My biggest concern about our obsession with consumption, is that we are even beginning to treat people like things to be consumed.
Consumers
Reply
Category Archives: ramblings
Leave it Where You Want to Begin
One of my practices right now is to begin my day on a blank page. Or, more specifically, a blank screen. I finally realized that beginning my day in the urgent mode of triaging my many inboxes destroys my chances of getting into the important mode of setting goals for the day. After several weeks of practice, I have successfully formed the habit. But my form is still bad. It takes a couple minutes of closing windows, (and being distracted by the content), before achieving tabula rasa.
So, now I am adjusting my behavior further by making it a point to close my computer in the state I want to open it in.
I’m pretty sure we can find ways to apply this to other areas of our lives.
The Lost Art of Practice
Do you even remember what it felt like to practice something, and then experience that aha moment when everything clicked? Other than video games and yoga, what happened to practicing things?
I want drills, and exercises, and dedicated practice times that far outnumber the games or performances. I want to review the tapes, and scout the other team. I want a teacher or a coach to watch my technique and give me feedback.
How would you begin to break one of your roles or functions down into a practice regimen?
How I use LinkedIn
TL;DR – I only connect on LinkedIn with people I can personally recommend.
I realize that many people use LinkedIn as tool to grow their professional networks, and to “bookmark” people they have met at conferences etc.
There are many reasons why I prefer Zerply (please connect with me there), but there is still enough critical-mass at LinkedIn to utilize the value it does provide.
I consider myself a LinkedIn purist. A core function of the product is the ability to connect to people two or three degrees away through introductions. All my connections are visible to people several degrees away as someone they could get an introduction to. So, it only makes sense to connect to people I feel confident personally and professionally recommending to someone else.
I am more than happy when anyone reaches out to me through LinkedIn, because I love to help out however I can. I am just highly likely to move the conversation to another channel, and connect on other networks.
Concentration
A question I am passionate about came up today in namesake.com:
“I’ve got a TERRIBLE memory. I believe it might be due to the inability to concentrate. I usually can’t work on one task for too long. Any suggestions on how to improve my concentration and my memory?”
I am trying to get back in the habit of writing here, so I figured I would take this opportunity to share my answer here on thomasknoll.info as well.
the dull ache of “personal branding”
A conversation with a good friend forced me to put into words some thoughts about “personal branding” I have been mulling over for a couple years:
Try to be famous and you might end up a reality TV star. Try to follow your passions with blind ambition, and you might end up in history books.
#ThoughtsInDraft
Pleasure Flow Meaning
dream
My mind works while I sleep, and dreams while I am awake–which has done wonders for my productivity and creativity.
note to self: try this
- 1 liter of water
- 1/2 tsp of baking soda
- 2 tbsp of agave nectar
- 1/2 tbsp of sea salt
Running and Reading
A huge thank you to Dan Martell for bringing this to my attention!
[ via The Key to Life: Running & Reading | (@danmartell) ]
Transcript
I’m gonna say something that I want you to remember for the rest of your lives, ok, I want you to listen closely. I’m giving you the key to life right now. The key to life, the key to life, is running and reading. Alright? Now listen, I’m very serious. The key to life is running and reading.
Alright, now, why running? When you’re running, when you’re out there and your running, there’s a little person who talks to you. And that little person says, “Agh, I’m tired. Ohhh, I’m so tired, there’s no way I can possibly continue.” And you want to quit. Right? That person–if you learn how to defeat that person when you’re running–you will learn how to not quit when things get hard in your life. Running–alright–that’s the first key to life.
I got this real psychotic thing about, like, perfection and working hard. And real young, I realized that the person who works the hardest wins. You know, it’s like, While other the other guy is sleeping, I’m workin’. The other guy is eating, I’m workin’. You know, the other guy is makin’ love…. I mean, I’m makin’ love…. but I’m workin’ you know, like hard at it!
Love what you do, and do what you love.
Reading! The reason that reading is so important: There have been millions and billions and zillions of people that have lived before all of us. There is no new problem that you could have–with your parents, with school, with a bully–there is no problem you could have that someone else hasn’t already solved, and wrote about it in a book.
So, the keys to life are running and reading. The person that works the hardest, wins.
[ via Will Smith ]