I like this. My view is I aint doing it if it aint a system.
A system: change diet to always have at least 3 veg per meal. Do that until you die.
A non-system: skip a meal and just eat soup for 30 days and try to drop 10kg.
Not diet advice and some people may need to drop weight quickly under doctor advise. But the general idea is to avoid will-power driven outcomes and rely on habit and system driven outcomes.
Not clever org mode needed. To develop a habit just do it every day. Track it somehow. Make it not too onerous. Forgive slip ups.
It's fine if it doesn't happen every day. Don't be obsessed about this stuff. Forgive yourself if you ever behave sub-optimally. You're not a machine, neither should you be one.
He says something similar at the end of the article:
"These four verbs aren’t a productivity system or a self-help formula. Some days I forget one. Other days, one takes over. But when I return to them, they gently reorient me."
You may be overreacting with words like "machine" and "tyranny" to an idea simply suggested as a useful and helpful goal.
I wouldn't have commented if the article kept neutral on when to apply its ideas. But the push for daily learning-reflecting-etc is there. Even the segment you're quoting uses days for accounting. You're downplaying one's potential to read something like this on the Internet and try to literally live by it.
As for machines and tyranny, they're terms capturing the Zeitgeist all too well.
I believe Oliver Burkeman calls it "daily-ish" because it may not be realistic or helpful to force yourself to do it every day. But striving for "daily-ish" is worthwhile.
I like this. My view is I aint doing it if it aint a system.
A system: change diet to always have at least 3 veg per meal. Do that until you die.
A non-system: skip a meal and just eat soup for 30 days and try to drop 10kg.
Not diet advice and some people may need to drop weight quickly under doctor advise. But the general idea is to avoid will-power driven outcomes and rely on habit and system driven outcomes.
Not clever org mode needed. To develop a habit just do it every day. Track it somehow. Make it not too onerous. Forgive slip ups.
> Learn something every day.
It's fine if it doesn't happen every day. Don't be obsessed about this stuff. Forgive yourself if you ever behave sub-optimally. You're not a machine, neither should you be one.
Tyranny starts with the best of intentions.
He says something similar at the end of the article:
"These four verbs aren’t a productivity system or a self-help formula. Some days I forget one. Other days, one takes over. But when I return to them, they gently reorient me."
You may be overreacting with words like "machine" and "tyranny" to an idea simply suggested as a useful and helpful goal.
I wouldn't have commented if the article kept neutral on when to apply its ideas. But the push for daily learning-reflecting-etc is there. Even the segment you're quoting uses days for accounting. You're downplaying one's potential to read something like this on the Internet and try to literally live by it.
As for machines and tyranny, they're terms capturing the Zeitgeist all too well.
I believe Oliver Burkeman calls it "daily-ish" because it may not be realistic or helpful to force yourself to do it every day. But striving for "daily-ish" is worthwhile.
It’s fine if you have an easy out. Didn’t learn anything today? Open a random Wikipedia article. There, that’s something.
See also, the OODA loop.
This lesson shows up periodically in different contexts. In the case of OODA, it was fighter pilot dogfighting training.
It’s a good practice to build into different parts of life.