027 • Two fundamental ideas for a better life
027 • Two fundamental ideas for a better life
Hi everyone,
This issue is about the counter-intuitive nature of being effective and fulfilled in your life.
I'm going to cover two fundamentals - prioritisation and pursuing fulfilment over pleasure and comfort.
Let's start with prioritisation…
The idea of prioritisation is very popular in one form or another in self-help circles, whether it's Greg McKeown's 'Essentialism' or Mark Manson's 'Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck'.
I've been devouring Tim Ferriss's books recently and he always gave the idea of someone who works hard and makes great things happen. I was therefore surprised to read this tweet explaining how he also took weeks at a time completely away from his work...
Now if Tim Ferriss is doing something, people tend to listen, myself included.
I was prompted to consider how I could make space for more important thinking, leading to bigger ideas and progress, and the first potential optimisation that came up was my digital world.
This included cutting back the information I work with, the content I consume and the tools I use. There's a large opportunity cost that comes with consuming useless information in any form. Whilst consuming, you're unable to synthesise new ideas and deliver them to other people to improve their experience.
So I decided my content consumption, when I did indulge, would be worth the potential lost opportunity of creating something for others.
How much of the information that you consume do you end up working with? I'd wager that you could be smarter with this - you can get 80% of the value by being intentional and only consuming the best 20% of the content you come across every day.
Spend more time doing the things that are going to share your original perspective with more people. Write, publish, teach.
We're in a drought of depth.
We struggle to concentrate enough on our thoughts and ideas without being distracted by a new email or a notification. If you can learn to block out time for yourself where you're free from distraction and obligations, your mind will naturally gravitate towards depth. Your brain wants you to make sense of what you need to so your life can progress.
To give you the quick action steps and ideas I've for creating this depth and purposefulness:
Never consume anything the moment you come across it - save it first and come back later if you still want to consume it. Use Readwise Reader, YouTube Watch Later, and Twitter bookmarks for long-form posts.
Block websites - use Cold Turkey Blocker. I have a period in the morning where I can't access anything that contains new information, so I must work on personal projects. I call it 'Flow Inducer'.
Pick your tools as though you have to use them without exception for the next five years. Pick something stable and functional; I recommend Obsidian.
The other fundamental - you don't necessarily want to be chasing happiness, comfort or pleasure. It's a lot better for your well-being if you chase fulfilment instead. You might not feel the most comfortable whilst you're writing your new book, but once the commendation and results start to roll in the comfort that you sacrificed will be multiplied and returned to you in the form of fulfilment.
Satisfaction with life is relative - if you're setting yourself challenging goals and coming out on top, this is fulfilling.
Ignore the content you see on the internet that sways you towards one thing or another that doesn't align with your priorities.
This includes this newsletter if that's what it takes to quiet the outside world enough to hear your own heart and mind speaking to you.
Forget influencers on the internet who are trying to sell you something (myself included if you must). You have to be strong enough to follow your own path.
That is all.
What I've written this week...
Obsidian — An Up-to-Date Guide (November 2023) - Your one-stop location for everything new and exciting in the world of Obsidian PKM…
This is the guide that I mentioned in last week’s issue. If you want something that’s going to give you quick access to all the most recent Obsidian topics I covered from features to plugins, theory and workflows, this is the piece to read.
What I listened to whilst writing this issue...
Nothing.
I needed to focus. It’s 10:44 pm and I’m still in the library trying to get this issue perfected. I started it earlier in the day but university commitments took over and finishing it was pushed aside a little.
I’m still a little snowed under with work for the end of the semester, which I’ll have done by the release of next week’s issue, so you can expect more content from me over Christmas and into the new year.
See you soon!