Breaking free of busyness

Productive rest

"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."

― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

I've spent two days without touching a computer at all. This weekend, after many in a row working in a reimplementation of our backend at Otter, I decided to hit pause and dedicate it to recharging and letting my mind wander.

Of course, my thoughts would pull me back every now and then to Otter, and to all the other projects I want to do before the year ends, but having that restraint helped me clear my mind and to start these last three weeks of the year with a renewed focus and intention.

It's easy to fall prey to fake momentum and to keep working just because you are already working, only to see diminishing returns from your ever-increasing efforts.

I jump into this week with a clear mental slate. Instead of rushing into all the things I have to do, or feeling overwhelmed by what my inbox might hold, I aim to mindful, being deliberate of where my focus is going.

My challenge for you: reflect on whether you are falling prey on that momentum, on that "I'm busy because I'm busy", and try to break free from it.

I know it can sound scary (but I have so much to do!), but trust me, you'll end up in a better place, and you will achieve all you want.

Take care.

My current focus

• Reimplement the real-time features in Otter into the new backend (this includes a chat, sending budgets, and accepting or rejecting them) ⚡️
• Meet up with a potential new mentor for Otter 💬
• Wrap up some implementation plans for a new feature in Analyze and kickoff some parts that don't depend on these plans 🚀

Some links for you

3 Ways to Reclaim your Creativity and Productivity

Video

I loved this video by Matthew Encina on three tips for focused productivity and creativity. I find The Futur videos really well made and with a very inspiring vibe to it.

How to become a modern magician? - productivity tips for devs on macOS

Article

If you see someone at the top of their game, usually, you'll get the feeling that they are going effortlessly through the motions. They make it look easy. These are a couple of tips to make your workflow while on your computer a bit smoother so you can feel that way!

Thank you for reading 🙏