Explore: my phone

I was listening to the interview above about slow productivity. The speaker, Dr. Cal Newport, talked a lot about deep work sessions and time boxing to do uninterrupted work. The Newport and Huberman talked about working or walking without having a telephone or email inbox nearby. 

Newport talks extensively about the futility of trying to do deep work and all the while checking your phone every few minutes. He believes, probably justifiably, that this is a type of wasteful behaviour most of us do engage in. He calls it, pseudo-productivity. No one can produce anything of note when they are constantly moving their attention away from what they are doing.

Over the last years, I've noticed that I am increasingly plugged into my phone. Since the 2016 US elections, I've stopped using Facebook and (now) X. So, it is not any social media sites that are distracting me, but WhatsApp and email.

Since leaving the company, the number of emails has decreased from over 100/day to a few notices from LinkedIn. WhatsApp is the same way. So, even though the volume has been drastically reduced, my unhealthy behavior toward my phone persists.

This is what I want to explore:

1. Start writing emails to friends again
2. Not checking my phone for the first hour of the day
3. At night, have the phone in another room
4. Occasionally, leave the house without the phone
5. During deep work sessions, put the phone somewhere else

I've noticed that many people I know do not answer their DMs immediately anymore. There may be a collective consensus that we are no longer available all the time for everyone, both at work and in private. So, whether this is true or not, I am on board!

Explore: curiousity

 

Anne-Laure Le Cnuff says an amazing thing: "In a sense, being committed to curiosity is ensuring you are going to live a life that is intentional. You are going to live your life. Not the life others are expecting you to live."

We are all put on this planet with an innate sense of curiosity. Unfortunately, our society and education system make it hard for us to keep being curious. That sounds weird since these forces should help us learn how to live out our curiosity. 

Many people I know are not interested in learning new things or being experimental in their approach to life. They wonder why I am always trying out new things and improving my skills. Creativity is a muscle, and curiosity fuels it.

So, here is to exploring more, celebrating trial and error, laughing at one's mistakes, pushing boundaries, and combing the information chaos with a fine-toothed comb for strands of insightfulness.

Explore: My inner warrior

Years ago, I had a long conversation with eWa about the challenges of balancing work and motherhood. She introduced me to the Buddhist concept of the "inner warrior."
 
I remember us laughing as we imagined what our inner warriors might look like and what would happen if they ever surfaced. That laughter, filled with warmth and camaraderie, was invigorating—especially at a time when I was battling insomnia, dealing with a terrible colleague who made work miserable for everyone, and struggling with the relentless chatter of my inner critic.
 
Now, having come out of retirement a few months ago, I find myself immersed in a slew of new projects. Thankfully, each one is a collaboration with one or two other creative spirits, making the work a true delight.
 
What has surprised me most, though, is the unexpected emergence of my inner warrior. It’s as if they had been lurking at the periphery of my soul like a barracuda waiting to strike. All it took was granting myself permission to fully show up in artistic collaborations and step into situations I had previously avoided.
 
To be brave. To be audacious. 
 
The feeling of liberation that comes with shedding old social restraints is exhilarating. And perhaps the biggest surprise? My inner warrior is not the young, (very handsome) Japanese samurai I had once imagined. Instead, she is an elder—an old woman with infinite power, wisdom, and an unshakable presence.
 
What a joy and revelation it is to finally meet this invincible being, living so close to my heart. 

Explore: timeboxing (part 2)

Previously, I wrote about wanting to explore timeboxing again. What I've come to realize is that I do not want to spend time timeboxing.

Initially, I would differentiate between the following categories of working:

• Writing (non-specific)

• Ghostwriting

• Project stuff

• Content development

Now, after doing this for a few months, I sort of put it all under the "writing" category. Also, I tend to extend my writing sessions on the go, so I'm not really time-boxing at all.

The one thing that works is that I keep a record of the amount of time I spend daily and weekly. It is a form of self-regulation. I promised myself that I would try to work only 25-30 hours a week. Generally, I am sticking to this, though more in the direction of 30 hours per week.

Secondly, I schedule writing time a week or two in advance. That is working.

The timeboxing routine exposes how often I work without taking a weekend break. Not good.

So, I've decided to switch the timeboxing around. (Okay, admittedly, my therapist did give me a nudge.) What I want to do is time-box "zone-out" times. Now that spring has come, and I will be travelling more in the next months, I want to schedule at least 5-10 hours a week to zone out.

Let's see if that works.

Explore: talking to plants

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

I have a friend with a "green thumb." In summer, her garden positively explodes with every colour and shape of flower. Inside her home, plants fill every nook and cranny—all looking smugly healthy. Compared to the 2.5 houseplants I can barely keep alive—one's half-dead and the others are barely hanging on—her in-house jungle makes me feel a bit ashamed.
 
Her advice to "talk to your plants" falls on deaf ears, no matter how often she gently reminds me. I was raised to believe that talking to yourself was a clear sign of mental instability. When Dave chatted with the lizard by the sink, I blamed it on loneliness—but plants? The idea of murmuring sweet nothings to houseplants triggers a firm "hell no" from me.
 
Instead, I've decided to explore other ways to make our plants happy. Here's what I'll try: every day, I'll take a close look at the plants to observe which leaves are growing and which are dying. Next, I'll do a bit of garden care—checking how moist the soil is. If this makes them perkier, I might even consider repotting them. And if that works, who knows? Maybe I'll start whispering to the ficus after all. 

Explore: time-boxing

One of the first areas of exploration I’m diving into is time-boxing. This is a self-management tool I have used in the past, but I never really liked it unless I was scheduling time off from raising kids or doing my job. Something like an hour to DYOB (do your own business) or a Saturday “say no to everyone but yourself”.
 
Recently, I was inspired by Nir Eyal’s ideas from his interview with Ali Abdaal, "How to Stay Focused and Beat Distraction". So, I've decided to experiment with this method for the next 3-4 months. I aim to live according to my calendar and time-box my work in areas I hold dear.
 
Eyal doesn’t like to-do lists, which I've also tried and dropped many times over the years. He advocates for time-boxing as a way to truly align our time with our intentions. The way Eyal talks about it, the advantage of time-boxing is that it isn’t about finishing every task—because life’s unpredictable, and it is really hard to know how long a task will take. Also, what does "finish" mean when it comes to writing or creative work? 

He highlights the difference between time-boxing reflective work (which requires focus) and reactive work (which needs to get done quickly and painlessly). Asking oneself: Did I focus my attention on the activities I intended to do? Was I able to do them without distractions?
 
To make admin work more enjoyable, I’m adopting the idea suggested by Ali Abdaal (the interviewer in the video) of doing a regular Admin Party. I’ll allocate specific time for this type of work (e.g. answering emails, banking, and scheduling doctor’s appointments) and try to make it fun. For example, when I’m at a café or the library—where I enjoy some level of distraction—I’ll dedicate that time to administrative tasks. Adding constraints and some variability can keep things engaging while helping me stay on track.

On the other hand, for artistic and reflective work, I want to take a different approach when setting up my weekly schedule. I’ll ask myself, “Knowing the limited time I have, how would the person I want to become in the future spend their time?”

This year’s theme: explore

This year’s theme is going to be “Explore”. This theme feels expansive and full of possibility—an invitation to venture beyond the familiar and discover new horizons.
 
Exploration can take many forms. It might mean travelling to a place I’ve never been, learning a new skill I’ve always wanted to learn, or delving into ideas and cultures that challenge my perspectives. It’s about curiosity, growth, and the courage to step outside of my comfort zone.
 
For me, exploration is as much about the inner journey as it is about the outer one. What will I learn about myself through these experiences? How will I grow and change? These are the questions I’ll be carrying with me throughout the year.