critique – From the desk of Adam Thomas

What Changed?

The theme for July 2018 is reread and direction. I want to use this blog to interrogate the things I’ve read before and seen how I look at them differently, then act on the new information.

Last night, I thought that, as cool as this is for stuff other people have written, why not take a critical eye to my writing. How would I critique the things I’ve said here for the last few years?

Good news! As a person that has written every day for the last three years, and intermittently for three years before that, there is plenty to choose from.

Today, I am choosing a post I wrote on July 9th, 2015.

An Excerpt:

The miss, especially for me, comes to represent a stopping point because after dropping those tasks once,I can’t find myself in the mood to start over again. It is as if I dropped a deck of playing cards and to play 52 pickup. I never play 52 pickup, I simply wander to another game. More things start to fall apart, and it becomes easier and easier to let things go. Soon you are in July and you don’t even remember what the resolutions were. It just becomes easier to look forward to December 31st.

It seems like it would be easier just to think smaller.

The impetus around this post seems to be about focus.

After reading, I would change the following:

I seem to be out of love with narratives here. That isn’t where I am now. I am back in love with a story.

Your action follows the emotion.

I agree with thinking smaller, though. Can’t do that enough.

What Changed?

The theme for July 2018 is reread and direction. I want to use this blog to interrogate the things I’ve read before and seen how I look at them differently, then act on the new information.

Last night, I thought that, as cool as this is for stuff other people have written, why not take a critical eye to my writing. How would I critique the things I’ve said here for the last few years?

Good news! As a person that has written every day for the last three years, and intermittently for three years before that, there is plenty to choose from.

Today, I am choosing a post I wrote on July 5th, 2017.

Whenever I create any document, I have to take a moment and stop myself.

From what?

The sin of “too much:”

Point of view

Goal setting

Figuring out

Too much of any of those things lead me to inaction (procrastination) or mediocre work. It becomes too easy to become “busy.”

The art of focus relies on ruthless prioritization. One goal. One point of view. Simple negates the need to “figure it out.”

We lead by work.

Do.

—

So, what would I change here?

There is a little too much confidence in the writing. I don’t do this every time I create something, only when I am at my best. This year, I’ve trying to become more honest in how I present myself, and using this space to “preach” isn’t going to matter. Ditto with the phrase “art of focus” – way too preachy, not substantive.

I hate that I said that there could be too much point of view. POV makes writing stand out because if it isn’t there, you might as well use machine learning to make it. I would swap it from “point of view” to “settling.” There are a lot of politics involved with even getting to one point of view that I would touch on, now

Busy ought to be defined because I have powerful feelings about the word.

If you aren’t going to click the video, the long and short of it is – the concept of busy is a way to shirk responsibility and will lead you into mediocre work. (Stop saying it, btw.)

I like the ending :-).