Seize the Spontaneity

Sometimes, the things we know are best for us are the things we find hardest to do. With the new year, we find ourselves saying, “I want to write more”, or “I want to exercise more”, or “I want to floss more”. But these things are hard, and sometimes the motivation to just do the thing is elusive.

One component of what makes these activities difficult is that they often have intrinsic barriers to starting. With writing, you have to be at your computer and open a new document. With exercising, you have to put on your workout clothes, leave your house, and go to the gym. With flossing, you have to measure out the ideal length of floss, wrap it around your fingers, and remember how much you hate flossing.

These acts seem inconsequential, but they actually inhibit us from doing the thing we know we should be doing. Sometimes even the smallest barrier is enough to sap our motivation. The thing doesn’t get done, and we feel crappy about it.

The solution, then, is to minimize barriers as much as possible, which is something Merlin and Dan talked about in episode 47 of Back to Work.

One way to reduce barriers is to choose tools that make things easier. I keep a notepad on my desk so I can quickly write things down if an idea comes to me. Likewise, I use Alfred to launch apps on my Mac, so all I have to do to open a new document is hit CMD + Space, type “b” for Byword, and hit Enter. This process is much easier than moving my mouse down to open the Finder, clicking Applications, then clicking on Byword. It makes it very easy to start writing.

You can figure out ways to do this with any activity. Laying out your workout clothes the night before, for instance, might increase your likelihood of actually exercising. You might also figure out ways to workout at home, so you eliminate the barrier of having to travel to the gym.

I get in trouble with my dentist every six months for not flossing enough, even though I know how important it is. But so far this year, I’ve flossed every day this week because of three little changes. I started using Plackers instead of regular floss because they’re easier to use. Second, — wait for it — I started flossing in the shower. I don’t know why; it just makes more sense to me as part of my shower routine. I also put the bag of Plackers on top of my towel rack, so I can’t get to my towel without moving them. This forces me to floss every time I take a shower, i.e. every day. So far, so good.

Now occasionally, if you’re like me, you’ll experience a random fit of inspiration. You’ll know exactly what you want to write, or the weather will be beautiful and you’ll want to go running, or you’ll just feel like flossin’. I get these little windows of energy from time to time, but the problem is that they’re fleeting. Sometimes I’ll wake up, see it’s a beautiful day and want to get outside and workout… but then I’ll pick up my iPad or get distracted by music or something on the Internet. By the time I break away from the distraction, the motivation is gone, and it’s lunchtime anyway. Oh, well.

The key here is to seize the spontaneity. Choose tools and methods that make your barriers as small as possible, and use any windows of energy to smash through them right away. The smaller the barrier, the less energy needed to overcome it, so you’ll be able to stop waiting for divine inspiration and start doing more of the thing you want to do.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s a 50 degree January day here in Connecticut, and I have some sprints to do.

Back On the Primal Path

If you follow me on Twitter, you might be aware that I managed to eat pretty much everything in sight over the holidays. On the one hand, ‘twas the season to indulge, but on the other hand, the increased intake of my culinary vices made me feel lethargic, guilty, and more than a little gross.

I’m pleased — and my body is relieved — to report that I’ve been back on track and eating Primally for five days in a row now.

It feels fantastic.

Still, I’m not here to admonish the act of holiday feasting. On the contrary, my relatively brief foray into the realm of Christmas treats has taught me a few things about keeping a diet in perspective.

First, pigging out for over a week reminded me how much I love my normal Primal Blueprint eating regimen. Don’t get me wrong, holiday food is delicious, but so is eating Primal, and it doesn’t come with the associated bloating and guilt trips. The good news is that stepping off the path for a little while didn’t become a permanent change. In fact, I couldn’t wait to get back to my old healthy habits. That’s how a vacation should feel, and it speaks to the effectiveness of the Primal Blueprint as a sustainable lifestyle.

Second, while I did eat a lot, exercise little, and lose sight of my abdominal muscles over the holidays, the overall results of my week-long binge were… not that bad. Sure, I was a bit squishier than I was before, and my mood was a little low, but it’s not like I suddenly had fifty pounds to lose or had developed some chronic illness. I’m not saying this to condone unhealthy eating or tell you to take a week off whenever you want. Rather, it helps put the average cheat meal in perspective. I survived an entire week of holiday gluttony with pretty minor side effects. That means I should treat a single cheat meal as no big deal, rather than feel guilty about indulging with friends.

The key here, though, is not rationalizing or condoning the unhealthy meal and allowing it to become what’s normal. I would still rather eat Primal, and I will as much as I can. But, if I happen to be in a situation where it’s difficult to do so (if I’m a guest in someone’s home, for instance), I’m not going to sweat it. If I can survive an entire week of holiday eating, one cheat meal for the sake of manners won’t hurt. In the grand scheme of things, it’ll be a tiny misstep. Remember, that doesn’t mean an unhealthy meal every day won’t hurt! It’s just a way of altering your perspective so you feel less bummed out about deviating from your healthy habits. Step off, then step right back on.

Again, my holiday binge reminded me how much I love the Primal Blueprint. My sister is a recent convert, and she agrees that even after just two days back on the path, she feels so much better. I’m not trying to pimp the Primal lifestyle, as I have nothing to gain from doing so. (The gain would be all yours, actually.) These lessons can be applied to whatever diet you’re invested in. Still, if you’re interested in going Primal for the new year, Mark Sisson just put out a new updated and expanded paperback version of The Primal Blueprint. It’s inexpensive and a great way to get started.

One final note about my transition back on the path: I’ve started logging my workouts and meals using the Day One app, which allows you to journal from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. They all stay in sync via Dropbox, and the app itself is well-designed. Keeping a record of what I do to be healthy each day helps me stay mindful as the new year progresses and the “resolution enthusiasm” wears off. I’m trying to see how many days in a row I can go without a cheat day. Of course, you don’t need an app to make this a habit. Pen and paper works too.

Clear It All Out

Randy Murray suggests you clear it all out!

This time of year when we’re still clearing away the boxes and torn wrapping paper I’m faced again with what to do with the new stuff.

The answer is simple: get rid of some old stuff.

Why I Don't Have Comments

The Internet has been in a tizzy today about comments, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to explain why they don’t exist here.

Comments have long been a topic of debate on the web, and there are valid arguments for and against. Yesterday, Matt Gemmell wrote that his month without them was the right decision. M.G. Siegler expressed his agreement and later expanded his position. M.G. also shared this old post from Daring Fireball in which John Gruber defends his site’s no comments policy. Shortly thereafter, Cody Fink announced that MacStories is also turning off comments.

Do read those pieces; I agree with their collective position and reasoning.

I made the deliberate decision not to have comments on my site because, as Merlin Mann quoted John Gruber at their SxSW talk, “I want to own every single pixel on my site.” To do that, I can’t give everyone on the Internet the ability to anonymously post whatever they want on it.

I want to write. I don’t want to spend time moderating comments and deleting spam. The more writing I get to do, the more reading you get to do. That doesn’t mean I don’t love you and your feedback, dear reader, because I madly and passionately do. But what would be better for all involved is if you responded via Twitter, email, or writing a response on your own site.

QLE, however, is my site. It’s the online equivalent of my living room, and I am responsible for every word that appears here. By eschewing public comments in favor of the above methods, you and I can enjoy a more civil and personal interaction. In addition, you will be directly responsible for your comments, as I will be for the site’s content.

Six Months of QLE

The end of December marked the six-month anniversary for Quarter-Life Enlightenment.

Six months is not a long time, but I’m proud of what the site has become. When I first started writing back in July, I wasn’t sure how I would take to it. I liked the idea of writing a web column, and I was inspired by the many individuals who make some or all of their living writing on the web, but I wasn’t sure if my enthusiasm would last beyond the first week or two. I’m happy to say it has.

Even though the site is still in its infancy, I hope to make 2012 a big year for QLE. One of my goals is to write more original articles. I greatly admire writers like Randy Murray and Seth Godin, who publish something every day without fail. It’s something to aspire to. I find original pieces more challenging and fulfilling to write, and I hope you feel the same in reading them. Look forward to more this year.

I don’t plan to stop the shorter link posts. I think they’re beneficial, and I enjoy spreading the word about the writers who inspire me. I wouldn’t share them if I didn’t think they were worth your time. My goal continues to be to post something useful to the site Monday through Friday, whether that’s an article by me or a link to someone else.

For those of you who have been reading all along, thank you. Your support is tremendously appreciated. I hope you’ll continue to stick around and give me feedback about what you like, don’t like, and would like to see more or less of. And if something I write benefits you, please do share it with others. It’s the best way for the site to grow.

As a reminder, there are several ways to subscribe to the site so you don’t have to remember to check back every day. You could bookmark it, but you probably have a thousand bookmarks.

1. RSS. Whenever you see this icon on a website, it means “Subscribe via RSS”. RSS is very simple, but many people don’t know what it means or how it works. RSS stands for “Rich Site Summary” or “Really Simple Syndication”. Basically, it’s a way of consolidating new content from many websites into a single feed. To start using RSS, you first need a feed reader. Google Reader is one of the most popular, and it’s what I use to keep track of over 100 websites I read daily. If you have a Gmail account, you already have access to Google Reader. Just click my subscription link, hit the Google button, and choose Add to Google Reader. You can do this with any site that supports RSS. Now, instead of typing in 100 different URLs and visiting each site directly, you can just check your Google Reader as you would your email account. New posts will be there waiting for you. You can also use an RSS reader app on your computer or mobile device. NewNewsWire and Reeder are two of the best. (I use Reeder on my Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Here’s what the Mac version looks like.) For further explanation about RSS, please see What Is RSS?

2. Email. You can have the previous day’s posts emailed to you each morning. I’m working on redesigning the email template, so please stand by.

3. Twitter. Quarter-Life Enlightenment has its own Twitter account, which automatically tweets links to the latest posts. You can — and obviously should — also follow my personal account.

4. Facebook. I don’t love Facebook, but if you use it regularly, it’s a good way to get the latest QLE posts in your News Feed. If you’re on Facebook, please do Like Quarter-Life Enlightenment.

5. Google+. Occasionally, I will post an article to Google+. When there is a good solution for auto-posting to Google+, I will use it and let you know.

The choice is yours! Collect all five.

As an addendum, there’s also a Tumblr where I collect videos, links, quotes, and other things that aren’t specifically QLE-related. Please reblog liberally. Wink wink.

Thank you, again, for visiting my little corner of the Internet these past six months. I’m going to continue to show up every day, so I hope you continue reading.

I wish you all a peaceful 2012.

— Andrew

Mindfulness Meditation Is Rediscovered

Amy Gross retired from her job as editor-in-chief of O, the Oprah Magazine to pursue a career in mindfulness meditation:

The key shift is in turning toward pain, when all your life you’ve turned away from it. You give it your full attention—you yield to it—and, paradoxically, its hold on you diminishes. (The majority of chronic-pain patients in an eight-week meditation course are able to reduce their medications and become more active.) You open to emotional pain as well. As you meditate, the grip of your history loosens and you get a little saner, lighter, less entangled.

Via Ben Brooks

Shutting Down Simple Desks

Pat Dryburgh is shutting down his porno site:

About 6 months into running Simple Desks I began realizing that what I was doing was running a porn site. No, not topless girls and chest-hairless guys romping around in a beach house-type porn. Just pointless, casual, look-at-this-empty-fucking-desk-you’ll-never-have porn.

Good for him. This coincides with my post about the problems with minimalism.

Collect Your Thoughts

Randy Murray’s simple productivity tip of the day is to collect your thoughts:

Try this: sit down, take a deep breath, and write out everything on your mind. If it’s something to do, fine, you can transfer that to its proper place later. Now keep going. Write down everything you’ve been thinking about this day. Be honest. Don’t censor yourself. Write it ALL out, everything you’ve been thinking about at this moment, in this day.

An empty mind is a peaceful mind.

This Year, 2012

So here we are, mere hours into 2012! Feels good, doesn’t it? We’ve overeaten, come up with some last minute resolutions, and expressed pity for Dick Clark. Bring on the new year.

Like the rest of the internet, I feel compelled to write some sort of obligatory New Year’s post, even though today is virtually the same as yesterday, save for a quick turn of the calendar. Still, there’s something comforting about our annual tabula rasa, and while we shouldn’t rely on a specific date to decide it’s time to improve ourselves, it does help to have a little Gregorian push.

I’m excited for the new year. I know for a fact it’s going to be a big one, apocalypse not withstanding. This year, I’m going to get a new iPhone. This year, I’m going to finish my thesis and officially earn my master’s degree. This year, I’m going to turn 25. Quarter-life, indeed.

Yet despite the few things I do know about 2012, there is so much more I don’t and can’t possibly know. I might find a new job. I might find a new place to live. I might meet a new girl. I might meet the girl. The Dave Matthews Band might break up. People I know might get married. Someone I love might die. I might die.

And since we have no idea about any of that, I think it’s best we work to make this year a great one. On the eve of 2012, I am reminding myself that this year, I will have control over nothing. I will be given things, and I will have things taken from me. The universe will continue to expand, and I’ll continue to be an infinitesimal speck along for the ride. I am reminding myself that the only thing I do have control over is my mind, and all I can do is prepare it to accept all the wonderful and terrible things 2012 has in store.

The comforting thing is that in 365 days, I will know myself better than I do now. So will you. Each day will teach us something new, and each day we’ll grow a little more and get a little better. Each day will bring us a little closer to who we truly are. It’s going to be great, and I’m excited.

I wish you an exceptional 2012, and thank you for reading. It means the world to me.

— Andrew

Advice from Seth Godin

Seth Godin, keeping it real:

As soon as you accept that just about everything in our created world is only a few generations old, it makes it a lot easier to deal with the fact that the assumptions we make about the future are generally wrong, and that the stress we have over change is completely wasted.

And, on productivity and resolutions:

Until you quiet the resistance and commit to actually shipping things that matter, all the productivity tips in the world aren’t going to make a real difference. And, it turns out, once you do make the commitment, the productivity tips aren’t that needed.

"A Physical App"

Diego Basch on the Kindle:

The Kindle is so cheap that I see it as a “physical app”, just like the iPod Shuffle. I couldn’t care less about the object itself. I don’t have a case for it, and when it breaks I’ll order a new one overnight without thinking twice about it.

I agree. I love my Kindle, and it’s nice that it’s so easily replaceable.

Via Brett Kelly

Utter Failure & Hotel Steak

If you haven’t started listening to Back to Work by now, then shame on you. Regardless, I highly recommend the latest episode on New Year’s resolutions:

In the last episode of 2011, Merlin and Dan talk about fresh starts and modest changes rather than rehearsing for sucking. You don’t need a calendar to tell you to change. Whether you want to give up nail biting, onanism, or drinking a gallon of vodka a day, you need a plan and a tolerance for failure. Plus, a little care never hurts.

It’s a great listen.

How to Be Merry All Year Long

The problem with holidays is that they always end.

I don’t know about you, but as soon as Thanksgiving is over, I start looking forward to Christmas. Each December day brings more houses decorated with Christmas lights, more gift ideas, and more excitement for the big day: December 25.

All that excitement culminates on Christmas Eve, and then Christmas Day arrives at last! Presents are opened, pictures are taken, food is eaten, and everything is merry and wonderful. We go to bed feeling thankful, smiling and basking in the holiday spirit. Then, we wake up…

…and it’s December 26. Hooray.

Let’s not lie to ourselves: compared to the day before, December 26 is pretty dull. Especially when it falls on a Monday (ahem, way to go, 2011). Christmas is over. 364 shopping days left. Sigh.

I always feel a little bummed when a day I’ve been looking forward to comes to an end. There’s a feeling that the magic is over. Now it’s just another regular day. Back to reality.

I’m not here to make the case that Christmas should be a year-round event. But there’s no reason why the joy associated with Christmas isn’t something we should be able to experience all the time.

Attaching our happiness to a transitory event like Christmas is a recipe for disappointment. The fact that Christmas will come and go is inevitable, and depending on it to give us joy makes our disappointment inevitable as well. Such is the case with any anticipated event: vacations, birthdays, holidays, etc.

As I was thinking about this issue, a friend of mine tweeted about something called Gradual Christmas. When I asked her about it, she explained:

I’ve just been doing Christmas-y things for the past few days and plan to keep doing so into the weekend.

And I thought, “Well there’s the solution!” While Christmas does bring joy, who says it’s only allowed to last for one day? Who says it’s only allowed to last for one month? Why can’t we wish someone a nice day with the same enthusiasm as when we say, “Merry Christmas!”?

Being excited for the holidays is great fun, but we should not rely on them to make us feel good. Rather, we must look within ourselves to find our own sources of happiness that last no matter what day of the year it is. That way, we free ourselves from depending on temporary external events to make us happy. Those days, joyous as they may be, are fleeting. Eventually, it will always be December 26. When that day comes, we don’t want to find ourselves with low spirits.

The turn of the calendar is beyond our control, but our ability to treat every day as a special one is not. The love we feel on Christmas is something we should emanate year-round. In doing so, we’ll be able to experience bliss that lasts not just for one day, but for 365.

Merry

John Gruber:

Late last night, inspecting Santa’s handiwork, a simple thought occurred to me. A decade or so from now, when, say, I’m waiting for my son to come home from college for his winter break, and, when he does, he wants to spend his time going out with his friends — how much will I be willing to pay then to be able to go back in time, for one day, to now, when he’s eight years old, he wants to go to movies and play games and build Lego kits with me, and he believes in magic?

Flow is the Opiate of the Mediocre

Note: I’m on vacation this week, so posting will be a little lighter than usual. I hope you’re having a great holiday week!

Cal Newport shares some advice from one of his readers on getting better:

Strategy #4: Create Beauty, Don’t Avoid Ugliness.
“Weak pianists make music a reactive task, not a creative task. They start, and react to their performance, fixing problems as they go along. Strong pianists, on the other hand, have an image of what a perfect performance should be like that includes all of the relevant senses. Before we sit down, we know what the piece needs to feel, sound, and even look like in excruciating detail. In performance, weak pianists try to reactively move away from mistakes, while strong pianists move towards a perfect mental image.”

Fascinating stuff. I’ve really come to love Cal’s website, Study Hacks.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you and yours have an exceptional holiday.

Beating the Social Overeating Habit

Leo Babauta has compiled 12 tips for beating the social overeating habit. It’s a good list, and I particularly like this contribution from Alessandro Shobeazzo:

Cheat without guilt. For one or two occasions a year, allow yourself to eat as much as you want, which doesn’t necessarily mean to stuff yourself, but to eat without thinking too much about consequences. Two big meals on Christmas or similar occasions don’t spoil a year-long habit of healthy eating. Don`t overanalyze, just enjoy, without any bad conscience.

Step off, step on.

The Many Faces of Fiddling

Great article by Brett Kelly on the many faces of fiddling:

Always think, but resist the urge to think about it more than is required. Make a decision and execute on it. If the decision turns out to be the wrong one, then your gut now has a little more context for next time.

Brett offers his own response to this week’s Back to Work, but he also takes the concept of fiddling beyond the physical. Mental fiddling, or what Brett refers to as unproductive learning and over-thinking, is also something we need to be aware of. Really well put.

On the Priorities of Minimalism

On this week’s episode of Back to Work, Dan and Merlin discussed the meta-distractions of minimalism. I highly recommend listening to the episode because many great points are made. I talk about minimalism semi-frequently on this website, and the word “simplicity” is in the tagline, so I thought it best to offer my thoughts.

The concern Merlin has about minimalism is that “The removal of distractions can quickly become its own distraction.” That sounds paradoxical since removing distractions seems like a productive use of one’s time, and indeed it can be, but it’s also easy to go overboard. If we get to a point where we don’t get any work done because we’re too busy creating minimal work environments, then minimalism — or rather, the pursuit of minimalism — becomes counterproductive. It becomes another excuse for procrastination.

I’m pretty sure Merlin doesn’t consider minimalism itself to be a bad thing. As he said on Back to Work, we in the Apple community enjoy a certain aesthetic that is founded on simplicity and elegance. That’s great, but it also shouldn’t become a requirement if we are to get work done. Convincing ourselves that we can’t write if there are things on our desk is not a productive mindset to have. Dan advised against becoming attached and clinging to minimalism, just as we should avoid becoming attached to material things.

As Merlin says, if you’re getting distracted, then maybe you just don’t care enough about the thing you’re being distracted from. I think that’s profound. For example, people always complain about being distracted when trying to write a paper for school because they probably don’t really care about what they’re writing about. On the other hand, if you love playing video games, you will find the time to do it.

Or, as Merlin is fond of saying:

No one needs to set an alarm to masturbate.

I advocate minimalism because I think it has many benefits and can be applied on several levels. The physical level might be that of the minimalist workspace, which I enjoy because it makes me feel calm rather than stressed. If there are things piling up on my desk, it usually means there are things that require my attention. The more things that require my attention at once, the more anxiety I feel. That’s not how everybody works; it’s just how I work. If piles of paper and clutter give you comfort and help you do your work, then I encourage you to maintain that environment for yourself. Do what works for you.

Minimalism on a metaphysical level is even more important. Minimalism advocates the removal of needless things. Not every thing, just needless things. That might be things on your desk, but it also might be people in your life or thoughts in your head. If they don’t contribute something positive to your life, I say remove them. That way, you can dedicate more of yourself to the things you actually care about.

I avoid preaching minimalism as the only solution to things, but I also think it’s worth considering not just for productivity reasons, but also for inner peace reasons. I could post something every day about how you should put that stapler you use once a week in a drawer somewhere, but in reality, that stapler isn’t that big of a deal. Doing the work is the big deal, and whether it’s with a messy desk or a clean desk is up to you. It’s the minimalist mind — one free of needless thoughts and perspectives — that I strive for.

A Couple of Things About Distractions

Stephen Hackett discussing minimalism and real work:

In reality, minimalism (or zen, or whatever) doesn’t have a fixed definition. It varies. It is about reducing friction just enough to work, then sitting down and doing the work.

Precisely. It’s not about removing everything, it’s about removing needless things.

Also, David Caolo on meditating with distractions:

I mention work because that’s were we get to apply this stuff. In fact, that’s the whole reason to meditate (for me, at least): to extend those moments of focus to real life. When you’re at your desk and emails come pouring in or the phone rings off the hook, remember the mountain. “Oh, there’s the phone. Oh, there’s email.” In and of themselves, they’re not bad. Or good. They’re just a phone and email.

Both of these posts are great supplemental pieces to this week’s episode of Back to Work, wherein Dan and Merlin discuss the meta-distractions of minimalism. Important stuff. More tomorrow.