So here we are. 2016 has come and gone. Anyone who didn’t lose a personal hero was at least pants’d and probably hacked by Russians.
Despite the bleak future we’ve been sentenced to, this time of year naturally lends itself to reflecting on the past and coming year. After all, making this a more productive year means setting realistic goals, establishing new habits, and establishing a mindfulness practice in case we survive the initial blasts and are left to rot in radioactive death camps.
In The Valley, we call it #yearhacking. VCs are racing each other to find the next great #year-nnovation.
As for me…
1. Less Social Media and no visits from actual storm troopers.
Less social media. It’s too distracting. It’s been shown to decrease attention span. And Twitter has devolved into racist eggs yelling at celebrities. In fact, I may do some social media pruning before Sysymos is setup at Death Squad HQ.
Death Squad Tip: They are unlikely to be names something so direct. They’ll be called something more bureaucratic sounding, like the Department of Existential Reassignment.
Did you hear about Steve?
No.
He was reassigned the other day.
whispering Of course I heard about Steve now shut up before your kids grow up without a father…
So, less social media this year.
2. More time for brain defragging
I listen to podcasts. All of them. And I’m very good at finding ways to listen to podcasts while I’m doing anything that isn’t writing or reading.
It’s great, because I learn things like the definition of wazzoo (the door to a root cellar).
But it’s bad, because I’m constantly filling my head with talking, and there’s never any time for thoughts to bubble up or get sorted out. There’s no boredom. There is only podcast.
So less constant input. More brain defragging.
3. Write More Down So My Sons Can Avenge Me.
There was a scene in The Walking Dead, where a character who has been killed off gives another character, who has also been killed off, a notebook. The second doomed character asks the first what he should do with it. And the generous (but soon to be eaten alive) giver tells him to “write everything down.”
It stuck with me because I think it’s great advice. When I’ve done it in the past, it’s felt great. It helps me not only look interesting because I have a notebook, but also to remember fleeting thoughts like “you don’t think Mater is funny? That’s why you lost.”
The difference between paper and digital notes feels like one of permanence. You can write any bullshit down in a notes app, but then you’ll have to figure out how to organize it.
That same nonsense written on paper can be ignored without any sorting or tagging.
But if you write it down and then it sparks something later, it was worth it.
And you do want your son to have clues to the location of the castle where Nazi’s have you held captive? Don’t you?