Why being busy is lazy + Ways to reduce overwhelm

Bonjour! Here's your weekly dose of wisdom I've learnt to help you better understand yourself and the world around you.
Something New I’ve Learnt
‘It’s what you do, not how you do it’
‘Being busy is a form of laziness’
MED= minimum effective dose, frequently mentioned by bestselling author and investor Tim Ferriss.
The minimum amount of input required to obtain a desired outcome. Instead of focusing on getting the most work done, aim to get the most important work done, and ignore the rest. Ask yourself: what are the one or two tasks that, if completed, will relieve the most anxiety and energy? What is the one task that will give you more time to focus on other tasks if completed? What are the few tasks that have been stuck on your to-do lists for days, weeks or months?
Write a list of 2-5 tasks that answer these questions. Tomorrow morning, start with the most important task you have listed. If you’re stuck deciding which task to do first, look at your list of tasks and answer this:
Which of these tasks, if completed, will move me closer to my desired outcome/goal the most? Do that task. Ignore the rest. Set a 3-hour timer to complete the aforementioned task, uninterrupted without distraction. This means no social media, phones, or interaction with others.
Once you’re 5 minutes deep into your important task, you’ll realise that it’s easier than you thought it’d be. Prioritisation, doing the few worthwhile tasks great, ignoring small unimportant tasks and caring more about what you do rather than how you do it is how you can get more, using 80% less time and effort.


A Question to Answer:
What are things you do that could be better systemised to reduce decision fatigue?
Decision fatigue (DF) worsens our decisions when we have to make too many. A great way to reduce DF is to create systems for repetitive tasks. Whether it’s the time of day you walk your poodle, the day of the week you go on that treacherous 5k run, or you go monk mode on the last weekend of each month (yes that’s a new addition to my monthly routine!). All repetitive tasks should be added to your daily, weekly or monthly system. Here are some tips to help you create an effective system:

1. As mentioned before, have no more than one important task to do daily. For example, I write this newsletter every Monday. That’s my only brain-draining task for today. Other important tasks can be completed if they don’t require many brain points, such as physical tasks (ie running or gym).
2. Use apps like Google Calendar to help schedule repetitive tasks, rather than relying on memory. I’ve started using this app the last few weeks, and it’s great. You can set up the task for it to repeat every week. A notification will appear 30 minutes before the starting time. This allows past-you to decide what you do each day, rather than present-you panicking and doing 10 unimportant tasks that won’t move you closer to your goals.
3. Review your repetitive tasks. Every month do an 80/20 analysis of your important tasks. Are they still giving me the biggest returns? Or are they becoming a burden? What other new tasks am I putting off that will give me better results? What would these tasks look like if they were easy/fun? These are questions to ask yourself every month.

Today, I answered this question by refining my current weekly routine. Making sure I only have one big task per day. Which has to be completed in 2-3 hours. This gives me more time to do the fun stuff, like birdwatching, reading Walden and self-help books, and video/photo wildlife during this lovely time of year.
Now it’s your turn to answer that question, what are the small things you should ignore to allow you to complete the 1-2 big long-term goals that will get you closer to your dreams?


A Quote I’m Pondering, A Book I’m (Finally) Reading and Peculiar New Hobby I’ve Found
‘The grand necessity of life is warmth, to keep the vital heat in us’- Walden by Henry David Thoreau
This Quote, like many I sprinkle in my writing, is often paraphrased. Why? Because my hippocampus remembers the general gist of the message behind it, rather than the word-for-word text. If I focus too hard on remembering the quote word for word it’s not only a waste of brain points but also an error of focus. I want to remember the meaning behind the message; and how to take action from it; rather than the correct sequence of wording.
‘Sorry sir, we don’t have Walden’.
It was my 4th failed attempt of the day. I’d tried every bookshop, library and antique shop in town. For a supposed American literacy classic, it was a damn difficult book to find. This had now become a mission of mine. To find Walden in an English bookstore.
The older the better was my original thought. That same day searching every corner of town for Thoreau’s classic had also led to a new hobby of collecting old books from second-hand bookstores. In particular, bird books. I’d found a UK Birdbook from the 1980s, unlike any other I’d seen from my post-2000s era. The book contained seldom images. Instead, a wide array of fascinating illustrations of every bird one could find in the UK, at the time. It was a time capsule when most bird populations were of greater abundance than they are now. However, it was clear that it seemed to be the beginning of the decline for almost all species here in the UK. With whispers of DDT (a now-banned pesticide that destroyed bird-of-prey populations) echoed throughout.
The attention to detail of illustrations was mirrored in the descriptions. Scroll to the back pages and find the science, and in my opinion, art of ornithology. Pages showing the migratory routes of birds, and ways to record birdsong using your car battery (don’t try it, use your phone) added another depth to the book. Now, I have no clue how up-to-date these pages are, but that’s beside the point. The care, detail and breadth of knowledge in these old bird books by far outweigh the books of today. And can be found for a fraction of the price, both in-store and online. Go get yourself a bargain and look at how times have changed. This can be applied to books of any genre. 80% of the information in the older books will be as correct as overpriced books today. The difference is the price and wisdom available in these old but gold pages are far superior. It’d be rude not to go and grab yourself one, don’t miss out!
Anyway, back to Walden. You would’ve guessed by now that I did find it. Otherwise, why would I be quoting it? No, I did not steal it online, travel to America to find an original (search up the price of an OG copy online for your weekly shock) or search the black market for a plagiarised version. I am no thief, nor am I willing to travel that far for an 1800s stoic book. Or am I?
‘This county is very flat. Why are there so many deer and hares?’ I can see why it’s the driest county in England, my sunglasses haven’t left my eyes the entire 3-hour car journey. To say my hands weren’t a tad clammy, my heart punching a slightly higher tempo than usual, would be a fib. My first cross (well, up) country drive on the motorway was the opposite of what I imagined. Traffic jams, lanes full of huge lorries and boy racers undertaking causing collisions left right and centre were all a figment of my imagination.
Sunday morning sunshine helped. It was clear roads from home to destination. Time for a 10-day mini-retirement in Norfolk. The UK’s driest, and arguably best, county for birdwatching. Look North you have the Wash, a vast estuary and marshland, which many geese; hundreds of thousands to be exact; live in throughout the year. Look West and South you have Breckland, the closest imitation of the European Steppes you’ll find in the UK. It’s super dry, acidic and sandy. The abundance of Heaths allows all kinds of unusual creatures to reside here. Including the Nightjar, an elusive, mythical-looking moth-eater which migrates here every summer. I’m searching for them over the coming nights. Look East and you’ll find the world-renowned Norfolk Broads, a vast wetland full of rare flora and fauna. The countryside, most of the county, is full of fields, hedgerows and meadows where the ghostly Barn Owl hunt, Roe Deer wander and Brown Hare run. Every country lane, field border, and corner has a wildlife surprise waiting for you to witness.
This sounds like a great place to document wildlife with a camera. How convenient for me! It’s also an ideal place to sit under an ancient tree in a water meadow and read Walden. But as you know too well, I still haven’t found said book. That was all about to change.
I set foot in Norwich. The streets were narrow with old houses on either side, like any Old English city that hadn’t been completely flattened by the Germans in World War 2. The street itself wasn’t cobbled, like you’d see in Canterbury, it was flat and brick red-grey in colour. It ruined the ancient charm of the town. I had one mission: find Walden.
My first attempt; a modern bookstore called the Book Hive. It was rather snug and was situated on a street corner. I go straight to the man on the counter and ask if they have Walden. No faffing about trying to find it myself. Most times I had asked for said book the first reaction was always a pause to think, which always added a bit of tension and anticipation. However, this encounter was the polar opposite. I ask the man whether he had Walden in his store and, in an instant, he turns to his right and collects a small pocketbook from a nearby shelf. There it was clasped in his palms. A petit, modern cover. A small forest of watercoloured trees covered the face of the book. Amongst the trees, a small cabin is subtly placed below the golden text ‘Walden’ in the centre. There it was! I’d finally found the book. 4th time’s a charm! Although there were seldom vintage copies, beggars can’t be choosers. I immediately started delving into Thoreau’s stoic pages, but a part of me still longed for an old copy of this book. There’s a certain magic about the brown pages, dusty smell and leather feel of an older book. It’s not only more sustainable than buying newer copies, but it is also a piece of history. The best vintage books are the ones which have the owner’s name, or a message to the receiver of the book. It adds an extra story to the storybook. Though no location I’d visited seemed to have a vintage version of Walden, that was all about to change.
Enter Cley. A classic Norfolkian village. Narrow streets with seldom pavements, an old Windmill overlooking a creek and salt marsh toward the North Sea and grey flint cobbled cottages cover every street you encounter. Scenic to say the least. There’s a great demand for housing in the South-West, as many properties are bought as second homes by ‘down-from-londoners’. I have seldom doubt in my skull that, if not happening at present, this will also emerge as a common issue in this spectacular Eastern county. It has the perfect ingredients of plentiful greenspace, abundant coastline, splendid architecture and postcard towns to create a cocktail of demand for the affluent and van life influencers to immigrate to Norfolk. It is a probable problem for patriotic locals, I suspect. I am seldom different to these two groups aforementioned, my one alibi was where I was staying for the week. My partner’s grandparents have lived in Norfolk their entire lives. Before going to a cafe for a long-awaited coffee, I stepped foot in an antiquarian shop A small but rather wide antique bookstore. Could this be the store I’ve been looking for to find vintage Walden?
I had to try. Though I’d already spent £10.99 on a new copy two days prior, the possible chance of finding a super old vintage copy seemed more fitting for this 1800s book. My ever more apparent urge to collect old books intrigued me to open the glass door. To find the store lady sitting and reading a book herself. Slow day at the office.
‘Do you have Walden, by Henry David Thoreau?’ this was my sixth time asking this question at a different bookstore in just a week. The lady; who was short, middle-aged with brown short hair; paused and thought. What was merely a few seconds felt like a 10-minute pause. ‘Ooh, we had it, but it was bought last week’. Damn it. She looked on a shelf beside the wooden counter nevertheless. ‘Aah, here it is!’.
Presented to me, a blank maroon leather cover with intricate creases and pages so brown they could’ve been stained with breakfast tea. ’Thoreau’s Walden with an Intro by R.W. Emerson’. Promising. I check the first pages, for a date. ‘1901’. £15 for a copy of Walden, older than my Edwardian house, with an introduction of Thoreau by his mentor, who happened to be one of the most influential American philosophers, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Result! This intro, which gives great insight into the author of the book, is absent from the modern copy. Another result was the original owner’s name written on the front page ‘James A. Masters’. Whoever he may be.
That’s the full story of how I stumbled upon the book and the quote I’ve chosen. Now revisiting the quote:
‘The grand necessity of life is warmth, to keep the vital heat in us’
Here are my thoughts on it:
Thoreau concludes that warmth is the need for survival. Food, shelter and clothing are all secondary inputs that maintain a core body temperature of 37.5C. This allows our vital organs to operate at a near-perfect level. Food is the fuel of our metabolic engine, it’s the dry wood added to the fire to keep us burning at this precise temperature. Allowing cell A to go to B, C to turn into D, and E to be removed from F at the right frequency, and for the correct amount of time.
Shelter, both on-body as clothing and off-body in the form of housing, maintains our core temperature. Henry proves that these necessities; often thought to have to be acquired by a 9-5 pm, 5-days-a-week, 48-weeks-a-year employment in a sub-optimal, unfulfilling and brain-deteriorating job force-fed by society; can be accessed without such a mind rotting form of ‘earning a living’. Stop and think about that phrase. ‘Earn’ a living. One must ‘earn’ their unconsented existence because another bundle of specialised cells that happens to be 99.9% genetically identical to you decided that was the rule of life? Thoreau shows that these rules are intangible. A change in environment results in a change in behaviour. Thoreau’s disappearing act to the woods for 2 years and 2 months shows a change in environment results in a change of priorities, thus a change in necessities and a change in views. A realisation that the commonplace way of living is a burden. A burden to our mental and physical health. Whenever you’re on the side of the majority, step back and reflect. You may realise you’re amongst the sheep being controlled by a shepherd, and the rats running the race to win a zero-sum game. Who wants that? I sure don’t. The message isn’t to retreat to the woods and live off the land, necessarily. It’s to be aware that most people are playing a game they didn’t sign up for, and that the grass is often greener away from the noise, closer to the trees and streams. A man has two lives, one starts when he’s born, and the other starts when he realises he only has one.
A Song I’m Listening To
Lady- Hear Me Tonight by Modjo. High performers often listen to albums or songs on repeat as a means of meditative focus. Enabling them to enter a flow state. The tempo and beat of this tune are very repetitive but catchy. Today I’ve been trying it for the first time, with solid results of increased flow state focus. Try yourself with a song or album you find meditative.
Something to Avoid
Knowing what not to do gives us an idea of what we can do. So here’s something to avoid:
Energy-draining people. It’s often said you’re the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Though this may not be entirely true, it still should be noted that the people you spend the most time with can seriously affect you, both in a positive and negative manner.
Think about your goals and ideal version of yourself. Do those around you fuel and support that? Or do they drain and discourage you? Choose your people wisely, people.
That’s all for this week, I hope you have a happy day.
-Jacob