CONTENTS
➡️ No more New Year's resolutions - do this instead
➡️ Second helpings - good reading from the web
LEAD ARTICLE
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No more New Year's resolutions. Do this instead.
2023 is over. With a clenched jaw, you swear to yourself, "This year, I am going to carry my resolutions through all 12 months." You brew a fresh cup and start writing a list.
STOP! You won't make it beyond a few weeks at most. It's time to take a different approach: think in terms of processes and systems, not goals and targets. Think in terms of the rest of your life, not just 2024.
What's the difference? Systems are skill sets that you can cobble together to work towards a goal. Unlike goals, they don't overwhelm you. Your goal could be to lose weight; the system you might use is Michael Pollan's well-known advice to "Eat food (meaning in its natural state, unprocessed). Not too much. Mostly plants." Plug away at the system, and you will soon be less of a burden to yourself. If you didn't use the system for a while, there's no cause for guilt; you pick it up and resume.
To begin with, two guidelines:
Make routines (systems) enjoyable—something to look forward to as a source of pleasure, not pain.
\When you fail or fall short, be kind to yourself. It's quite easy to get angry with your lack of resolve and quit the effort.
Here's a random set of recommendations, in no particular order of importance.
Old chestnuts: Make eating, exercising, and stress reduction fun, not painful. There's a lot on this in earlier editions of {P}rescription, and I am not going to dwell on this.
✅ Develop critical thinking skills—a vital tool for the age of spin.
Which means to stay away from social media. This is the age of misinformation. The medium of the Internet, where most people get their information and news on a daily basis, is not designed for nuanced, critical thinking; it incites our brain’s reptilian response system: scan it, believe it, rage against it (or proudly repost it without having read the content). Levitin D, Big Think
Repeatedly ask six questions.
1. What's the issue? Identify and isolate the major theme.
2. Do you agree or disagree with the issue? Be careful of the "confirmation bias," a cognitive trap where we endorse ideas that are in line with our thoughts and gloss over differing points of view. Don't get lulled by the voices in echo chambers.
3. What are the hidden agendas behind all this? Is there a subtext? Is the writer attempting to cover his main intention behind his writing?
4. What is the background for this information? Do some research on the subject. Use reliable and reputed sources, not social media.
5. Who is saying it? The degree of respect and authority that the writer commands.
6. What if the opposite were true or there were other possibilities to consider? If you systematically look up opposing viewpoints, you might be surprised at what you find.
✅ Declutter
Clutter can have negative effects on people's physical and mental well-being and can contribute to feelings of stress and anxiety. It can also make it difficult to find and access the things you need, which can be frustrating and waste time. Additionally, clutter can make a space feel chaotic and overwhelming, which can be unpleasant to be in.
Here are a few simple tips for decluttering your daily life:
1: Start small. Choose one specific area or task to focus on rather than trying to declutter your entire life all at once.
2: Set a goal. Determine what you hope to accomplish through decluttering, whether it's creating more functional space, reducing stress, or saving time.
3: Use the "one-year rule": If you haven't used or needed something in the past year, it's probably time to let it go.
4. Create a system: Once you've decluttered, create a system for organising your items to help keep your space clutter-free. This might include using storage containers, creating a designated spot for each item, or implementing a regular cleaning schedule.
Remember, decluttering is a process, and it may take time to see the results. The key is to be patient and consistent and to focus on making small improvements over time.
✅ Essentialism, the obverse side of decluttering
Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, states that to embrace the essence of essentialism, we need to replace false assumptions with three core truths:
“I choose"to"—ruthlessly eliminate demands on your life and time that are not in line with your purpose.
"Only a few things really matter." - very few things, and
“I can do anything, but not everything." - stay narrowly focused.
✅ Sustainable living
We are currently extracting more natural resources than can be regenerated annually, leading to the destruction of ecosystems, pollution, and species extinction. We have also exceeded six of the nine planetary boundaries, indicating a significant overshoot of the Earth's capacity to sustain life. Actively practice and advocate "degrowth economics": The degrowth movement aims to reduce our demands on the biosphere and transition to a more sustainable economy. It advocates an ecological perspective that emphasises the need to reduce energy and material consumption, regardless of how the energy is provided.
✅ Start writing
No one would argue about the role of reading in enhancing cognitive skills. Writing, though, is less emphasised. Writing is an essential system in the pursuit of clear thinking. Don't worry about anyone reading and being critical of your writing. Just write for yourself. Maintain a journal.
Julia Cameron's well-known "Morning Pages" is an excellent start to your day.
✅ Get a hobby.
This is critical in the workplace of tomorrow. Technology is replacing humans in many spheres. "The job market appears to be requiring more and more preparation for a lower and lower starting wage." Most common jobs are boring, repetitive, and easily learned. This is an age where more and more people hate their jobs. “Purpose, meaning, identity, fulfilment, creativity, autonomy—all these things that positive psychology has shown us to be necessary for well-being are absent in the average job.” Benjamin Hunnicut
Engaging in hobbies can have a significant positive impact on health, both mental and physical. Hobbies can be a vital part of maintaining a balanced, healthy lifestyle, offering numerous benefits that touch various aspects of physical and mental well-being.
YouTube is an endless treasure trove of ideas for hobbies. If you are looking for a good starting point, here's one: Discover a Hobby
Get 2024 and the rest of your life off to a great start; think in terms of simple systems to achieve great goals.
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“Good resolutions are useless attempts to interfere with scientific laws. Their origin is pure vanity. Their result is absolutely nil. They give us, now and then, some of those luxurious, sterile emotions that have a certain charm for the weak.... They are simply cheques that men draw on a bank where they have no account.” ― Oscar Wilde
“Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. ... When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running." ― James Clear
SECOND HELPINGS
Good reading from all over
Why AI will spark exponential economic growth | Cathie Wood
Will Psychedelics Replace Antidepressants?
Doctors rank patients' own assessment of their illness as least important in diagnosis – new study
The Most Beautiful Science of the Year
Good read!