“We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate. … As if the main object were to talk fast, not sensibly.” – Henry David Thoreau
This comment from Thoreau’s Walden was made more than a century and a half ago, talking about telegraph communication … and yet 160 years later, with the rise of a million means of instant communication, it’s just as appropriate.
Just because we have instant communication doesn’t mean we should do it. Sometimes it makes more sense to talk less, to deliberate, and to communicate more important ideas.
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A job is that thing where you go to work in the morning, work in somebody’s office, report to a boss, leave by the end of the day, and get a regular paycheck. It’s that thing we’re supposed to get when we grow up, when we’re done with school.
It’s also becoming more and more irrelevant.
Some of you web workers are already getting along fine without a job: you work from home, or can work from anyone (you bedouin, you!). But for those of you who aren’t there yet, and are either looking for a job or have one, consider not having one.
There are so many other options out there right now, with the rise of the web worker, the entrepreneur, the telecommuter, the freelancer, the blogger, the consultant, and more.
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You’ve probably read a few articles on how to get your email inbox to empty (if not, read David Allen, Merlin Mann, or even a couple articles by me). Clearing your inbox and keeping it clear is just a tremendous boost to your psyche and sanity, if not your productivity.
Getting it clear is one thing (be prepared to spend a day or two doing this if you have thousands of emails), but keeping it clear if you have dozens of emails coming in every hour can be a real challenge.
First, you should try following these simple rules:
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Piles of paper on your desk, a full email inbox, clutter in your home, anything that’s piled up really, are all results of a lack of decisions. While indecision can have many costs, from lost revenue to a suffering reputation to hindering your career, one of the surest symptoms of indecision are piles of any kind.
On the other hand, an empty inbox and a clear desk are the results of quick decisions.
Quick decision-making can have many positive results: it can help you stay on top of a rising flow of information and communication, it can reduce stress, it can improve your productivity, and give you a reputation for being on top of your work.
But the habits of years of indecision can be hard to break. Let’s take a look at some tips that can help build the habit of quick decision-making, and clear the piles from your life.
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If you keep a projects list (and I recommend it), you probably have a few projects that have been lingering there for a little while, nagging you to either finish them or banish them from the list.
I hate those kinds of projects.
How great do you feel when you knock one of these projects out? When you finish a project like that, that’s been dragging on your mind, it’s like a huge burden off your shoulders. You breath a sigh of relief, and your day is that much better.
While it isn’t always possible, I suggest trying to knock out such a project all in one go. That’s right: instead of breaking it into little chunks (as you often hear recommended), do it all at once, and get it out of the way. If you can, it’s often the best way to get your projects done. Devote a chunk of time to the project, and complete it.
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While Internet connections are undoubtedly more reliable now than they were a few years back, you’d be hard-pressed to find a connection that’s up 100 percent of the time. And for a web worker, those rare down times can be extremely frustrating.
No email! No checking your favorite websites. No access to information you rely on. No way to do your work (especially if you use web apps)!
Even the best of us will be checking the Internet connection every 32 seconds, pulling our hair out.
But do not fear. I submit that down time from the Internet is actually a blessing in disguise.
When we are connected all day long, disconnection can be a good thing. Seize this golden opportunity and make the most of it.
Here are just a few ideas.
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Every one of us has a day when the demands on our time are high, when we feel the anxiety and pressure of all that we have to do, when we are so rushed that we can’t get any bearing on our day, when the phone is ringing off the hook, or meetings are back-to-back-to-back, or the IM won’t stop bothering us, or our email is constantly flooded … in short, when we are overwhelmed.
For some people, that’s almost every day.
So how to you get back under control, drop your stress levels, and get back to sanity? How can you simplify an overwhelming day? I won’t say that it’ll be easy, but it can be done.
Here’s how.
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While many of us are almost completely digital, and do just about everything on the web, there’s a growing movement to go back to analog. Paper is retro, it’s portable, it’s quick and dirty, and even aesthetically appealing.
And of paper systems, along with my Moleskine notebook, index cards are my favorite. They’re cheap, they come in stacks, and they’re infinitely adaptable.
How can using index cards keep me organized, you ask, ever so quizzically (almost mockingly)? I’ve already got the ultimate web apps to do that?
Glad you asked. Here are just 20 things you can do with the ever-handy index card.
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Web Work 101: How To Escape The Cubicle
