Adopting a zen habit

I’ve recently found that a job-less summer has been a benefit in some ways. Other than the fact that I’ve gotten regular about my workout routine, I’ve also been able to clean up my computer a bit.

Above is a screenshot of my desktop after reading and practicing this post from Leo at Zen Habits.

Premise: Your mind will be more at ease and you can be more productive if you don’t have a lot of clutter at your workstation, which for most people nowadays, is their computer.

Have you ever found yourself becoming distracted because you simply have so much stuff available right on your desktop? Ever sat at the computer hoping to find something that’ll occupy some time? Ever become frustrated at filing systems and organization? Ever been stressed out simply by looking at your desktop?

I know I could’ve answered “yes” to all of these questions just a week ago. But then I actually read the post I’d been saving and decided that now was the time.

Execution: Throw everything away…into your hard drive. Get rid of it from your desktop. Delete if you have to. Backup where you can. Axe just about everything off your menu bar—I just have application-specific menus, the clock, battery status icon and Spotlight. And for Macs especially, CLEAN UP YOUR DOCK! Auto-hide it immediately, and slice as much fat off the bone as you can. And, most important of all, free yourself from your mouse/trackpad.

I downloaded QuickSilver for Mac, and now everything on my computer is literally at my fingertips. And I don’t even have to leave my keyboard. It’s incredible and freeing.

It’s a fairly intimidating and eye-opening process to be sure. But now, when I look at my computer, I can breathe a sigh of relief. No longer do I feel forced to open an application simply because I see its icon. No longer do I have to shuffle through my inane folder system.

I used to have almost two dozen apps and icons and folders on my Dock. Now I have QuickSilver for my own use and easy links to apps that others use when they borrow my laptop. If not for this bit of generosity, I’d simply have Finder, Downloads, QuickSilver and Trash.

So what does this have to do with my job search or Gen Y or anything at all?

Well, this process—and Tim Ferriss—taught me that I don’t need to manage my time per se; I need to manage my attention.

You see, I believe my attention is valuable (invaluable?). It’s mine to do with as I please, and I need to ensure that I maximize my use of it. When I get to the point that I have to manage my time, I’m attempting to do too much. Doing one thing—okay, a small handful of things—at once allows me to focus my attention for a specific time. Much more effective, happy and fulfilling.

Navigating folder systems, cluttering my desktop and getting unnecessarily stressed don’t fit into this model.

In today’s world of technology and information, we are all constantly assaulted with words, ads, knowledge, do-this, do-that, etc. This is the world Gen Yers have grown up in. And we’ve all heard that college is the period when we learn time management. Time management separates adults from kids.

[Aside: How many of you have had to answer a question about your proficiency in time management in an interview? I definitely have. The most recent time—for the Peace Corps—I turned the question around and talked about attention management and how I hated the term “time management.” It was awkward, unexpected and yet refreshing from the recruiter’s point of view. What recruiter doesn’t want to hear that you commit yourself fully to activities, anyway? But I digress…]

You do have to prioritize, and attention management is the ultimate prioritization exercise. You separate the wheat from the chaff, and believe me, you’ll find that you have an enormous amount of chaff to discard and/or ignore.

It’s certainly a different way of thinking, and I’d encourage you to head over to Zen Habits for more such insights. Your own computer desktop is a great starting point. It’s the basis behind the design of this blog, which should seem pretty spare comparatively.

In the meantime, Forgetting Sarah Marshall hit it on the head with the “do less” ethos (turn up your volume, it’s quiet):

Comments

[Alan Ashley]

Eric, Since you are in a Zen mood, you may also want to check out LifeHacker. They have a lot of info similar to what you wrote about. There is also the 43 Folders site.

[Eric]

I love those sites! 43 Folders is what drove me to Inbox Zero, which was kinda the beginning of my appetite for zen-ness...along with Zen Habits of course. And LifeHacker has been invaluable since. Thanks!