Thinking Clearly Archives · Page 23 of 59

Knife Paths

Published on May 29, 2023

I decided today was the day I’d break my bike in for the summer.

I maneuvered it out from the back of my garage, dusted it off, filled the tires with air, cleaned off the ol’ helmet, packed my lock, and off I went.

…I didn’t make it but 10 houses down the street when my rear tire went flat.

Now, what this moment represents is one of those ever-so-present fork-in-the-road moments where you’re given a choice.

A) Swear, kick, fuss, scream, and temper tantrum until a dark cloud forms over your head.

B) Use it as an opportunity to finally learn how to change the inner tube on your road bike.

We’re given choices like these, dare I say, by the hundreds every week.

What many of us don’t realize is that by changing our choice to something like “B” more often, not only might we eliminate the dark cloud from forming, but we build a skill or new level of resilience that mitigates the same type of situation from happening again in the future.

I, for example, plan on keeping a back-up tube with me as I ride from now on. And the prospect of having to set aside hours of time and chunks of money to get my flat tire fixed by a professional, is a path that is quickly fading from any future forks in my road.

I’ll soon be able to do it myself.

…Which means less forks and more knife paths for me.

I like knife paths.

The Victory In Writing Nothing At All

Published on May 25, 2023

If I sit and stare at a blank page, thinking and conjuring up what I might write, even if I don’t write a single word, I consider it a tremendous success.

Where most people see a waste of time, what I see is a chunk of time dedicated to thinking and conjuring things up. Something that, by definition, takes time and undisrupted focus.

Something that, you must understand, looks precisely like sitting and staring.

Something that, in today’s world, is becoming increasingly rare because it’s uncomfortable and can be instantly avoided with a few taps of the fingers.

But for someone to lean into that uncomfortable feeling… to have the discipline to not submit to passive entertainment… to be proactive enough to silence notifications, close all tabs, and clear the calendar of appointments… all so that they can have some space and time to think… so that they can digest all of the crap that has ceaselessly entered their mind from the second they woke up that morning (not including the backlog of crap from the many mornings prior)… so that they can just settle and move towards clarity… is nothing short of a victory.

And to do so for an hour, several hours, or even half an hour… should be seen as one and nothing less.

Speaking Space

Published on May 21, 2023

There have been several instances lately where I’ve wanted to say something, taken a deliberate pause instead, ended up not saying or changing what I was going to say, and have felt curiously grateful as a result.

If there’s anything I’ve learned from writing as much as I have, it’s that the thought almost always improves with some space and additional thought. And now I’m learning how real that is for speaking, too.

P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.

What They Say and What You Do

Published on May 20, 2023

“Build a social media empire!” They say.

“Post every day! Interact with as many people as possible!” They say.

“Tik Tok is where it’s at! Oh, but don’t forget about your Instagram! YouTube will really bring in the bucks!” They say.

To which I say… “No thanks.”

It’s not for me.

For every moment I’d be spending crafting the perfect thumbnail, worrying about stupid lighting, and fine-tuning the perfect 1-second pitch to capture almost non-existent digital attention… I could be spending in deep thought; wrestling with words; exploring the depths…

Which isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with building a social media empire. It’s undoubtedly an incredibly powerful tool and there are plenty of people who do it brilliantly.

It’s merely to say—it’s not for everybody. And you shouldn’t feel bad about yourself if it’s not for you. Do what makes sense to you and play to your strengths.

What they say and what you do should have nothing to do with each other.

P.s. I also published: 15 Aytekin Tank Quotes from Automate Your Busywork To Help You Reclaim Your Time

What Are You Optimizing For?

Published on May 19, 2023

…Many people don’t know.

They’re merely doing what they think they need to do because it’s what they’ve been told/ taught/ tricked into thinking.

And sadly, in many cases, people are optimizing for the very thing(s) that’s making them most miserable.

Things like busyness (e.g. how can I squeeze in more time at work, check more emails, say yes to more tasks…) or comparison (e.g. how can I check my social media feeds more often, post/comment/share more, watch more people live their lives) or distraction (e.g. what social gatherings can I go to, who would join me in drinking/smoking/drugs, what TV series can I maximally binge on)… And so forth.

But, when you answer the question and actually know what you’re optimizing for—what you most want to optimize for in your life—your whole approach to scheduling changes.

You might realize what you actually want to optimize for are things like emptiness (e.g. an open calendar, no plans, no tasks) or connection (e.g. family gatherings/ outings, coffee with friends, live audio chats with like-minded people) or introspection (e.g. time spent writing, time spent meditating, time spent in therapy)… and so forth.

Take control of your schedule and you take control of your life. A schedule optimized for busyness isn’t going to get much inner work done—that needs to be decided and optimized for ahead of time. Never forget that it’s the makers of schedules who get the most out of life, not the prisoners of them.

P.s. How I like my paths.

One Step Closer

Published on May 16, 2023

Getting things done can often involve many steps, and in our busy lives, casually coming across a task (that has many steps) AND having the available time to do them all isn’t often.

Or, let’s be honest, we’re too tired or lazy to do them all at that moment in time.

This is where one step closer comes into play.

Rather than completing the whole chain of tasks, you do just one of the steps in the task so that it’s a little easier to fully complete (or get one step closer again) later.

Here’s an example I used just recently:

Picking out an outfit to wear, I noticed I had a bunch of clothes that I don’t wear anymore than needed to be donated. So, rather than take them to the donation center right then, I put them into a pile near my bedroom stairs. Then, on another day, I took them downstairs and placed them near my back door. Then, on another day, I put them into the trunk of my car. Then, on a day when I happened to be driving past a donation center, I spontaneously pulled over and donated them.

It isn’t often that I’ll casually get a multi-layered task done (unless it was in my plan to get it done), but I definitely get multi-layered tasks one step closer to getting done—casually (in an unplanned way)—every day.

And it’s in this small practice, done regularly, that the big—blog worthy—difference is made.

Time is Made

Published on May 7, 2023

Note to self: Time isn’t found, it’s made.

That important thing you always put off until later… to a time when you’ll find “more time”—is an illusion. It’s nothing more than a distractionary tactic of your mind to avoid doing the hard thing(s) now. This is what I’m reminded of tonight as I sit here writing this, at the end of my weekend, with a list of three other tasks that still need to get done because I assured myself earlier this week that I’ll have “more time” to do them all this weekend.

Time isn’t found later—it’s made in the now.