I can bet my life on this fact — you’ve got at least half a dozen newsletter subscriptions waiting to be read in your inbox. In all likelihood, much more.
While I try my best not to read 70% of what’s been sent to me, there are a few that I don’t miss to read, more likely if they’re sent from an individual entrepreneur or artist I know. You never know what gems are they’re going to share with you. Something that might change your life.
Like the Paul Graham blog post excerpt below, I had almost forgotten because I had read it nearly five years back. One of the newsletters prompted me to return to my commonplace book in Evernote and rediscover my thoughts on Paul’s original post. Following the post’s advice below has had a domino effect in my life, for the best, and I recommend that you read it, absorb it, and apply the mindset in your life.
Here it goes:
When I ask myself what I’ve found life is too short for, the word that pops into my head is “bullshit.” I realize that answer is somewhat tautological. It’s almost the definition of bullshit that it’s the stuff that life is too short for. And yet bullshit does have a distinctive character. There’s something fake about it. It’s the junk food of experience.
If you ask yourself what you spend your time on, that’s bullshit; you probably already know the answer. Unnecessary meetings, pointless disputes, bureaucracy, posturing, dealing with other people’s mistakes, traffic jams, addictive but unrewarding pastimes.
Relentlessly prune bullshit, don’t wait to do things that matter, and savour the time you have. That’s what you do when life is short.”
http://www.paulgraham.com/vb.html
The excerpt above helped me realize the value of my time and that I’ve been mindless about it all along. I’d instantly started to make changes with my schedule, starting with prioritizing *my* time (focusing on high-value activities and meetings with outcome-driven agendas) over someone else’s time, convenience, or agenda.
The key is to start small and to be strategic about it. We’re talking about delivering results and decreasing the amount of BS in your life at the expense of avoiding toxic people, customers, and situations, after all. It’s not a smooth ride but if you stay at it, believe me, you got this!
The worst you can do is wait for things to get better and hope to enjoy whatever little time you have. Life’s short. Be relentless about making the most of the limited time you’re on this planet.