Yesterday I explored why I think the lack of time most of us experience is more subtle than it might seem. In case you missed it , I suggest you read Part One first.
Since time is one of the rare metrics we all share equally, it felt like the best place to start.
I realize that part one might sound like I'm advocating removing all the fun and unexpected parts of our lives. I am not. But one can not make a big fat point without mashing the pen to the paper a bit.
With this behind us, let's move on.
A better use of our time. Yet...
So you've finally been managing time better for a while.
You cut back on carbs and your lower impulses, you're hitting the gym six times a week, you bought a smart-scale and you're 3% fat, you're tracking your sleep to the tiniest fart.
Look at you crossing off to-do lists! You're so productive!
But where's that new song?
Did you build that workbench you kept raving about?
Where is that thing you said mattered the most? The dawn of your second life?
Chances are - as I was with writing - you are stuck in...
Never-Done Land
My, my... Never-Done Land.
Ooh La La!
Such a magical place.
Think “amusement park” but tailored precisely for and by yourself.
It's all an illusion of course, but what a marvel at that!
The minute you step in you're imbued with this warm sensation of progress which will never wear off.
"Look at that, mummy! A new software that does it better! Please, please, can I go look for an open-source equivalent and drown myself in a thirty episodes YouTube beginners guide to learn how to use it?"
"Daddy, daddy, see that tool right there? I have never seen it before! You know, if I had just this tool, it would change everything."
Down the rabbit-hole you go.
It's so comfortable.
You buy things, you learn stuff, you optimize trivial details. You plan, you devise, you design complicated systems.
You do anything but "The Thing".
We're so good at deceiving ourselves into thinking that we're making progress, we don't see we’re still right where we started.
"Preparation gives us the feeling of moving forward while shielding us from the dizziness of action."
- Ralph Müller
When you think about it, this is a contemporary curse.
Never in the human history have we had access to that much information.
In fact, no further than a hundred years back, we were spending the major part of our lives lacking sufficient information.
There you were, ridin' your horse, askin' nothin' o' nobody, when the mare suddenly stopped, showing symptoms you ain't seen anywhere before. You'd go "Ok Goodgirl, what's the ache ?" but no answer would come out.
In most cases, there was no way around making a choice and jumping straight into action.
It was just you, your trial and your errors, muddying yourselves down in the dirty trenches of experience.
But now?
Now why take the risk of failure when watching others do what we desire most rewards our brain just the same?
Getting out
But in Never-Done Land also sits a very special place - an emergency exit of sorts.
For some it's a workshop, for others an old guitar and a hammock.
For some it's a pen and an infinite supply of paper, for others a blank canvas and some primary colors.
This place is hard to see at first, we keep dancing around it yet never notice its presence.
It's been there all along at every corner, right under our nose.
It doesn't scream "Come to me!" like the other park attractions.
It looks unused, yet severely lacks colors.
It doesn't make a sound, it just stands very still.
It is cold and barren as if missing a soul.
Yet, when you finally find the courage to step in, everything starts to make sense. The lack of colors was an invitation to compose with your own all along. The silence was a haven waiting for you to focus in. And as the heat of passion slowly warms up the cold, you finally realize the only soul missing was yours.
End of part 2
Haha yep. I think the best way out of never done land is to build momentum through completing (and I mean completing) small tasks and moving toward bigger ones. Structure the mind for execution, accomplishment, and feeling that sense of fulfillment.