Your Life is Yours, So Are Your Choices
The world responds to your actions, don't be afraid to be unconventional
āOh, I have ChatGPT interview ME on a topic I need to exploreā¦ā
I confess, my use of AI was evidence of how ineffective it can be. I would ask it questions like it was a search engine, or iād pursue a summary.
Using AI was on track to make me dumber, stupider, less smart.
I was talking to
who had found his own way to make ADHD useful, and his method would force him to think, to draw out the answers from HIM as opposed to relying on the AI to do the work.It was brilliant!
This simple switch has allowed me to explore ideas that I wouldnāt think about otherwise. Itās pushed me to pursue a simple thought into more depth, and made me a better thinker.
(We all hate AI, thatās fine. Iām not going to become a Luddite and ignore it completely, though. There is value. Iāve installed local copies, so I can do work on my computer sometimes and not destroy the environment.)
Most tools can be used in different ways
Artificial Intelligence is quite versatile in the different ways it can be used, itās basically a person without agency, so go figure itās multifaceted. But itās not the only tool like this.
A hammer can drive nails, it can pull nails, it can be used as blunt force to break things. Itās crude, but itās a starting point for re-thinking your tools.
Iāve tried to use the Pomodoro technique for being productive, set a timer for 20 minutes, go work and when itās done, take a break.
I hate the standard Pomodoro plan, a) I do NOT recover well when interrupted and b) I get pissed when Iām pulled out of flow.
While reading someoneās frustration posts about Pomodoro on Reddit recently, someone commented that āYouāre doing it wrongā and then detailed their method. What Iām calling a āreverse Pomodoroāā¦
Set a timer for 5 minutes.
Tell yourself you only need to work on it for the length of that timer, then youāre done.
After 5 minutes, say āsee, that wasnāt so bad, letās do it againā and repeat.
This method isnāt about me getting a reward or taking a break after, itās me shutting up the excuses to not do a thing and just start.
Iāve seen time blocking on a calendar as a means to block interruptions from others, rather than a way to schedule your time. Itās a āleave me aloneā option, instead of a āIāll work on this.ā
mentions āEat the Cakeā as a strategy in his book, instead of āSwallow the Frog.ā Sometimes doing the delicious thing first will draw you into further productivity.The productivity world is filled with alternate uses for strategies, often created by neurodivergent people that know that conventional wisdom doesnāt work.
Social norms arenāt laws, they can be flipped as well
Much of our social behavior is us trying to honor the social contract, or the expected behavior for a situation.
For years, it was normal to wear a suit to work, and a tie. Women had to stay home, but wear a dress and cook the meals. At some point women went to work (I think it was World War II that kicked it off.) At some point everyone got to be casual in their attire (this accelerated with dot com era tech firms.)
Increasingly there is the realization that you donāt have to ārespect your eldersā just because theyāre older, a old dick is still a dick.
I saw a recent post suggesting that itās ok to severe ties with your family. Just because you were born to someone, if they are trying to control or manipulate you, you should walk away. You should create the family, or tribe, that actually resonates with you and lets you be yourself.
While I strongly encourage people to at least be civil, I think weāre in a place in history where doing what youāre expected does more harm than good. The manipulation of āfree speechā has created platforms for hate groups.
Itās time to be with āyour peopleā even if itās an echo chamber. Itās your responsibility to find the group that supports you and builds you up, in spite of what youāre told.
Your life is yours, so are your choices
We live in a time of upheaval. Conservative groups are trying to force their version of acceptable behavior onto the masses. Globally, there are so many people suffering under a leader that is trying to run their world with a boot on their neck.
The state of the planet is in check because so many people are looking for a āstrong manā to tell them what to do. Theyāre hoping to have someone bring order to the chaos in their life because theyāre scared. There is a frighteningly large group of humans today that think someone else has to make the choices for them.
Youāre only here for a limited time, you can cower in fear of the angry masses, you can follow despots like sheep, or you can stand up and make your voice be heard.
As a human, your greatest responsibility is to help other humans, to create a world where weāre all able to build one another up, and where the power hungry are silenced before they can choke the life out of those less obsessed.
I fear for the future generations. We are moving to an era where loyalty and accountability will be lost.
If it's so cool to severe ties with family that means forgiveness will be lost and that won't stop the abusers.
But if we make them accountable for their actions and mend the breaks, we can still hope they change for good.
Yes, we all make our choices. However selflessness is still a stronger force than selfishness, which is what happens when we over prioritize our choices over everything and everyone else.
If we want to save our humanity, we need to dail down on individual choices. Look at the chaos happening all over the world.
Wars and chaos just because one person is enforcing his desires on others. See how Putin and Trump's choices are endangering lives. Our choice should stir towards serving a greater good not just ourselves.