Break
Earlier today, I was reminded of a post that I remembered being great, but at the time was aspirational to me. And it shouldn't surprise you that it came from Seth. With this post brought back into the forefront of my mind, it got me thinking about what I'm doing, and how I'm ultimately failing at a lot of things right now.
There are some things that I really need to spend some time on: my physical self, my mental self, my family, my home, my job, my podcast. And the list could go on. But you get the point.
One of the things that I love to do but don't really have the time to do is read. And with the complexity of my life not letting up, I need to get a better handle on life. Part of doing so is removing some of the distraction that I have, and that starts on my personal device. I'm going to be making a few changes until I get my house in order, so-to-speak. First, I'm going to remove all of the Twitter apps from my phone. Then, I'm going to set up email alerts for mentions and DMs. I'll still be active in the various Slack channels, where I have a lot of fantastic conversation without the politics, hate crimes, and other bullshit that can be seen.1 If I want to see horrible things in life, I'll look at Google or Apple News.
This isn't in retaliation to anything about Twitter nor the people on it: it's still a decent platform for social engagement if you do it correctly. I'll still be using it for the podcast when we announce new episodes, and anything I post will also automatically get posted.
What I'm attempting to do is minimize my distractions, focus on what I need to get done, and get back on top of my life, and hopefully be more productive.2 This will be one less thing I idly read, which can be devoted to other, more important texts. I'm hoping this will spark some creative thoughts along the way, and some introspection that will lead to some good journaling.
I'm also wanting this to kickstart my time for other aspects of life. I'm going to devote time to healthy eating, living, fitness, and relaxation in the form of meditation and yoga. I might use some apps along the way to help me, which would be a far better use of my time than thumbing through a feed. And maybe, just maybe — I can be a better husband, father, family member, and friend.
No matter what, I know this will lead to some good things, even if this feels a bit scary. But now that it's out there, I can't take it back. Onward.