My blackout period

A few weeks ago I notified everyone I knew that I would be unavailable for an hour. I turned off my cell phone, twitter, instant messenger, email, and any other thing that would distract me from my purpose. In that hour I accomplished an unbelievable amount of work. My purpose now is to make a case for you to do the same.

Why do distractions hurt?

The fact is that we live in an increasingly noisy world. More information is whizzing through the air now than at any other time in the history of the world. This is a good thing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with cell phones or email; they are amazingly useful tools. The problem lies in our misapplication and horrendous timing.

A friend of mine recently recounted how their uncle was busy tweeting at his own father’s funeral. It’s easy to see the absurdity of it, but how many of us have let a phone call interrupt homework? How many of us have texted a friend during a meeting? How many of us have put off any number of important things for the demanding immediacy of something or somebody else, which was really less important?

The truth of the matter is that much of the time this perceived immediacy is patently false. And truthfully, that doesn’t even matter because immediacy does not equal importance, and importance is greater than immediacy.

Realtionship between what we feel is important and what is immediate.

What do you really want?

If your goal in life is the be the world’s fastest email answerer then by all means please keep that account open and set up sms notifications to your heart’s content! And if your one true desire is to be the ultimate TV watcher, then for heaven’s sake don’t let your family or work get in the way of your inexhaustible backlog of Tivo-ed Law & Order. If, however, you can see that your true goals don’t line up with your behavior, then it’s time to block those things out of your life. So take a minute and think about what you really want to do or make or accomplish.

A realistic proposal

Here’s the thing: we live in real life, where as a rule, people don’t operate like machines. We all need time to relax and wind down. The real problem exists in trying to fit our relaxation and our work into the same period of time. It just isn’t going to happen.

My suggestion: plan blocks of time to cut out your distractions and work on your goal. I call these blackout periods.

How Blackouts Work

Coincidentally I’m not the only one saying this. Merlin Mann has been discussing this idea and his insights are apt to say the least. I could not summon words powerful enough to express my extreme desire for everyone reading this to go to 43 Folders and hear what he has to say.

In the end your distractions may be completely different from me. The technological geekery that I revel in may be completely repulsive to you. I still would wager you have your own distractions. Figure it out and take my challenge to dedicate time away from them. It will change your life as it has mine.

What are your distractions?
Are you going to take me up on the challenge?
I’d love to hear any experiences that come from this.

Press it, you know you want to!

Over time my archived unread count became increasingly bloated and thus increasingly intimidating. Which of Merlin Mann’s five posts about creativity should I read so I can finally get the inspiration to do something? Which friend’s flickr uploads are going to prove the most interesting? How will I avoid the inevitable awkwardness of complimenting Paul on his latest pics while failing to even notice Andy’s? The stress was insurmountable; anxiety is the last thing I need to be getting from the Internet. If I wanted to feel like that I’d play an MMO. At least then I could revel in my pretended magic abilities.

The solution to my problem was simple and scary: delete.

The reasonable side of myself concludes that I haven’t read any of this stuff and still, the world has gone on turning and I’ve still managed to have a great time. Subtracting, of course, the nagging feeling that I have to meet this wholly voluntary obligation for which I will be accountable to no one.

In opposition there is the sense that I am missing out on something good. However if examined, this thought process has little foundation. For instance, consider the tremendous amount of knowledge being transferred through the air and between electronic miracle machines via mystically named fiber-optic cable. Every day, every person, every second misses an incomprehensible amount of information; from Hawking to Uncle Hal.

I am thoroughly convinced that the work put into gathering information should be equal to, if not lesser than, the energy used in actually using that information. The essential root of it all is in the application. If Einstein never published his theories then nobody would know who he is.

Essentially, the key is to realize what is good information and what is bad information. Take in the good, ignore the bad, and then turn around and do something with all that quality stuff you learned.  In reality though, developing the talent of sorting good from bad information takes time, and so the ability to start fresh, cleaning out your inbox, your to-do list, or whatever is a great blessing.

All this is why today I deleted all my unread RSS Subscriptions. It was liberating and I was able to take a step in the direction of actually accomplishing something (this blog post for instance).

So where is the backed up stockpile in your life? Are you going to delete it?

Unraveling Baseball

Clear Vision

Where there is no clear vision of a desired result it becomes impossible to exercise the willpower and determination essential to achieve. A lens out of focus does not lend itself to capturing a subject. Half the battle is to clearly define your goal. Do not focus on immeasurable vagaries like, “becoming happy.” Instead, focus on what you want to do or accomplish. Make the end result measurable not just by you, but also by even a child. The process will be confusing and difficult enough, so start on the right foot.

Simplicity

My profound overuse of commas is a likely indicator that, like a vast number of writers, I have a propensity to overcomplicate.  I am also guessing that anyone reading this most likely discovered my post via some social networking site, and thus, shares my predisposition.

The one nugget of advice I can offer is to set goals that you know you can handle, but which (for some reason) you haven’t yet accomplished. Nobody’s ever going to sponsor your expedition to the top of Everest with all that credit card debt. Simplicity in goal setting makes success a greater reality, and thus fuels your ability to tackle the bigger challenges.

Avoiding Burnout

It can be insurmountably depressing to toil in vain. Yet all too often our approach keeps us confined like hamsters in a wheel: working and getting nowhere. In order to avoid this you must first eliminate anything that is not under your control. Focus on what you can actually influence. Instead of making a goal to be healthy, which could be adversely effected by any number of outside forces, it would make more sense to concentrate on calorie intake, which you have direct control over.

In addition, give yourself the whole year to achieve the goal. If your objective is to get to a target weight, then break that resolution down into meta goals until you get to the point of daily tasks. Daily habits will affect the year’s outcome more than token spurts.

Accountability

Quite often I lull myself into vapid security because I’m the only one aware that I failed. We instinctively care what others think and often this is a powerful motivation. However, the true value of accountability is that an outside observer who is aware of our goal can offer invaluable insight and encouragement. It’s the same old “two heads are better than one” principle.  Find a respected friend, preferably one also looking for help with their goals so that at least one of you will follow through.

Physical Reminders

Among certain Jews a special article of clothing is worn called Phylacteries. Boxes kept in place by leather cords are hardly a modern norm. The source of this tradition is the following passage of the bible:

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
(Deuteronomy 6:7-9)

The phylacteries are an outward, physical reminder of an inward spiritual dedication. Chances that you’ll see somebody wearing them at the state pork festival would be slim. The physical reminder enforces a previous choice.

Jews in traditional clothing

Far from suggesting an alteration of clothing or intense accessorizing, I recommend placing reminders in the places you most often find yourself. It could be the bathroom mirror, your desktop, your door, or your cell phone; whatever works. Since thoughts are the seeds of action, a perpetual reminder is an easy and effective device.

This is no productivity sham-wow!

There is no  one program or method that is correct. Remember that the object of this reflection has been to cover the commonalities in my failed attempts. Fix-all systems are empty promises. That is why I’d like to hear what works for you. Let’s discuss what your goals for the upcoming year are and how you plan to realize them. I will do the same.

A Zipo lighter uses the friction of flint to create sparks which ignite lighter fluid.

Today’s lunch break was when I had my epiphany. I decided I needed something at least marginally healthy to make up for this week’s dietary disaster. Therefore, I made my way to the Jack-In-The-Box on the corner for a salad.

Pulling in, I quickly became discouraged as I beheld the ten-car line waiting in the drive-through. I parked my car and made a trip inside. The line was just as long indoors as out, except instead of cars it was now made up of what appeared to be completely degenerate pre-human hominids wearing mostly flannel and denim.

Finally it was my turn to order. I ordered my salad, paid my dues, and got my number. I was a full 15 orders behind the last that was called out. Disconcerting. At least that is, until my number was called after only a minimal wait.

Here’s what I realized: salads are pre-made.

Some poor minimum-wage-earning kid makes several in the morning so they’re ready to go. All it took the worker was a simple opening of a fridge door and my salad was DONE. I can not express in word nor song the glorious jubilance that filled my soul. Not only was I eating healthier, but I was effectively trimming half an hour off my wait time.

This got me thinking: are there other times when I take two negatives and somehow the combination of the twain becomes a positive? In life we tend to view external forces as a hindrance, yet like friction between two objects creating fire, sometimes these annoyances can actually create a useful tool.

I’d love to hear some feedback on circumstances in your life that have forced you to make unusual decisions but which turned to your benefit.