I like to do a lot of things, especially creating things of value. I keep ambitious goals in mind and try to keep on learning and experimenting.
Recently one of my friends asked me how I keep up with it all, and I replied, “I don’t!”
Here’s the thing: I used to do precisely that; pile up my schedule and be busy busy busy. So many things all at once. It didn’t work out. I was burned out, I was working at <50% efficiency, got scolded, and so on.
My modus operandi now is:
Do “something”, do it deeply and do it consistently. One, or as few things/projects, at a time.
And:
Keep up with it all by not trying to keep up.
“Keeping up with it all” is not a problem of time management, it’s of task management. It is quite useful to prioritize and focus only 1-2 top-tier projects. (See Eisenhower Matrix and other tools)
It’s okay to not do everything, even if you’re on a brink of changing the world. Remember, you have limited resources. Willpower, motivation and mental bandwidth are finite. It’s imperative to allocate these resources properly. You’re gonna have to pick your losses, and let go. Things will fall into their places automatically as you become consistent.
Lastly, when I work, I try to do it deeply (as in “deep work”). Cut off all internet, focus intensely on a single task, make things interesting by adding some novelty and so on. Read the summary of Deep Work that I wrote for more info.
I am trying to stop being a perfectionist as it can truly hamper how much you can get done. For example, instead of trying to write a polished blogpost in the first go, I do a brain dump, outline and draft it, edit it once and then let it go into the wild. Takes 10-20% more time, but this way at least I get some things done (instead of ripping my hair out and crying).
Right now, I am working on improving the efficiency of how I work and study to further reduce the time taken per project.
Perhaps it would be nice to accredit some of my motivations. Maybe you, the reader, would find some new inspiration as well:
- Paul Grahams (cf. How to do great work)
- Cal Newport (cf. Deep Work, Digital Minimalism)
- Robin Waldun
To conclude:
- Prioritise.
- Engage in deep work.
- Be consistent.
- Keep up with it all by not trying to keep up.
Six months down the line, you’ll have a repertoire of articles, videos, podcasts, finished textbooks and what have you, to show the world.