Saturday, February 17, 2024

Focus, Rest and Intensity

Rest & Shorter by Alex Soojunk-Kim Pang
Stolen Focus by Johann Hart

There is a certain class of books which are built on a clear one-page concept. The rest of the book are case studies, stories and the through process bending that concept. The Forward in Rest goes so far as to provide that one-pager....

  1. Take Rest Seriously
  2. Focus
  3. Layer Work and Rest
  4. Get an Early Start
  5. Detach From Work
  6. Detach From Devices
  7. Take a Week off Every Season
  8. Practice Deep Play
  9. Get Plenty of Exercise
  10. Get Plenty of Sleep

I'm trying to reconceive how I spend my time. It's so easy to get distracted by my smartphone. Even with simple, legitimate uses, notifications and other distractions creep in and pull me away from my goals.

Mostly, this is not useful. An hour can quickly pass scrolling through social media, and at the end of it, I don't feel better. I feel blah, so frazzled that I return to work because it's more stimulating.

Staring at a wall for five minutes is more reinvigorating, even if it feels weird, like you are missing out.

These books support the kernel of this idea. They provide a structure to apply this to the rest of my life-- to be very intentional with how you spend your time. 

And then, without even thinking about it, I pop open a new window and browse to reddit.

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