harder? What’s been easier? What’s important to you?
-
📚 Finished Deep Work by Cal Newport ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-
I started Cal Newport’s 📚 Deep Work and it has me pondering something.
As expected (since I really enjoyed Digital Minimalism), though I have just started, I am appreciating the book. However, his early focus on productivity is concerning to me. Often, we think of productivity as the One True Measurement ™ of success, and I’m not sure that’s right.
While effectiveness (towards whatever goal(s) you set) is important, it leaves out factors such as quality, value, repeatability, learning, etc. You could argue that we should build those into the measurements of productivity, but I’d argue we often don’t.
Perhaps my disagreement is due to me being philosophically less of a consequentialist and more of a deontologist or virtue ethicist. In my way of thinking, it’s better to do right with less immediate output than to crank out good output that may be short-sighted.
What about you?
edited to add: Cal addresses this a somewhat when he gets into “busyness” being a (bad) proxy for “productivity”.
-
Another great decision-making question from James Clear’s newsletter:
“Will this cost me time in the future or save me time in the future?”
-
What are the tech companies that are doing the most harm? What would be your top 5? Here is Slate’s list.
-
2019 🎙 Review
When I’m commuting, doing chores, taking a walk, or even playing open-world video games, I often listen to spoken... -
2019 📚 Review: Nonfiction
Overview I set a goal of reading 63 books in 2019, which was a 10% increase over 2019. I met this goal exactly. I have ... -
📚 Micro-Review: _The Power of Habit_ by Charles Duhigg
📚 Finished The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ This book is mostly useful narratives that introduce the fact... -
Did you (or are you planning to) engage in an alternative activity to Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Please share. #OptOutside #BuyNothingDay
-
“Life Tip: when deciding whether to keep something, imagine it as a human friend.” from SMBC
-
As I read this post about “Calm Technology”, an annoying subscribe popup happened right as I got to the “annoying notifications” spot on the chart. There’s also an obnoxious banner running through the whole article. Unacceptable. Change has to start with oneself.
