Zen Habits | Simple Productivity

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It can be tough to leave e-mail unanswered for a couple of days, but it’s worth it when accomplished. Besides, it’s the best part of e-mail. You can communicate when your schedule permits it instead of being forced to use a cell at an inconveninet time. It’s true that you can allow the voicemail to take a message, but a cell filled with voicemail seems more daunting that a mailbox with e-mail. Not to mention the quiker nature of the latter ~Gennaro

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I really need to implement the email tip. I’m such a slave to my email, but you’re totally right. No one expects a response right away. I think I just had an ah-ha moment, as Oprah would say. ;)

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Thanks very much for this!

Perhaps this is what I really need. I need lessen the distractions and keep my focus. I thought multi-tasking is better, but when you think of it, is somehow slows you down. Just focus on one thing and remove all possible distractions.

Another thing is the time for myself. Excuse me for this, but I know a lot of people is the same as me: I only spend time for myself when I’m in the bathroom taking a ****. It’s funny, but come to think of it…yeah when was the last time I actually gave some time to myself.

I really appreciate this post. It somehow refreshes me. Keep it up! I already subscribed to your feeds Leo.

God Bless!

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“Realize that you don’t need to respond to email right away-no one expects you to. It can wait! Checking email just twice a day is possible if you let go of the need to respond immediately.” This tip certainly applies to me, and I will be applying it to my life this year.

It also goes along with what Puleen Patel pointed out in his comment - only subscribe to those things you know you need and will read.

I would add to this line of tips that it isn’t necessary to pick up the phone every time it rings. That’s the beauty of voice mail. You can screen your calls, take the immediately important ones, and return the others at a time that you’ve set aside for that task.

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I like the idea of not making resolutions, but creating a new habit.

We wrote about New Years Revolutions over the last week getting at a similar thought… and posted an article Tuesday on being the change you want to see.

Getting away from resolutions and focusing on permanent change and meaningful change can be so impactful on us as individuals and those around us. Thanks for your post!

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I have been one to always NOT resolve anything. We have all heard resolutions are made to be broken. I do set goals for myself but no new goals are ever made just for the new year. My major goal this year is to find focus. These tips may just help.

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Do it NOW! 2009 will be the year I stop analysis paralysis and take some action on my roles and goals every day.

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That’s right!

Tips are no good if you don’t act on them.

Very well put, Merlin. Thanks for posting that.

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In the wonderful Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott talks about the incredible, ripping pain she felt after having her tonsils removed. All she wanted to do was chug pain killers and let the stupid thing heal, but, Anne’s doctor gave her some advice that she found as unbelievable as it was painful: he told her to chew some gum.

Turns out that, as with a lot of injuries, the entirely sensible impulse to protect and baby a wounded area was the opposite of what Anne actually needed in order to fix the problem. So, by enduring the excruciating pain of chewing gum for just a few minutes, the muscles in her throat suddenly unclenched, and Anne’s pain went away forever.

The advice Anne wanted wasn’t the advice she needed. And, like we all eventually learn, the best advice you’ll get in life hurts like hell at the time. Because it has to.

And, maybe that’s part of what what bugs me about all the “tips.”

Today, the web is littered with sites pumping out a high volume of advice on every conceivable topic. And a lot of the pathological patrons of these sites will tell you that a daily surfeit of snack-sized information helps them with what they really need in order to be successful and happy in life — to be better at their job or to be a well-rounded person or to become a more talented programmer.

I don’t doubt for a moment that the right tip at the right time can make all the difference in the world. And I have certainly been both a (reformed) producer as well as an ardent consumer of “tips,” by any definition of the word. But, here’s the problem:

In more instances than we want to admit, tips not only won’t (and can’t) help us to improve; they will actively get in the way of fundamental improvement by obscuring the advice we need with the advice that we enjoy. And, the advice that’s easy to take is so rarely the advice that could really make a difference.

A tip is like…what? A little scrap of a map. Not only is it not the actual destination, but the part you can hold in your hand will only make sense when you understand its place in a much bigger picture.

So, sure, you might get a kick out of gazing at the pretty colors and reading the funny names to your cat, and, heck, once you’ve collected enough little maps, you may even start fancying yourself a gifted cartographer.

But, never for a minute start fantasizing that being a map collector means you’ve visited all the locations on those pieces of paper. If you ever decided to attempt them, your actual travels would very much benefit from a competent (and whole) map of where you’re heading, but it necessarily requires movement, change, and enduring potentially long stretches in which you’ll have to find your own bearings in three tip-free dimensions.

At their best, “tips” are a fine way to incrementally improve a process that you’re already dedicated to practicing on a regular basis. And, in that context, tips work.

For example, a tip on your golf swing may be very useful if you’re already playing three times a week and hitting a bucket of balls after work every day. But a subscription to a magazine about taekwondo will only be as useful as your decision to drag your fat ass into a dojo and start actually kicking people. Over and over. Otherwise, you’re just buying shiny paper every month.

In my opinion, the problems with tip culture on the web are many, not least the evidence that most of the page-view-obsessed poopers of online tips seem to have zero real interest in solving any problem beyond their own need to generate repeat traffic from dazed information tourists. But, the common problem of all tip fixations traces back to a misunderstanding of how anybody ever got great at doing anything.

We can’t get good at something solely by reading about it. And we’ll never make giant leaps in any endeavor by treating it like a snack food that we munch on whenever we’re getting bored. You get good at something by doing it repeatedly. And by listening to specific criticism from people who are already good at what you do. And by a dedication to getting better, even when it’s inconvenient and may not involve a handy bulleted list.

If this strikes you as fancy talk, may I suggest that you approach the woman in your life who most enjoys sexual intercourse, and, in the nicest way possible, ask her whether she’d prefer to have congress with:

1. a confident partner who has had a long career of safe and mutually-satisfying romps with a range of people who liked different things; or,
2. a 50-year-old virgin who likes reading blogs about sex tips.

You know the answer, and so does she. There’s probably more than one reason that poor #2 is still just a well-read dilettante, but a strong candidate for the top spot would be how he’s allowed his ardor for acquiring “tips” to take the place of getting started in the actual, complicated, and sometimes very confusing craft of making ladyparts happy.

You should and will consume the web however you please, and if scanning lists of tips is a relaxing pastime for you, I’m the last person to begrudge you your fun. But, it’s time to stop pretending that practical expertise at anything can take place in an RSS reader.

Next time you find yourself staring at another re-packaged post about all the “resources” for becoming great at whatever you’re theoretically excited about, ask yourself for specific evidence — things you can point to that you’ve done or made — that reflect the improvement all those thousands of tips and resources brought you.

If you can shut me down with a hundred satisfied lovers, a pile of well-kicked opponents, or a passport full of countries you’ve walked through: well, more power to you and the tips that helped you get good.

But, if the countless, dreary hours of resource-hunting and tip-scarfing have primarily produced more RSS subscriptions and a giant ass print on your couch, maybe it’s time to stand up, and start chewing some gum.

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I so agree. It is so simple; the idea of less is more, but in today’s society takes what seems like a lot of effort or at least consciousness.
We did the Less is More approach to the holidays…and it was so rewarding! An eye opening approach I want to carry into the New Year.
Thanks,
Katie

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I like to make a “Not To-Do List!” Thanks for the tips…

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Hi,
great tips. I see Tim Ferriss Email approach is spreading to check and respond to emails only twice a day.
It works for me - Great approach!

Cheers

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I am going to write a post around this on my blog but wanted to share this with your audience as well.

In an effort to try and do less, one of the things that I have done is to remove unwanted email subscriptions. Over the years, I found myself subscribing to email newsletters and alerts only to notice that I hardly ever read them or I spend too much time reading through them and got side tracked quite often.

This year, all of that stops. Only Subscribe to things that you KNOW you WILL NEED/READ. As such, I’ve started to go through my Inbox and start clicking on those “Unsubscribe” links from all the newsletters.

Zen Habits ofcourse is the prime exception, always will be!

Thank you Leo for inspiring.

Cheers,

Puleen

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Hello,

Wow, exactly what you need for the New Year.

New habits work better than resolutions. And a clear desk and a daily start with a goal is great.

You ever read “Getting Things Done”?
http://ballueder.wordpress.com/tag/getting-things-done/

Cheers
Volker

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I’ve been enjoying these the last few days Leo. Keep them up. Keeps Twitter interesting.

TDM

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Your “9 rules to form a habit” is very practical. Do you mind if I link to your site from my blog (www.rapidhabit.com)?
I’d also like to share with you a few alternative techniques in shaping habits. Some takes a short as 2 minutes.

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Thanks for putting this together this list, it is simple, yet effective and most importantly you can implement these things into your life straight away ;-)

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Tip #5 only 10 minutes a day for yourself/

Wow!!! I need at least an hour for myself every day. 7 hours sleep, 9-10 hours work, 2-3 hours doing odds and ends should give you 4 to 6 hours free time.

Why only use 10 minutes of that time to yourself?

Manic
high power laser

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I like feeling pleasantly groggy in the morning…and I just realized that before bed, I also feel pleasantly groggy. :)

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Great blog. Just starting reading. Look forward to more great stuff!

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Great tips! Simple yet profound. I especially like #5 but #2 will take more than 10 minutes for me.

Thanks.

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I like everything but the email tip. My clients or potential clients expect me to answer their emails immediately, if not they go to the next person and I loose business.

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The habit one is a favorite of mine. Start a new habit, whether it be sticking to a budget or eating healthy or exercising - or drop a habit, like smoking.

Great stuff, as always…

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Hi Leo,

Taking action will be the most important factor to make things happen. By taking action everyday, we are definitely moving closer to achieving results.

Cheers
Vincent
Personal Development Blogger

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I heading over to check out the interview now

Vincent
Personal Development Blogger

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