How an Ancient Greek philosophy can maximize your productivity
The year is 300 B.C.
Zeno, a renowned philosopher and founder of Stoicism, is enjoying some steam at an Athens bathhouse.
Suddenly, Zeno remembers a lecture he needs to prepare for the following day. He isn’t ready to leave; he’s just starting to unwind after a long week of debating politics. But, he also doesn’t want to put off the lecture.
What’s a Stoic to do?
His friend, Crete of Thebes, the famed Cynic, would tell him to go. This bathing ritual is self-indulgent and one should only be concerned with the bare necessities of life.
But I’m not a Cynic, Zeno thinks, which means I don’t have to be sooo ascetic.
As a Stoic, I have to focus on what’s important, not urgent. My health is important, Zeno reasons. Hippocrates, the great physician, recommended daily baths. One vote for staying.
Then again, my students’ education is important. And as a Stoic, doing my job brings me enjoyment.
But what if the lecture doesn’t go well? Zeno asks himself. He visualizes the worst case scenario: losing his students’ attention while they pass notes back and forth on tiny pieces of papyrus.
