How do you use your journal? Is your tool really broken or is the problem you don't know how to use it? Life happens at 1x, why are we pushing so much of it towards 2x?
Greg -> Journaling as Performance
Part of the problem is cultural. We’ve turned journaling into a kind of performance. Just google “journal” and you’ll be inundated with Instagram aesthetic images of what journaling apparently should look like, like the one above. Writers and influencers online frame it as a tool for self-discovery or emotional healing, and journaling has become less about noticing your life and more about fixing it. Every piece of advice comes loaded with the promise that if you do it right, if you follow the prompts, if you’re consistent enough, you’ll unlock something about yourself you didn’t know was there. - Noticing, Not Performing
When I wrote and was marketing Analogue Productivity one of the consistent comments I saw on videos or blog posts was that my journal was so basic and that was awesome. I rarely draw anything in it, unless it's some very basic sketch for a wood working idea. I don't really use colours anymore. I write down the date and then write some stuff.
Some days it's anger at something happening in life. Some days is fun. Some days it's just a list of tasks.
Some days, some weeks I just don't get to it and I don't feel guilty about not using it.
I like Greg's advice that writing is just noticing what's going on around you and inside you and writing it down. It doesn't need to be some magical self-discovery.
I'd add to this, use your notebook as you want. If you don't like what I say about writing things down, don't do it. If you like someone else's advice, use that. If you found your own system that you like...stick with your system.
Remember, your notebook is a tool. I don't feel bad when I don't use my hammer during a time when a hammer isn't needed. I go pick it up when it's right for the jobs I need to do, and put it away so it's ready to use again in the future.
Workflows vs Tools
I'm on the record many times saying that you shouldn't be looking at the newest/latest tool to help you be productive. Heck, if you're using a mainstream task manager you really shouldn't be looking at other mainstream task managers, they're all pretty much the same and you're unlikely to gain big productivity benefits by switching from OmniFocus to Todoist, or Nozbe or TickTick. They'll all have different things that you don't like about them.
But we all get the itch to change sometimes. I've been having it this week as my NeoVim/LazyVim and Zellij workflow has felt off for a while now. I even spent a day coding with Emacs just in case it was a revelation in my coding workflow.
It wasn't. Emacs isn't bad, but I don't think my problem is the editor I use. I think the problem is with my workflow, and changing your workflow so that it's optimal isn't a bad thing.
Friday's I watch support, which often means I can't get into big programming topics so I use it for learning. For the next few Friday's I'll be looking at making my NeoVim life better, specifically how people are using multiplexer's like Zellij when they need to have git open to multiple repositories, while building SCSS and coding.
If you feel the itch to move to a new tool, maybe don't. It's far more likely that there is something wrong with your workflow. Take a few weeks to learn all the features your current tool has. If after a few weeks of deep effort it still doesn't work, maybe....very maybe, you should switch tools.
Optimise for Throughput or Understanding
The irony is that consuming faster often means processing less. You’re optimizing for throughput when you should be optimizing for understanding. All those 2x podcasts blur together into background noise. What did you actually retain? What changed how you think? It’s empty calories. It’s fake productivity. - Life Happens at 1x Speed
It's funny that I'm take slow book notes to optimise understanding yet I listen to podcasts and watch YouTube videos at 1.5x or faster speeds.
Some of the YouTube videos I watch are video game play through's, so just entertainment while I'm riding my indoor bike trainer. Nothing I need to worry about learning, I'm just enjoying someone play through a game I enjoy, or watching pro StarCraft II players battle.
But I also listen to podcasts at 2x, and even audiobooks at 2x when it's nice enough to ride outside. Most of the podcasts fall into the entertainment designation as well, even the security podcast I listen to is partially for entertainment and partially to know if there is something I need to be aware of. If I need to check something with the sites I run then I make a note to read the blog post announcing the issue and then dig into it from my desk.
Maybe I should go back to 1x and then cut the podcasts I won't get to. I already do this for read later content. Will this cut any feelings of being to busy that I have? Probably not. I've got 3 kids in sports and my wife is a coach so I do all the evening kid stuff on my own.