Richard Feynman has a wonderful quote that sums up a problem we have not just with finances and the modern world but with our very own brains.
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person to fool.
I think we have all been fooling ourselves with how much time we spend looking at screens not being productive. I did an experiment last month with no Social Media and I vowed upon returning that I would be more focused on how I use it and I have been successful in a limited fashion. It still seemed to suck me right back into a vortex of time wasting. I am determined though to wrestle back to where my brain isn’t as wired to seek that constant quick dopamine hit. I noticed it had squeaked into too many work hours and it was hurting my productivity (sorry everyone – I have a knowledge addiction). I have enabled a new tool on my work computer that should help. It is called StayFocusd. That is not a misspelling. It allows me to block individual websites. I have started with the five websites that I utilized that aren’t core to the business but spent what in hindsight (Feynman’s first principle) was too much time reading. [Side note: you can really improve your Facebook news feed by eliminating everything except your friends posts just block the sites your friends share or re-post]
I have also reinstalled RescueTime which I have used in the past and once again utilizing Feynman’s 1st shouldn’t have stopped. This program tracks where you spend your time on the computer. Word, Excel, Websites, games, etc. Games haven’t been a problem for me, fortunately.
The picture I used with this post is from one of those things I am doing to rewire my brain. It was a family trip to Atlanta’s Botanical Gardens to see their Christmas Light Show. It is fantastic and I recommend that you go see it if you get the chance. I had my phone but other than a call to my wife it was used to take a video. The rest of the time I used the DSLR to take the pictures. I want to get better at my photography and this was a wonderful opportunity. It was great to spend time with family, experiencing the world around us, and not staring at a screen. It even rained on us briefly but we didn’t let that dampen our mood. It also highlights one of the primary things I try and stress with our clients; you shouldn’t wait to do things until you have the time or are retired. You might run out time or ability before then.