Forcing ourselves to do things doesn't work.
Speaking of doing nothing, in a couple of weeks Guardian writer Oliver Burkeman's new book, one that recommends setting aside efficiency 'solutions' in favor of finding joy in the 'finitude of human life', will be released.
"The average human lifespan is absurdly, insultingly brief. Assuming you live to be eighty, you have just over four thousand weeks.
"Nobody needs telling there isn’t enough time. We’re obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, our overfilled inboxes, work-life balance, and the ceaseless battle against distraction; and we’re deluged with advice on becoming more productive and efficient, and 'life hacks' to optimize our days. But such techniques often end up making things worse. The sense of anxious hurry grows more intense, and still the most meaningful parts of life seem to lie just beyond the horizon. Still, we rarely make the connection between our daily struggles with time and the ultimate time management problem: the challenge of how best to use our four thousand weeks."
This week in his own newsletter, The Imperfectionist, Burkeman pointed to a 2010 blog post that inspires him, by mediation teacher and writer Susan Piver, called Getting Stuff Done by Not Being Mean to Yourself. Push less. Enjoy more. Get more living done.
Book Review: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals