Mu moment
Save time – but for what?
Hi everyone,
Sorry for missing the Musletter last week – on Sunday my computer gave a sigh of despair, then a sound like a train disappearing into a tunnel in the distance and then there was silence…..
There’s nothing more annoying and frustrating than an incredible piece of technology that you rely on, that suddenly gives out.
Same with cars.
Indispensable when they work.
Taken for granted while they do.
Infuriating when they do not.
Anyway, I am back in the saddle and my computer has a new motherboard.
Anyway, on to today’s topic – The Tyranny of Tiny Tasks.
Isn’t that a felicitous phrase?
It describes exactly how I feel when I sit down at the computer and instead of being able to get on with one important thing, there are dozens of little things to do.
Login here, adjust this password, answer these emails, fix this problem, pay this bill etc.
Suddenly the morning is gone and the big important task is still there to be done. All the tiny tasks do not actually advance you, they usually need to be done just to keep the status quo.
More and more technologies are promoted as time saving, and indeed they do save us time.
Why do we seem to have less time, the more time saving devices we have?
The trouble is, we try to save time, but for what?
What are we saving time to do?
When’s the party?
We have to spend the saved time on the innumerable tasks that keep our time saving devices up and running. It’s an incestuous situation.
It’s like being kicked to death by rabbits.
I’m not saying time saving technology isn’t good and helpful.
But we can lose sight of what’s important – why we are using it and what’s important to us.
Let’s focus more on what we do and why we do it, rather than how we do it and how long it takes.
Books I have read and recommend:
Sleights of Mind
Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde
Here’s a fascinating book about the neuroscience of magic.
There’s something wonderful about watching a magic show – you know you’re being tricked, you want to know how, but when you know, it loses it’s fun and appeal.
Magic works mostly by exploiting the gaps in our attention and the tricks and traps our brains play on us.
Our brains play the magic tricks. Magicians just know how it’s done. Learn more.
Recommended music:
Teach your Children
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
RIP Graham Nash, who died last week. A great musician and one member of the best supergroup of all time.
Here’s one of his songs. Catchy, satisfying, and with a message that makes you want to go and hug your children. Listen to it
The Musletter has lots of ideas, they’ll blaze, resonate and strike you differently.
That’s good. New input for creativity.
Do send feedback – which saying / music / book did you like?
Mu Question:
‘What am I saving this time to do?’
All the best,
Joseph