This Is How to Survive Productivity and Win at Life
Sometimes slacking trumps hacking
My wife embarked on a coast-to-coast road trip recently with a fun group of people who all own Toyota 86 sports cars. For the last leg of her trip, I flew down to Houston to join her.
I packed my Pakt One minimalist travel bag and picked up my 11" MacBook Air and iPad mini. I figured I could steal some time in the evenings to stay current with my writing and cartoons.
Then I noticed Cal Newport’s book Digital Minimalism- Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World sitting on my desk. Part of Cal’s book recommends taking a 30-day detox that cuts out all non-essential technology in order to declutter your brain and create less dependence on digital devices.
My obsessive-compulsive, productivity mindset won out and I packed the MacAir and iPad mini. Later, while flying down to Houston, I reconsidered.
What’s the point of taking time off to travel with my wife if I’m going to keep working? I vowed to ignore my devices and enjoy the trip.
There were a few times during the trip while relaxing in our hotel room when I was tempted to pull out my laptop. Fortunately, I didn’t. Instead, my wife and I read books in the evenings, talked, and enjoyed our time together.
