List of 5 Ideas:

August

Hey guys! Here are 5 ideas for you.

1. I think you’ll know by now that I love making lists — this newsletter is just 5 of them. Anyway, I just flipped through an old notebook that I use for making lists that I haven’t touched in a really long while. One of the lists caught my eye. It’s ‘qualities/things in people I won’t tolerate in my future’, with 18 items on it. I think I made it in 2019 or 2020.

   Oh, I also have another list called ‘what to give a sh*t about’. Anything or anyone not on this list can go!

   All of these were inspired by my own experiences. I guess I should revisit, refer more often and filter accordingly! Maybe you can try making these 2 lists too!

2. A similar one would be: curating your critics

3. The child inside every stressed person needs attention every time you’re feeling harried, frazzled, and rushed. And if you’ve tried to cure burnout by taking time off and doing nothing, you know it doesn’t work. Boredom doesn’t cure emotional exhaustion, especially for Scanners.

   Creativity and learning cure burnout. Involvement in a fascinating project will heal you.

   I felt so tired before and thought I needed some rest, but no! I need more things in my life that excites me!”

   (Source: Refuse to Choose by Barbara Cher)

4. If you find it hard to do something you enjoy often, try this to reduce resistance:

   It’s simple, but it can change your life: Just get every single thing you need for any project set up in advance and ready to go. Put it all together in one place. Then forget it until you have a little time. And I mean “little.” Take short, frequent visits to whatever you love. You can make a sketch or write a line of poetry for even 2 minutes, and if you’re completely focused (no multitasking allowed), you’ll find it enormously satisfying. Slip in these brief visits as often as possible.

   (Source: Refuse to Choose by Barbara Cher)

   In this book, Barbara calls these commercial breaks. Use these small blocks of time to do what energises you and what excites you that you didn’t have time for. It’s a book for scanners/generalists, but I think some of these tips are very much applicable to many people as well.

   One example cited in the book for this setup:

   “In the corner of the family room, set up a ready-to-go painting corner with a canvas, brushes, and palette of colours and never put it away. Keep the brushes in water so they need only a wipe-off to be ready to use. Cover the palette with plastic wrap so it’s always ready. With your project completely set up and ready to go, you can actually stand up, walk over, and paint for a few minutes during every commercial. Sounds ridiculous? Try it. It’s fun!”

5. As I think of it, maybe the notion of dream jobs is indeed what keeps us stuck. 5 Reasons You Should Consider the "Good Enough" Job. Another quote from this article that I resonate with: “What looks great in your LinkedIn bio might be a nightmare IRL.” I do agree that being too passionate/invested in your job can put you at risk of overworking.