The simplest, hardest way to save time
Some times, it’s as if though time itself crumbles to dust around us and reduces us to small, quivering balls of stress. Whether at the behest of others or by our own doing, we frequently run out of time – and the fix is as simple as it is hard.
Read MoreAre you doing something you’re not supposed to be doing?
Many people, at many times, and in many places are doing something that they’re not supposed to be doing. Usually, this is because they don’t want to do what they’re supposed to be doing at all, or because what they’re supposed to be doing holds less appeal than what they’re… not supposed to be doing.
Read MoreWhat would the 5-year old you think of the current you?
An old college teacher of mine once shared a nugget of carefully accumulated wisdom with me: acting a grown-up is important; growing up… not so much. Many years later, I’ve come to realize that what he meant was that as we grow in some areas, the opposite is true in others.
Read MoreResolve your resultless resolutions
New year’s resolutions are an epidemic. They’re disappointingly absolute, lack regard for a world in where variables… well, vary faster than ever, and frequently stem from misinformed perceptions of what we must do to be like someone else. Here’s a different tack.
Read MoreA definition of work
If I say ‘work’, what’s the first thing that crosses your mind? Likely, you associate it with the place where you spend most of your waking hours, generating value which allows you to survive. Work, however, extends far beyond than just that.
Read MoreI hereby challenge you to 10 minutes of quietude
Ah, quietude. “The state or condition of being quiet, peaceful, calm, or tranquil”.
When was the last time you just kept still and did absolutely nothing for 10 minutes – in a silent environment? For most of us – including me – the answer is that you can’t pinpoint the exact moment in time. That’s too bad.
Silence is underestimated
Even in back in ye olde days, when a continuous cacaphony of media was conspicuously absent, silence was valued by some. As translated from the German Sartor Resartus in 1831 by English poet Thomas Carlyle: “Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together; that at length they may emerge, full-formed and majestic, into the daylight of Life, which they are thenceforth to rule”.
Excessive as the quote may be when surgically transplanted into the 21st century, I’d like to ask that you indulge me in a request to read it again – only slowly, this time.
If you’d like, you may imagine it is being read by someone with gravitas – such as contemporary English actors Ian McKellen or Patrick Stewart (aka Gandalf and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, accordingly).
Silence is necessary
In fact, it seems sustained noise can be of direct detriment to ones health. A Wikipedia article on the topic certainly raises some concern, as does a recent book written by Garret Keizer, of which The New York Times has a short excerpt.
In modern society, however, noise is – alas – unavoidable, which only increases the importance of quietude. I myself work in an open landscape, and not only am I more able to concentrate for longer periods of time if I can find a quiet space – I also feel more energized when able to maintain a certain balance between noise and silence.
Henceforth, the challenge
With luck, this article will have served as a reminder in your likely busy day to make time for quietude. I hereby challenge you to immerse yourself in silence for the next 10 minutes of your life – don’t put it off until later. If you do, chances are you’ll forget, or downprioritize. There’s a good chance the world won’t break without you in it for the next 10 minutes.
Oh, and by the way; chances are, that after completing this excercise, the eternity machine you refer to as your brain will have reminded you of a number of incomplete tasks or quite possibly even generated new ones.
I recommend you dig up a pen and a piece of paper – for after your 10 minutes of quiet are up.
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