The Internet Thinks You Suck

I made a decision that this week would be different. I would get more things done, in less time, and have more time for family, fun, and side projects. I arrived at work, and there’s nothing that has to be done until something is passed along, so what’s the first thing I did? NOT open google reader, like I usually do. I opened my email to check for anything pressing that came up over the weekend. Nada. I decided I needed to read one little blog post, or find something that would spark my motivation to push through this week.

And so, I re-read a couple short posts regarding “How to use 43 Folders”. More specifically, I quickly glanced over Making Time to Make, Whining, Blue Smoke & the Mechanics of Getting Unstuck, and Cringe-Busting your TODO list. Then, something clicked:

I came to the realization that I never thought I sucked until the internet told me so. I said to myself, “Self why do you think you need so much help. Remember when you used to function without everyone else’s advice? Because I sure do.” And with that, I closed all of the windows I had open, and walked away from my desk.

During the short period of time where I completed some real work involving fumes which may or may not eventually damage my kidneys, I felt amazing. It was as though I had finally been able to block out all the noise thats been bugging me. I listened to some music, instead of a podcast. I love me some podcasts, but good grief, how many reviews about gadgets, games, movies and technology that you’ll never own, play, see or use can you actually stand to listen to?

I came back to my desk and sat down to write about my recent realization. I decided to take one more look at 43 Folders, just to see how Merlin described his site in his own words. In the hour I was away, I was surprised to find 43f Program Note: The Week Our Gears Shift had been posted, and I quickly read through Better.

It’s kind of ironic actually. I had thought some of the same things while I let my brain clear. With all of these blogs about productivity, hacking your life, and Getting Things Done, the wide reach of the internet has tricked us, and made us think that our own way of living and doing things isn’t good enough. I thought of some rough guidelines for what I could do every day, but Merlin has already thought this through:

• identify and destroy small-return bullshit;
• shut off anything that’s noisier than it is useful;
• make brutally fast decisions about what I don’t need to be doing;
• avoid anything that feels like fake sincerity (esp. where it may touch money);
• demand personal focus on making good things;
• put a handful of real people near the center of everything.

I’m glad that I came back to see how Merlin described his site, because in the hour I was busy, he decided to say something different. I had actually sworn off most websites, including 43 Folders, but I’m glad to know someone is on the same page.

This quote just popped in my head, and seems appropriate:

“When you have good people, doing things right, success is only a matter of time.”

- Mike Mueller, Varsity Basketball Coach for Lakota West High School

P.S. - Merlin,  it’s quite obvious that your personal site has inspired the basic design for this site, and changing it is on my to do list. However, I have some other things that are making me cringe. For some reason, I think you’ll understand…