Jordan B. Peterson’s books are at the top of my shelf, just next to G.K Chesterton and C.S Lewis.
They call him controversial. They call him dangerous. Mainstream press (or should say “presstytutes”?) line up in forming all kinds of tactics aimed at discrediting him.
They really don’t like what he has to say.
And the reason is simple.
That’s because we already reached the times of which Orwell spoke in his famous quote:
“The further a societydrifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.”
Dr. Peterson’s “12 rules for life” is a treasure chest of great lessons. Some are new and some are the ones, we always knew yet needed to be reminded of.
I could write long essays on how they resonate with me & how they helped me in some of the toughest moments of my life. But that’s story for another time.
There is one common theme, that is at the core of Jordan B. Peterson’s writings.
His relentless pursuit of the Truth.
Since writing my thesis (more than a decade ago) on methods of influence and manipulation and their ethical aspect, this is the theme that I can relate to on deeply personal level.
So for those of you who do not know Peterson’s writings really well I highly recommend that you disregard everything you heard about him in media, just grab his “12 lessons for life” and start reading it.
But for start if you are not up for such a big leap, a brand new opportunity has arrived. Official channel of Jordan B. Peterson just posted a well animated video which illustrates some of his essential ideas.
The animations are brilliant and on the point, much like Dr. Peterson’s lectures themselves.
I would not recommend to treat the video as a ‘ersatz’ to the proper thing which are his books.
But surely it is a great, short & crisp introduction to what he has to say.
And to start understanding why it is so damn important.
The successful warrior is an average man with a laser-like focus
Bruce Lee
A decade of experience in project & product management in various organisations taught me a true value of the ability to maintain focus. Sometimes the hard way. Now in the times of work from home, cutting off distractions might be even more changeling than one would think. With tons of tasks at hand, tough questions from developers and stakeholders, messages on slack spamming every minute, urgent emails, kids yelling in the background and that annoying fly buzzing in the room , a simple task of replying to an email can become a bloodied struggle with oneself. Not to even mention of how one could attempt to write software specifications.
How do I get through such days and make the most out of them? Firstly I kill that f**ing fly. And then I apply a few simple rules, that not only help to keep my sanity in check, but also allow me to get the job done.
1. Prioritise & execute
Multitasking is a myth.
Don’t believe me? Try a simple exercise (credit to my Dad) – write on a blackboard in a row numbers from 1 to 10 in arabic numerals, and then in roman signs. Then do the same but with instead of going with one row till the end, switch between arabic and roman after each sign. See which method will take you more time…
That’s right. Unlike what some say about the art of management – switching through various tasks makes you actually LESS efficient. So what you need to learn first is to be able to pick up ONE thing at a time. Ideally the most important one. And get it though till the end (or at least a measurable milestone). Then another. And so on.
The method of Prioritising and Executing has been described at length in an amazing book “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. If you ever think of becoming a manager or about picking up on any leadership role – read it please.
2. Put the music on. Keep it on the loop.
I get it – apparently there are people who need silence to maintain focus. I guess those people have a luxury of having silence in their surroundings in first place. I am not one of them – so good headphones and good music are key to my performance.
There is a music for sports, music to sing to, songs for dancing with your wife, there is also a music you need to focus ON. Such music is not recommended at all.
You need the RIGHT kind of music, if you want to stay productive. The music that is not intrusive, that is repetitive so it gets you in the rhythm , that enhances clarity of mind. “De gustibus non-disptandum est” so I imagine such tunes will be different for different people. For myself, one of the tracks that kept me through a lot of usability diagrams and helped through producing some complex documentation was this one.
So find your tune. This will be a soundtrack for you life achievements. So better make it good.
3. Stay fit to keep the mind sharp.
Photo: Author
Balance between your body and mind is paramount, not just to stay productive, but in the long run to simply stay alive. Lack of physical activity, wrong diet & not managing stress are slow killers.
So make sure you do exercise on a daily basis, ideally somewhere on fresh air. You will sweat some toxins out of your body and get bit more oxygen to that precious brain of yours.
Oh and if you happen to do martial arts, here is a bonus tip: throwing few kicks at boxing bag is an awesome way of acting out on those passive-aggressive e-mails you are getting from one of THESE clients…
4. Get breaks
Speaking of balance. Remember to rest. Ideally every 45-60 minutes, take a deep breath, switch your mind to something else. Change place. Walk a bit, stretch arms.
Let your mind take a break. It will gratify you by staying sharp.
Do not look at any screen. Do not check your phone. Especially not that Facebook feed…
5. Treat social media as poison for your mind (which they are).
Social media are designed to keep you in a dopamine-seeking cue-reward loop. All those developers behind every major social media platform are using their extraordinary skills and brainpower for ultimately, one single purpose.
To make a f***ing lab rat out of you.
With the same data-based cue-reward mechanisms, which are used to train animals those applications are to tame you and teach you to scroll/hit likes/post videos so that you can get that that neurological candy in a form of like/comment/new content.
And then come back for more. Know, that those apps are good at it.
So just do not give them any chance. Before hitting that “play video” button, before checking that notification you got – remember you are about to sip a bit of poison. And before you know it, you will drink from the whole bottle bottom up. This will cloud your mind, drain your energy and get you away from your goal.
Do not let them distract you. Stay focused. Get the job done. Chase your dreams.
Flame in the Schell 