single digits(ˈdijit)

the next steps

By Henry H. Walker

when my future lived,
according to probability, in decades,
I tended to assume continuity(ˌkäntnˈ(y)o͞oətē),
that each year was less a step somewhere,
than a continuation(kənˌtinyo͞oˈāSH(ə)n):
what was =(equals) what is = what will be,

now my future, at least my functional future,
in probability, lives in single digits,
and I fear each step,
for a fall is inherent(inˈhi(ə)rənt) in the possibility in a step,

like a climb(klīm) up a mountain,
I seek to concentrate(ˈkänsənˌtrāt) on the next step,
to give myself fully to the short term,
and, if another short term follows the next short term,
my indefinite(inˈdefənit) future will reveal(riˈvēl) itself
as the way opens.

https://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2018/09/single-digits.html

Google Turns 20: How an Internet Search Engine(ˈenjən) Reshaped the World

The biggest moments, product launches, and acquisitions(ˌakwəˈziSHən) throughout Google’s two-decade history.

By Verge(vərj) Staff(staf)

No technology(tekˈnäləjē) company is arguably(ˈärgyo͞oəblē) more responsible for shaping the modern(ˈmädərn) internet, and modern life, than Google. The company that started as a novel search engine now manages eight products with more than 1 billion users each. Many of those people use Google software to search the repository(riˈpäzəˌtôrē) of human knowledge, communicate, perform work, consume media, and maneuver(məˈno͞ovər) the endlessly vast internet in 2018. On Tuesday(-dē,ˈt(y)o͞ozdā), September 4th, Google turned 20 years old, marking one of the most staggeringly(ˈstaɡ(ə)riNGlē) influential(ˌinflo͞oˈenCHəl) runs for any corporation(ˌkôrpəˈrāSHən) in history.

As Alphabet(ˈalfəˌbet), the holding company of which Google is now a subsidiary(səbˈsidēˌerē), steadily(ˈstedəlē) rises(ī) to join Apple and Amazon(ˈaməˌzän) in the $1 trillion(ˈtrilyən) market valuation(ˌvalyo͞oˈāSHən) territory(ˈterəˌtôrē), we’re reflecting on all the moments in Google’s past that led to its position at the peak of industries as diverse(dəˈvərs, dīˈvərs ) as mapping, self-driving cars, and smartphone operating systems. This isn’t a comprehensive(ˌkämpriˈhensiv) history of Google’s past 20 years. But it is an approximation(əˌpräksəˈmāSHən) of the company’s biggest product launches, legal(ˈlēgəl) quagmires(ˈkwagˌmīr), and instrumental(ˌinstrəˈmentl) acquisitions that have turned it into a Silicon(ˈsiləˌkän) Valley(ˈvalē) powerhouse that will likely last for many decades to come.

…
https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/5/17823490/google-20th-birthday-anniversary-history-milestones

Do You Want Comfort or Growth?

By Steve Pavlina

At a recent visit to the beautiful Keukenhof flower(ˈflou(-ə)r) gardens in Holland(ˈhälənd), I learned about the practice of topping. As flowers grow, sometimes the growers cut off the tops of the flowers, which they believe causes the plants to invest more energy into flower growth and less into seed production. The expected result is flower buds(bəd) that will produce higher quality(ˈkwälədē) flowers.

This is a nice analogy(əˈnaləjē) for personal growth as well. Sometimes when we produce preliminary(priˈliməˌnerē) results in a certain area(ˈe(ə)rēə), it can be helpful to cut them off and discard them. This can free up energy for a stronger attempt elsewhere instead of settling(ˈsetl) into the comfort zone of satisfaction(ˌsatisˈfakSHən) with the old results.

After running my computer games business for 10 years and generating satisfying results with it, I decided to drop it and leave that field behind. This freed up my energy to focus on my personal development writing and speaking. If I’d kept running the old business, I’d have become more enmeshed(enˈmeSH) in that field, planting more seeds there, so to speak. This would have meant less energy to invest in my new path and weaker results.

It can be difficult to choose the topping approach(əˈprōCH) because you’re taking something that’s already reasonably satisfying and cutting it out of your life, in the hopes that something even better will grow in its place. But if you don’t do this, then you can easily stunt(stənt) your future growth, causing more energy to be invested in planting ever more seeds around the old path. When you decline(diˈklīn) to make cuts, you effectively(əˈfektəvlē) say: This is as good as it will ever be, so I’m going to settle myself here.

Do you want to settle where you are right now? If so, then topping is unnecessary. But if you’d like to do better and believe you have a good shot at improvement, just like the flower growers at Keukenhof, then topping is a sensible(ˈsensəbəl) practice. To free up time and energy for future growth in new directions, you have to drop the merely(ˈmi(ə)rlē) satisfactory. This gives you a shot at the truly beautiful.

…
https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2013/05/do-you-want-comfort-or-growth/

Why time management(ˈmanijmənt) so often fails(fāl)

Productivity hacks promise(ˈpräməs) a better, less stressful life. Why do they deliver(dəˈlivər) the exact(igˈzakt) opposite(ˈäpəzət) to many people?

By José Luis Peñarredonda

People are obsessed(əbˈses) with time management. Every single person I have discussed this subject with had a strong opinion(əˈpinyən). There were fierce(fi(ə)rs) debates(dəˈbāt) between those who say nothing works, those who swear(swe(ə)r) by their low-tech Moleskines, and those who cannot live without their apps.

The stories always start in a hopeful tone(tōn), but often end on a sour(ˈsou(ə)r) note. Charlotte(ˈSHärlət) Bordewey, an entrepreneur(-ˈnər,ˌäntrəprəˈno͝or) in Herefordshire(ˈhɛrəfədʃ(ɪ)ə), UK, has tried all sorts of apps, books, and techniques – and wasted(ˈwāstid) hours later, she still feels like time is melting(melt) between her hands. “I never seem to be organised enough to set myself tasks and actually complete(kəmˈplēt) them,” she despairs(diˈspe(ə)r).

Ana Cecilia(səˈsilyə) Calle, a PhD student in Austin(ˈôstən), Texas(ˈteksəs), started to keep track of so many tasks she thought her mind would not be able to cope(kōp). Time-management tools offered “this promise that you would gain certain control over your life”, she says. “But whatever you start doing, it works for a while, and then it stops working.”

When this happens, most people try another app or another technique. There are hundreds out there, from straightforward(ˌstrātˈfôrwərd) to-do lists to complicated(ˈkämpləˌkātid) services with dozens(ˈdəzən) of features. It is its own genre(ˈZHänrə) of internet self-help, with countless(ˈkountləs) blogs and videos about it. Most universities(ˌyo͞onəˈvərsətē) in the US and the UK offer time some form of time-management training.

Still, searching for a technique that works leaves many people frustrated(ˈfrəsˌtrātid), anxious(ˈaNG(k)SHəs) and guilty(ˈgiltē) – the opposite(ˈäpəzət) of the ‘stress-free productivity’ that time management is supposed to achieve.

…
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20180904-why-time-management-so-often-fails

Like you don’t need the money

By Derek Sivers

Banks love to lend money to those who don’t need it.

Record labels love to sign(sīn) musicians who don’t need their help.

People fall in love with people who won’t give them the time of day.

It’s a strange law of human behavior. It’s pretty universal.

If you set up your business like you don’t need the money, people are happier to pay you.

When someone’s doing something for the money, people can sense it, like a desperate(ˈdespərit) lover. It’s a turnoff.

When someone’s doing something for love, being generous instead of stingy(ˈstinjē), trusting instead of fearful, it triggers this law: We want to give to those who give.

It’s another Tao(dou,tou) of business: Set up your business like you don’t need the money, and it’ll likely come your way.

https://sivers.org/dontneed

Rain
RAIN

EXT: A FIELD(fēld)

Ben and Jake(jāk), newly a couple(ˈkəpəl), are walking through the field as it starts to rain.

BEN

I love the smell of first rain, don’t you? Especially in a dusty(ˈdəstē) field like this. Did you know someone made up a word for that? They call it petrichor(ˈpeˌtrīkôr). The definition(ˌdefəˈniSHən) is actually quite scientific(ˌsīənˈtifik), and there’s a lot of talk about plant(plant) oils(oil) that get exuded(igˈzo͞od) when it’s dry and then it rains and et cetera(et ˈsetərə,ˈsetrə). But it’s such a beautiful sensation(senˈsāSHən)-the scent(sent) of fat, wet drops stirring(ˈstəriNG) up puffs(pəf) of dust or spattering(ˈspatər) warm asphalt(ˈasfôlt)-that they had to give it a romantic name. Petri: stone, and ichor(ˈīˌkôr): blood of the gods(gäd). From the Greek(grēk).

I’m sorry, Jake. I talk too much when I’m nervous. And I know I can be pedantic(pəˈdantik) as hell(hel). I just so like walking in this storm with you. Holding your hand feels like that-like water falling on parched(pärCHt) earth that’s never felt(felt) the rain.

I like the idea that there are still things out there-experiences and sensations that everyone recognizes and knows-but that haven’t been given a name yet. “Petrichor” wasn’t even made up until 1964. It makes me think of this feeling that I guess was always inside me, and it never had a name before you came along. Probably(ˈpräblē,ˈpräbəblē) everyone redefines(ˌrēdiˈfīn) the term love, every time it happens.

https://www.instantmonologues.com/preview/Rain

Why You Should Tell Your Co-Workers How Much Money You Make

It’s unlawful(ˌənˈlôfəl) for private(ˈprīvit) sector employers(əmˈploiər) to prohibit(prō-,prəˈhibit) employees(emˈploi-ē,ˌemploiˈē) from discussing wages and compensation(ˌkämpənˈsāSHən). Take advantage of that protection.

By Tim Herrera

So how much do you make?

It’s a loaded, deeply personal and often uncomfortable question. Along with our weight and age, our(ou(ə)r,är) salary(ˈsalərē) is a number to which we’ve assigned(əˈsīn) almost incomparable(inˈkämp(ə)rəbəl) value.

And, when we’re asked, what many of us really hear is this: What’s your worth as a person?

“Money is so tied up with really complex(ˌkämˈpleks, kəmˈpleks, ˈkämˌpleks) and difficult emotions, like shame, success, fear(fi(ə)r) of failure(ˈfālyər) and how people view you,” said Brianna(briˈannə) McGurran, a money expert at the personal finance(fəˈnans,ˈfīnans) blog NerdWallet(ˈwälit,ˈwô-). “So when you’re talking about how much you earn, or how much you’re saving, a lot of people end up tying that to their self-worth.”

She added: “Salary is so close to our identity. It’s the core(kôr) part of all of this.”

That money — along with sex, politics(ˈpäləˌtiks) and religion — is a topic best avoided in polite(pəˈlīt) conversation is a cultural concept many of us are raised(rāzd) on, and taboos(ta-,təˈbo͞o) around discussing income can be particularly sensitive(ˈsensitiv).

But unlike not disclosing what’s in your savings account or your 401(k), there are direct, concrete consequences for falling victim(ˈviktəm) to salary secrecy(ˈsēkrəsē), including wage suppression(səˈpreSHən) and a lack of transparency(tranˈsparənsē) around pay inequity(inˈekwitē), which disproportionately(ˌdisprəˈpôrSH(ə)nətlē) affects women(ˈwimin) and minorities(məˈnôrətē).

“Let’s face it, it’s 2018 and there’s still serious(ˈsi(ə)rēəs) disparities(diˈsparitē) in pay based on race(rās) and gender,” said Angela Cornell, the director of the Labor Law Clinic(ˈklinik) at Cornell Law(lô) School.

“So policies(ˈpäləsē) that discourage or prohibit employees from discussing these are problematic(ˌpräbləˈmatik) not just because of the National Labor Relations Act’s clear prohibition,” she said, “but also because they can make it difficult for employees in the private sector to learn that there are unlawful disparities(diˈsparitē).”

…
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/31/smarter-living/pay-secrecy-national-labor-rights-act.html

The Rudder(ˈrədər) of the Day

By Steve Pavlina

It’s been said that the first hour is the rudder of the day. I’ve found this to be very true in my own life. If I’m lazy or haphazard(ˌhapˈhazərd) in my actions during the first hour after I wake up, I tend to have a fairly lazy and unfocused day. This kind of day might begin by lingering(ˈliNGg(ə)riNG) in bed to cuddle(ˈkədl) the wife, being pounced(pouns) by my daughter, stretching(streCH) a bit, getting dressed, shaving, having a leisurely(ˈleZHər-,ˈlēZHərlē) breakfast(ˈbrekfəst) (the kind that takes me 20 minutes to prepare and another 20 minutes to eat), unloading the dishwasher(ˈdiSHˌwôSHər), discussing the day’s plans with my wife (we both work at home), etc. Then I might start the workday by checking email, writing a blog entry, and doing a few other minor(ˈmīnər) tasks. By this time I’ve usually been up for several hours, and by that time those early(ˈərlē) hours have already predisposed(ˌprēdiˈspōz) me to having an uninspired day. On a scale(skāl) of 1-10, my overall energy(ˈenərjē) level rarely(ˈre(ə)rlē) tops a 7 on this kind of day.

But if I strive(strīv) to make that first hour optimally productive, the rest of the day tends to follow suit. This day begins by waking up at 5am and physically(ˈfizikəl) getting up the instant my alarm(əˈlärm) goes off — no lingering or thinking about sleeping in. I quickly get dressed but skip the shaving. I make a cup of herbal(ˈ(h)ərbəl) tea (no caffeine(kaˈfēn,ˈkafˌēn)) and then go straight(strāt) to my desk in my home office. No checking email. By 5:10am, I’ve begun work on my #1 project. After 60-90 minutes, I’ll take a break to go shave, acknowledge my family, then make a quick 5-minute breakfast and eat it in my office while I continue working. That productive first hour propels(prəˈpel) me forward, and by 11am, I’ve usually completed the equivalent(əˈkwiv(ə)lənt) of a full day’s work under the previous(ˈprēvēəs) model. And normally my energy level will be at least an 8 or 9 through the rest of the day.

What surprised me was that the second version, although it seems harder, was actually easier once I got used to it. Getting the most important work done early in the day is energizing(ˈenərˌjīz), and when you have a few weeks of highly productive days, it adds even more energy and momentum(mōˈmentəm,mə-).

…
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/219/219-h/219-h.htm

Pencil marks on the door frame(frām) capture more than my child’s height

By John Beattie(ˈbētē)

If you are a parent, you really have to know when to draw(drô) the line. Oh, and one more thing: you have to know where.

Pick any home with a child. Make it a mansion(ˈmanSHən) or the most minimal(ˈminəməl) space imaginable(iˈmaj(ə)nəbəl) and I’ll wager(ˈwājər) you will find a pencil. It’s as essential(əˈsen(t)SHəl) as a stove(stōv) or a furnace(ˈfərnəs) and in wonderful ways provides an equal amount of warmth. Sure, you can use it for the icy(ˈīsē) truths of homework or timetables, but the pencil is a parent’s best friend.

And no matter how many times you’ve scolded(skōld) your little one for grabbing it and scrawling(skrôl) depictions(diˈpikSHən) of sunrises(ˈsənˌrīz) and birds and fuzzy(ˈfəzē) critters(ˈkritər) and friends all over the drywall(ˈdrīˌwôl), you’ve ignored the fact that you set the bad example yourself. Yes, you did it yourself. We all do it.

Ask any parent. Whether you are upsizing because you need more room or downsizing to empty what is left of the nest, there is one thing that will happen before you lock that door one last time; one thing that will happen before you pass the keys to a realtor(ˈrē(ə)lətər).

You will pause for a moment; at least for a moment, and think of a wall in the home you are leaving and all it has meant to you. The home stager(ˈstājər) told you to paint over those pencil marks and you responded with a blank stare(ste(ə)r). You just couldn’t do it.

Every family has a bank of photo albums(ˈalbəm) somewhere and they are hauled(hôl) out when the kids are older or even later to entertain(ˌen(t)ərˈtān) grandchildren who wonder what kind of nerds(nərd) their parents were way back in the Stone Age.

But on a wall (and it’s usually a kitchen wall), there are hastily(ˈhāstəlē) drawn(drôn) horizontal(ˌhôrəˈzän(t)l) lines with timeline dates that unleash(ˌənˈlēSH) a torrent(ˈtôrənt) of memories for parents with which no album could ever compete(kəmˈpēt).

…
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-person/article-pencil-marks-on-the-door-frame-capture-more-than-my-childs-height/

An Alternative Way

By Leo Babauta

Consider a different way of being:

Instead of optimizing your schedule(-jəl,ˈskejo͞ol), pick one thing to do and focus fully on it. Do it with all of your heart, out of love. When you’re done, give a bow(bou,bō) of gratitude. Take a moment to pause and not rush to the next thing. Repeat.

Instead of trying to find the perfect software, the perfect tool, the perfect travel clothes(klō(T͟H)z) … focus on being content with where you are, who you are, what you have, what is in front of you right now. Contentment is much more important than getting to perfect.

Instead of building a fragile(-ˌjīl,ˈfrajəl) optimized routine(ro͞oˈtēn), system or setup … give yourself less-than-optimal(ˈäptəməl) situations, randomness(ˈrandəm), things you need to adapt(əˈdapt) to. Develop flexibility(ˌfleksəˈbilətē), agility(əˈjilədē), adaptability, robustness, antifragility(ˈantē,ˈanˌtī frəˈjilitē).

Be present. Appreciate the fleeting(ˈflētiNG) moment, because there won’t be many more before you die. Be fully immersed(iˈmərs) in the moment, cherishing(ˈCHeriSH) the beauty of this life.

When you find yourself with the urge(ərj) to optimize and find the perfect setup, recognize that you’re letting yourself be distracted(disˈtraktəd) from what’s important. Then ask yourself, “What’s most important right now?” Focus on that, even if it gives you discomfort and makes you want to run. Get good at that, rather than good at optimizing.

Let your path be less controlled, more random. Let it be filled with messiness(ˈmesē), because that’s how you adapt to messiness. Let it be filled with chaos(ˈkāˌäs), because then you can find peace in the middle of chaos. Let it be filled with the joy of life exactly as it is, because that’s optimal. What is. Not what you wish it could be.

And do it with a smile and joy in your heart. What a life we have been gifted with!

https://zenhabits.net/unoptimizing/