Yesterday I felt guilty.
Why? I had “nothing” to do. For the last few years, I’ve kept myself busy with a ton of “‘work.” As I write this, I wonder how much that “work” has accomplished.
If we do things for effect, and I believe we do, everything that doesn’t move a needle, either internally or externally, is worth nothing, right?
I’ll think about that question for a while.
In the meantime, I’ll work on becoming more comfortable with a break in the middle of the day.
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 :-).
Working is hard work. Going into the abyss is hard work. Trying to find “flow” is hard work.
Resting is hard work. Knowing when to stop is hard work. Tearing yourself away from “flow” is hard work.
The good stuff is hard to find and hard to get rid off when necessary.
Too much of one thing isn’t good, whatever it is.
A blog post, movie, or company can be bad for many reasons, but the reason that most are is that they are undiscerning.
They don’t pick one point and hammer it home.
I’m guilty of it a bunch, and for me, the fear generally comes from mixing the starting (let’s get a bunch of ideas) with the investing (let’s keep people’s attention). That leads to meandering.
When you are starting, start small with many ideas and go for it, but make sure those ideas don’t cross paths unless they merge in the service of an even more significant point.
Otherwise, pick one and go for it. Most of the ideas we mine are far more profound than the surface they present to us on first look. Do the work to find out how deep it is.
Don’t go superficial on me.
When you stop, it’s an opportunity.
When you get out of “grind mode” you have the opportunity to:
These are all actions that support and nurture your vision.
When you half-ass them, you rob yourself of the opportunity to pick a better direction. This action, one often coming from a selfish place, affects the people around you.
The reason why I say that act is selfish come from wanting to look a certain way. It speaks to our vanity. We want to be known as a hustler, someone who is on the front lines all the time.
Well, good work doesn’t work that way, and neither does good rest.
Far too often, the “guilt” of rest pushes us back to action too quickly.
That “guilt” is in our heads, and while it may feel real to us, your team would rather have you at 100%.
Don’t rob them of that opportunity.
The sharpest art strikes the viewer.
It’s a slap in the face.
“DAMN!”
And then you sit, staring, wondering how a stranger can do that? How can they make you feel that way?
Creating something that penetrates consciousness requires sharp definition. One idea attacked like hell.
That’s hard. You have to tell people no, that word that you hear you can’t say yet.
Well, the bad news is if you wait for someone to tell you to say “No,”you’ll never make art.
The good news is you’ll be off the hook.
If you want to avoid trouble, don’t focus.
If you want the hell of standing out, get simple.
Enjoy being unaware if the topic doesn’t matter. Being shallow is fine for most of the conversations you have during the day.
When you are dealing with things that you aren’t that curious about, Jeopardy Knowledge is a strength.
Who cares how much Courtney Lee scored when the Knicks won? Unless you work for ESPN or you’re developing a scheme for a basketball rival, it doesn’t matter.
It’s just something to talk about over dinner.
Then it’s time to get back to work.
Save your energy for impact, not being a “know it all.”
You are going to feel some trepidation.
There is no perfect project.
No perfect work environment.
No elixir keeps you free from fear.
As a leader, you have to get comfortable with dancing with that gut feeling that “nothing is going to work.” Trepidation comes when we do something, and it hurts because it might not work.
Something eventually does work.
Then another thing, and another thing.
You have to show up, traverse trepidation and get to ship.
No one hires your fear. They seek, and rely on, you and your deliverables.
I have apps like freedom on my phone that block out the entire internet because I know I don’t have the self-control just to sit and type. Sometimes it’s hard for me to work.
The work I turn out because of that app doesn’t have a unique mark on it. You don’t get any bonus points for making things hard on yourself.
I don’t care if you:
You do whatever it takes to get the work done.
Getting good taste requires a lot of things.
However, if you did those things without self-investment, then you aren’t doing much at all. You can’t invest without vulnerability.
When you invest in yourself, you are vulnerable. You have to care.
The thing is, you’re better if you go for it, even if it’s painful.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 