I enjoyed reading this list of advice by Kevin Kelly, or, as he puts it:
an additional set of 101 bits of advice I wished I had known earlier.
I pulled out a few that caught my attention:
Productivity & Procrastination
- To tell a good story, you must reveal a surprise; otherwise it is just a report.
- When you are stuck or overwhelmed, focus on the smallest possible thing that moves your project forward.
- Working differently is usually more productive than working harder.
- When you try something new, don’t think of it as a matter of success / failure, but as success / learning to succeed.
- When you find yourself procrastinating, don’t resist. Instead lean into it. Procrastinate 100%. Try to do absolutely nothing for 5 minutes. Make it your job. You’ll fail. After 5 minutes, you’ll be ready and eager to work.
Motivation & Learning
- Forget trying to decide what your life’s destiny is. That’s too grand. Instead, just figure out what you should do in the next 2 years.
- Many fail to finish, but many more fail to start. The hardest work in any work is to start. You can’t finish until you start, so get good at starting.
- Asking “what-if?” about your past is a waste of time; asking “what-if?” about your future is tremendously productive.
- There should be at least one thing in your life you enjoy despite being no good at it. This is your play time, which will keep you young. Never apologize for it.
- Your decisions will become wiser when you consider these three words: “…and then what?” for each choice.
- Never hesitate to invest in yourself—to pay for a class, a course, a new skill. These modest expenditures pay outsized dividends.
- Being envious is a toxin. Instead take joy in the success of others and treat their success as your gain. Celebrating the success of others costs you nothing, and increases the happiness of everyone, including you.
life