Survival “All civilizations suffer shocks, only those that absorb the shocks survive.” — Stewart Brand. Absorbing shocks is key to survival. These shocks come from change. Change is how the future invades our lives, and when it outpaces us, it brings struggle. As the world grows more complex, our days fill with endless distractions, chores, and obligations. These constant interferences pull us away from our Native State — our natural way of living. Survival Mode happens when we are saturated...
4 months ago • 1 min read
When you look closely at your life for an extended period of time. Be it months, years, or even decades. You become aware of something. The only constant in life is change. But change doesn't come in consistent, calculated, predictable doses. "There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen"- Lenin. Some changes don't affect you at all. Others affect you for a while. But a few of them, alter the whole trajectory of your life. Things like Moving to a new city...
4 months ago • 1 min read
A new week is here, which means a new chance to get everything in sync. Today, instead of providing a template, I want to discuss a meta folder I always keep handy. This folder offers quick access to all the items that don't fit neatly into any specific life area. I call it the Reference folder. An overlooked issue in the world of systems is the absence of a constant reference point, similar to the "You are here" arrow on a map. Without this clear reference, it's impossible to navigate your...
6 months ago • 1 min read
In any productivity system, the standard unit of progress is projects. In a project-based system, you typically work on 1-3 projects in parallel and move them to completion within a short time frame (weeks to months). This provides enough momentum to keep moving forward through milestones, outcomes, and ultimately achieving goals. Your hidden workload The problem is that tracking projects is not a real representation of your true workload. There's a hidden layer of workflows that are done at...
8 months ago • 1 min read
Digital modernity is the biggest threat to the human condition as we know it. Modern life is becoming more digital, which makes it different in kind and degree than the past. Mechanical Overload The difference is the mechanization of our lives has become essential for basic survival: Work 40+ hours, assess career options, and compare rates for savings. Plan, cook weekly meals, maintain health, ensure sleep, and stay informed about health. Maintain hygiene and home, consider renovations, plan...
10 months ago • 1 min read
Beginner productivity advice goes like this: Do one thing until it’s finished. You do that for a while and it works. As you expand your work and progress to an intermediate-level digitalist, you start to notice that many of your projects are frequently delayed, often due to waiting on something or someone. Roadblocks We encounter roadblocks constantly, such as communicating across different time zones, awaiting approvals, and managing emails. If you rely solely on beginner-level methods, your...
11 months ago • 1 min read
Why does defining work play such a fundamental role in your life? Most of your life is spent doing “work”. However, the corporate-style work environment is not made for humans. It feels like school, where you, an adult “student” works hard, takes lunch breaks, and eagerly waits for the weekend to escape the torture. When we morphed In the industrial age, we began to view ourselves in mechanical terms: ramping up business, digging deeper, and fueling up. In the digital age, we now use...
11 months ago • 1 min read
What did you do in the last 3 days? Do you remember your life 3 months ago? What about your future plans? The stressful feeling that everything is changing rapidly is the result of a mental mismatch. This mismatch is between what our brains can process and the new environment in which we live. This causes never ending stress, anxiety and overwhelm. We are not well-adapted to the new environment: Digital Modernity. The popular solution to this is the good old digital detox. It’s not a...
11 months ago • 2 min read
The Discovery When I opened Evernote today, I discovered that I had a total of 4352 notes. Whether you have 40, 400, or 4000 notes, there is one problem that everyone experiences but nobody talks about. You may have more than 10 open tabs at any given time, 100 notes in your notes app, and thousands of bookmarks buried in your browser. Regardless if you're "organized". This phenomenon is called Digital Disorientation. Disorientation Why do we feel disoriented? Disorientation is having all the...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read