How about an exercise in not doing?
What are you going to stop doing to start doing something else?
Because there is a not so obvious cost involved in doing something new - it's not doing something current.
We talk endlessly about bettering our lives. About unlocking our best version. And as you can imagine, this requires time. But in the age of overabundance, people are rarely finding themselves with free time. They have time, but it's not free. It's always occupied with things to do. And thankfully for those who dread being alone with their own thoughts, there are plenty of distractions that exist to divert their attention.
Or simply put, you never find yourself with nothing to do because there is always something to do.
But... and here it gets interesting... with so many things we already do, there is no room for doing something we want or ought to do.
- What about that book project? No time.
- What about going to the gym? No time.
- What about the startup idea? No time.
We typically blame motivation and discipline for our inability to start and commit to something different from scrolling our life away. But there is something else to blame...
If we don't make space for the new activity, we will never make it a permanent part of our lives.
And here's the kicker...
We need to get something out to get something in.
Yeah, but we don't.
- We are already hooked on watching shows.
- We are already addicted to video games.
- We are already primed to choose sugar over a low-carb salad.
I have friends who love to inform me about how they'll stop drinking. And why they communicate this desire, they have a drink in their hand.
"I am quitting alcohol, you know."
But they don't. Because they are hooked on alcohol.
They say they want this, but for this to happen, other things need to stop happening.
So, instead of stuffing your Christmas tree with more wasteful items that will exhaust your time - like, new video games or streaming subscription - how about removing things.
Instead of solely concentrating on what you'll start doing in the new year, think about what you will stop doing.
The prerequisite for doing something new is to stop doing something current.
Worth reflecting on:
What activity will you stop doing in 2025?
Give yourself the gift of time by considering what current activity is only wasting it.
What can you stop doing - or do less of - in the new year?
It could be something small, like endlessly checking your inbox for emails that don't matter. Or something big, like cutting back on social media altogether.
Reply to this email - if you want - to share your intentions.
Worth reading:
From my desk:
From around the web:
- Everything Must Be Paid for Twice: "A new novel, for example, might require twenty dollars for its first price—and ten hours of dedicated reading time for its second. Only once the second price is being paid do you see any return on the first one. Paying only the first price is about the same as throwing money in the garbage."
Worth thinking about:
"The person who advocates work as a cure for boredom is confusing a temporary removal of the symptoms with curing a disease."
― Lars Fredrik Händler Svendsen
This is the last email from me for 2024.
I want to wish you happy holidays.
I'll be back in 2025 with something new.
Yes, something freshly out of the oven of my cluttered with bizarre ideas mind.
When I pause my newsletter around the Christmas holidays, I never use the time to rest. It's usually to do more writing. This time it's different. I'm working on a secret project with codename Paper.
I'm super excited about how it's coming together. I can't wait to share it with you.
Thank you for your time!
See you in January 2025.
Regards,
