To stay eager, to connect, to find interests in the everyday, to noice what everybody else overlooks – these are vital skills and noble goals. They speak to the difference between looking and seeing, between hearing and listening, between accepting what the world presents and noticing what matters to you.
Rob Walker, On Noticing
In pursuit of becoming a modern elder, I’m working on the development of foundational principles that contribute to such a journey.
The first of those was Noticing.
Modern elders are encouraged to become first-class noticers in order to make the unconscious conscious. They are encouraged to become more fully aware of themselves and others. Noticing (or “awareness”) is a key wisdom skill for making personal changes, and a foundational principle of a modern elder.
Here are some posts on Noticing you can revisit:
- Winning with Insight: Game Film’s Dual Impact on Sports and Organizational Excellence
- How to Find Something You Aren’t Looking For
- Leadership Lessons from the Sidewalk
- How to Take a Walk With All Your Senses
Next up: Editing.
Modern elders are encouraged to use the previously mentioned skill of noticing/awareness for a “great midlife edit.” What could you edit out of your life so that you can edit in something more inspiring and purpose-filled?
The first step on that journey is realizing there is much that could be edited from this noisy world we live in.
Information overload.
You live it every day – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. You’re more informed and connected than ever.
Yet, if you’re honest, you’re probably feeling more distracted than ever.
More lonely. More restless.
According to studies done by Barna Research:
- 71% of people feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they need to stay up to date.
- 36% of adults stop what they’re doing to check a text or message when it comes in.
- 35% of adults think their personal electronics sometimes separate them from other people.
Being hyperlinked changes every aspect of our lives – and often, not for the better.
This trifecta of books will look at solutions that will help you begin to understand the concepts of Editing.
THE QUICK SUMMARY
Minimalism is the art of knowing how much is just enough. Digital minimalism applies this idea to our personal technology. It’s the key to living a focused life in an increasingly noisy world.
In this timely and enlightening book, the bestselling author of Deep Work introduces a philosophy for technology use that has already improved countless lives.
Digital minimalists are all around us. They’re the calm, happy people who can hold long conversations without furtive glances at their phones. They can get lost in a good book, a woodworking project, or a leisurely morning run. They can have fun with friends and family without the obsessive urge to document the experience. They stay informed about the news of the day, but don’t feel overwhelmed by it. They don’t experience “fear of missing out” because they already know which activities provide them meaning and satisfaction.
Now, Newport gives us a name for this quiet movement, and makes a persuasive case for its urgency in our tech-saturated world. Common sense tips, like turning off notifications, or occasional rituals like observing a digital Sabbath, don’t go far enough in helping us take back control of our technological lives, and attempts to unplug completely are complicated by the demands of family, friends and work. What we need instead is a thoughtful method to decide what tools to use, for what purposes, and under what conditions.
Drawing on a diverse array of real-life examples, from Amish farmers to harried parents to Silicon Valley programmers, Newport identifies the common practices of digital minimalists and the ideas that underpin them. He shows how digital minimalists are rethinking their relationship to social media, rediscovering the pleasures of the offline world, and reconnecting with their inner selves through regular periods of solitude. He then shares strategies for integrating these practices into your life, starting with a thirty-day “digital declutter” process that has already helped thousands feel less overwhelmed and more in control.
Technology is intrinsically neither good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values, rather than letting it use you. Digital Minimalism shows the way.
A SIMPLE SOLUTION
While many leaders believe in the power of digital platforms, and recognize the importance of various specific applications, a growing number of those same leaders feel as though their current relationship with technology is unsustainable – to the point that if something doesn’t change soon, they will reach a breaking point.
According to author Cal Newport, people don’t succumb to screens because they’re lazy, but instead billions of dollars have been invested to make this outcome inevitable.
It seems we have stumbled backward into a digital life we didn’t sign up for.
My research on digital minimalism has revealed the existence of a loosely organized “attention resistance movement,” made up of individuals who combine high-tech tools with disciplined operating procedures to conduct surgical strikes on popular attention economy services – dropping in to extract value, and then slipping away before the attention traps set by those companies can spring shut.
The tactics below have proved successful in shunting aside relentless efforts to capture your attention.
Delete Social Media from Your Phone The smartphone versions of social media sites are much more adept at hijacking your attention than the versions accessed through a web browser on your laptop or desktop computer. Because you always have your phone with you, every occasion becomes an opportunity to check your feeds. If you’re going to use social media, stay far away from the mobile versions of these services, as they pose a significantly bigger risk to our time and attention. This practice suggests you remove all social media apps from your phone. You don’t have to quit these services, you just have to quit accessing them on the go.
Turn Your Devices Into Single-Purpose Computers The sentiment that temporarily blocking features of a general-purpose computer reduces its potential is common for tools that do just that. It’s also flawed: it represents a misunderstanding of computation and productivity that benefits the large digital attention economy conglomerates much more than the individual users that they exploit. As many have discovered, the rapid switching between different applications tends to make the human’s interaction with the computer less productive in terms of the quality and quantity of what is produced. This practice of blocking might at first seem overly aggressive, but what it’s actually doing is bringing you back closer to the ideal of sing-purpose computing that’s much more compatible with our human attention systems.
Use Social Media Like a Professional Social media professionals approach these tools differently than the average user. They seek to extract large amounts of value for their professional and (to a lesser degree) personal lives, while avoiding much of the low-value distortion these services deploy to lure users into compulsive behavior. Their disciplined professionalism, in other words, provides a great example for any digital minimalist looking to join the attention resistance. To a social media pro, the idea of endlessly surfing your feed in search of entertainment is a trap (these platforms have been designed to take more and more of your attention) – an act of being used by these services instead of using them to your own advantage.
Embrace Slow Media To embrace news media from a mind-set of slowness requires first and foremost that you focus only on the highest-quality sources. Breaking news, for example, is almost always much lower quality than the reporting that’s possible once an event has occurred and journalists have had time to process it. Similarly, consider limiting yourself to the best of the best when it comes to selecting individual writers you follow. Another important aspect of slow news is the decisions you make regarding how and when this consumption occurs. The key to embracing Slow Media is the general commitment to maximizing the quality of what you consume and the conditions under which you consume it.
Dumb Down Your Smartphone Declaring your freedom from your smartphone is probably the most serious step you can take toward embracing the attention resistance. Dumbing down your phone, of course, is a big decision. Convincing yourself that a dumb phone can satisfy your need so that its benefits outweigh its costs is not necessarily easy. Indeed, it might require a leap of faith – a commitment to test life without a smartphone to see what it’s really like.
– Cal Newport, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
A NEXT STEP
According to author Cal Newport, if you are exhausted by your “digital device addiction,” it’s not only possible to say, “No More,” it’s actually not that hard.
Set aside some time (without your phone!) to review the following five suggestions listed above. For each, make a Pro/Con list for what it would mean to your life if you took that action.
Review the list, and make a decision to embrace at least one of the actions for the next week.
After the week has passed, reflect on what taking that action meant to you, in terms of time gained, relationships grown, etc.
Consider another action to undertake, and follow the same suggestions.
At the end of one month’s experiments, talk with your spouse or a close colleague who would have noticed the changes in your routine and its results. What do they have to say?
THE QUICK SUMMARY
Have you bought into the lie that success constantly requires more, more, and more? To achieve success, you must do more, work more hours, take on more projects, and accept more responsibilities?
If so, you’re probably experiencing a roller coaster ride of mixed results – being on top of the world one moment and crashing to earth at lightning speed the next.
The Success Lie was written for you. You recognize the gap between where you are now and your highest potential, but don’t want to sacrifice your sanity to get there. Janelle Bruland has built a formidable bridge over that gap, proving that you can be successful in the business world and maintain balance in your personal life without constantly feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
You know that everything in life is a result of the choices you’ve made, yet you’re wondering if you’re making the right choices. The proven strategies in this book will show you how to step away from the modern world’s path to success and create a life of significance – one where you are loving your work and making a positive impact.
- Determine what’s truly important to you and then live by those values.
- Recognize what’s gotten in the way of your success and take transformational steps to increase mindfulness, improve your skills, and become a better (and happier) version of yourself.
- Discover strategies to eliminate over-work, overcommitment, and overwhelm.
Take back your life! Stop allowing societal pressures to tell you what matters. Get back on the path to fulfillment and do it your way! Reduce stress, enjoy peace of mind, and create the life you have always wanted.
Don’t buy into the lie anymore. You have the choice.
A SIMPLE SOLUTION
Who doesn’t love saying “yes”? The look of gratitude or relief on the face of the person who asked lifts us up – at least in the short run.
However, the more we say “yes” to, the more we will be asked. It’s a trait of a successful person; frequent participation often brings additional asks.
High achievers are driven and want to accomplish things, and are therefore often caught up in doing more and more. However, if we aren’t careful, we will miss out on the very things that matter the most to us.
Everything you say “yes” to means saying “no” to something else.
Here are the top five items I have learned to say “no” to:
1. The opportunities that come up that I’m not completely passionate about. When we choose to participate in something, we should be excited to be involved, not doing it out of guilt or obligation.
2. The things that are not aligned with my core values and priorities. To stay true to our values, our words, behavior, and actions must be in line with our beliefs.
3. To those requests that are not in my wheelhouse. Often, we are asked to do things that truly belong on someone else’s “to do” list. Be sure to pass on those, or delegate them to a more appropriate person.
4. To the things that drain me of energy. Our time should be spent on activities that we enjoy and give us energy, not deplete it.
5. To relationships that are unhealthy. We will never be our best if we are constantly having to lift ourselves up from interactions with unsupportive or negative people. Eliminate these relationships.
– Janelle Bruland, The Success Lie
A NEXT STEP
To have the successful life you desire, you must be disciplined to say “no” more than you say “yes.”
Author Janelle Bruland developed the following exercise to challenge leaders to “Just Say No.” Set aside an hour of uninterrupted time to complete it. In order to focus on our top priorities, giving them all of our attention and energy, it is important to evaluate what we need to say “no” to. Evaluate yourself in the following areas:
- What commitments have I made that I am not excited about? These may be things that are past their time, or that you committed to out of obligation.
- Is there anything I am involved in that is not aligned with my core values and priorities? If so, they should be eliminated.
- What things am I adding to my “to-do” list that are not in the area of my strengths? These items should be delegated.
- What activities am I involved in that drain me of energy? These should be removed from my priority list.
- Am I involved in relationships that are unhealthy? These should be carefully evaluated and repaired or eliminated.
THE QUICK SUMMARY
Are you:
• Working, working, working?
• Busy taking care of everyone but yourself?
• Wondering what to do with the rest of your life?
• Planning to do what makes you happy someday when you have more time, money, or freedom?
What if someday never happens?
Sam Horn is a woman on a mission about not waiting for SOMEDAY… and this is her manifesto. Her dad’s dream was to visit all the National Parks when he retired. He worked six to seven days a week for decades. A week into his long-delayed dream, he had a stroke.
Sam doesn’t want that to happen to you. She took her business on the road for a Year by the Water. During her travels, she asked people, “Do you like your life? Your job? If so, why? If not, why not?”
The surprising insights about what makes people happy or unhappy, what they’re doing about it (or not), and why…will inspire you to carve out time for what truly matters now, not later.
Life is much too precious to postpone. It’s time to put yourself in your own story. The good news is, there are “hacks” you can do right now to make your life more of what you want it to be. And you don’t have to be selfish, quit your job, or win the lottery to do them. Sam Horn offers actionable, practical advice in short, snappy chapters to show you how to get started on your best life now.
A SIMPLE SOLUTION
According to author Sam Horn, you don’t need to quit your job, win the lottery, or walk away from your responsibilities to make your life more of what you want it to be.
There are things you can do right here, right now, to be happier, healthier, and more fulfilled.
There are steps you can take to make your life more fulfilling.
It’s time to hack your life by tapping into proven best practices, expedite results and discover a shortcut to success.
Make your “one day” Day One.
The Ten Life Hacks are actions you can take to create a more fulfilling life, sooner, not later. Please note: These hacks are a framework, not a formula.
LIFE HACK 1: Evaluate Your Happiness History
LIFE HACK 2: Generate a Today, Not Someday Dream
LIFE HACK 3: Abdicate Outdated Beliefs and Behaviors
LIFE HACK 4: Initiate Daily Actions that Move Your Life Forward
LIFE HACK 5: Celebrate What’s Right with Life, Right Here, Right Now
LIFE HACK 6: Affiliate with People Who Have Your Back and Front
LIFE HACK 7: Integrate Your Passion and Profession
LIFE HACK 8: Negotiate for What You Want, Need, and Deserve
LIFE HACK 9: Innovate a Fresh Start
LIFE HACK 10: Relocate to Greener Pastures
– Sam Horn, Someday is Not a Day in the Week
A NEXT STEP
According to author Sam Horn, the best way to make progress in making your “Someday” is to ask probing questions that prompt you to change – for good.
Listed below are sample questions for each of the ten Life Hacks listed above. Schedule at least thirty minutes a day for the next ten days, and reflect on the questions listed.
LIFE HACK 1: Evaluate Your Happiness History
Play hooky for a day.
- How would you spend your free day or afternoon? What would you do if the people you’re responsible for would be taken care of, and there would be no repercussions?
- What are three things you would not do on your day of hooky? Why?
LIFE HACK 2: Generate a Today, Not Someday Dream
Put a date on the calendar.
- What would you like to experience or achieve by the end of this year? What is your Today, Not Someday dream? When will you launch it? What “do-date” did you put on your calendar?
- Now, start filling in the W’s … where, when, who, what, and why. Who will you discuss this with so they can help you fill in the blanks so your dream goes from vague to vividly clear?
- Where will you post your dream so it stays “in sight, in mind,” and you are constantly reinspired to do what you said you wanted to do?
LIFE HACK 3: Abdicate Outdated Beliefs and Behaviors
Let it go, let it go, let it go.
- How do you feel when you walk into your home? Where would your home rate on the “Clutter (1) to Clean (10) Scale”? How does that affect you? Do you feel guilty, stressed, or frustrated with how things have piled up? Or do you feel proud and at peace with how well-designed, organized, and beautiful your space is?
- How much time do you spend cleaning, repairing, buying, renovating your stuff? Is that a source of enjoyment, a burden and chore, or something in between? Explain.
- Are you ready to downsize your home and/or release some belongings? How will you do that? Who else does this have an impact on? How will you negotiate this with them? What could you do with the resources that would be freed up when you have less to take care of?
LIFE HACK 4: Initiate Daily Actions that Move Your Life Forward
Honor the nudges, and connect the dots.
- Do you make room for whims? Why or why not? When was a time you honored a nudge and acted on your intuition? What happened as a result?
- Do you think this is a lot of hooey? Does your intellect override your instincts? Or, do you agree that if we have a sixth sense that alerts us to what’s wrong, we also have a sixth sense that alerts us to what’s right? What are your beliefs about this?
- How will you honor the instincts that have your best interests at heart? How will you connect the dots, act on “coincidences” that beat the odds, and align with congruent individuals and opportunities that “feel right”?
LIFE HACK 5: Celebrate What’s Right with Life, Right Here, Right Now
Get out of your head and come to your senses.
- When was the last time you saw something as if for the first or last time? Describe what happened and what it felt like.
- Do you have a busy, stressful life? What is the ongoing impact of rushing, rushing, rushing— and always feeling “an hour late and a dollar short”?
- Would you say you have “juice” in your camera? Do you look at the world with fresh eyes? When, where, and how will you get out of your head and come to your senses?
LIFE HACK 6: Affiliate with People Who Have Your Back and Front
Launch your ship in public.
- So, what is that venture you want to launch? Who has supported you, cheered you on? What have they done to help you achieve your goal and do what’s important to you?
- Who has cautioned you, told you (“for your own good”) that what you want to do won’t work or isn’t a good idea? What impact has that had on you?
- How will you take your dream public and give others a chance to jump on your bandwagon? Will you create a vision board and/or host a Today, Not Someday party? Where did you post your vision so it stays “in sight, in mind”?
LIFE HACK 7: Integrate Your Passion and Profession
Don’t wait for work you love – create work you love.
- Do you love your job? Do you feel you’re adding value and contributing? How so?
- If you don’t find your work satisfying, why not? What talents or skills are you not having an opportunity to use or get credit for?
- What are your Four I’s? How could you leverage them into a paying career where you get paid to do what you’re good at? What is your next step? Will you visit crafts fairs to see how other people have turned a passion into a profession? Elaborate.
LIFE HACK 8: Negotiate for What You Want, Need, and Deserve
If you don’t ask, the answer’s always “No.”
- When is a time you asked for something you wanted – whether it was a promotion, project lead, or pay raise? How did you prepare? What was the result?
- When is a time you waited for someone to “do the right thing,” act on your behalf, or give you what you deserved? As Dr. Phil would say, “How’d that work for you?”
- What is a situation you’re unhappy with right now? Which of the Four A’s have you used? How will you alter the situation by using the Five P’s of Persuasion to increase the likelihood of improving this situation?
LIFE HACK 9: Innovate a Fresh Start
Quit watering dead plants.
- Is the majority of your life out of your control and not to your liking? How so? Does this challenging time have a timeline? Can you “make your mind a deal it can’t refuse” so you are able to keep things in perspective?
- What do you currently do to maintain a positive perspective, to have something to look forward to in bleak times? How do you stay focused on what you can control?
- Are there dead plants you can stop watering? What can you quit that is compromising your quality of life? How can you innovate a fresh start if you are going through dark times to keep the light on in your eyes?
LIFE HACK 10: Relocate to Greener Pastures
Come full circle.
- When was the last time you were in your hometown? What memories did it bring back? Did you reconnect with people that influenced you? Did it catalyze a new creative direction that could be a satisfying full-circle way to come home to who you truly are?
- What used to light you up but now feels like it might be a retreat or regression to “go back there”? Do you worry it’s thinking small instead of thinking big? Could it actually be you’re going “home” to who you are at your core, your best self?
- Do you agree that we can be “at home” wherever we are and that “home” is a mindset, not a location? Where do you feel most at home?
Part of a regular series on 27gen, entitled Wednesday Weekly Reader
During my elementary school years one of the things I looked forward to the most was the delivery of “My Weekly Reader,” a weekly educational magazine designed for children and containing news-based, current events.
It became a regular part of my love for reading, and helped develop my curiosity about the world around us.
THE QUICK SUMMARY – 
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