honoring distraction, the creative process

Maybe the reason Homer is so happy is that he thinks fast.

A new study shows that some rapid problem solving, or even watching speeded up episodes of I Love Lucy causes feelings of elation.

Read the full article here.

honoring distraction, productivity tips, the creative process

Doogie Howser grows old, becomes funny.

I sometimes consider myself a connoisseur of comedy, which is the only reason I would offer you such purely recycled content. Watch as Neil Patrick Harris and SNL reveal the humor in one of life’s most futile, yet painful emotions: nostalgia.

Note: If you do not remember the television sitcom, Doogie Howser M.D. you will not find this funny

communing with the universe, honoring distraction, what it's like when I try to be funny

Which of these reminds you of the internet?

“Surfing the web” is a horrible and inaccurate metaphor. The artful physicality and subtleties of catching a wave have little to do with the hunched, glassy-eyed aimlessness of link-clicking.

The information on the internet is as vast as an ocean, but the waves don’t break that clean. The staccato click of the mouse and sudden jumps from web page to web page make browsing more like “sucking on the machine gun of the internet” than “surfing the web.”  Maybe, “standing beneath the mudslide of the internet” or “dumpster diving the internet” would work better.

Read more…

everybody loves GTD, honoring distraction, productivity tips, the creative process, useful technology

Dream: build a website that is content rich, elegant, helpful, and filled with good writing on topics that I am passionate about.

• Step 1: think about it, dream about it, talk about it
• Step 2: make a mind-map about it.
• Step 2.1: get distracted looking at mind-map web applications
• Step 2.2: write an article about getting distracted

Me and Mind Maps

I got into mind maps a couple years ago. I started out by reading The Mind Map Book by Tony Buzan, the slightly annoying man who attempted to trademark the word “Mind Map” and is often given credit as being the inventor. Despite being annoyed by the constant capitalization (of the letters and on the idea) of Mind Map, I found the book to be incredibly useful. I followed advice which suggested that I adhere to a particular set of “Mind Map Laws” until I had made 100 maps. I’ve drawn about 300 or so, written an article about them and given several workshops on the topic.

“Mind map” can mean a lot of things, Read more…

honoring distraction, information dieting, mind maps, the creative process, useful technology, what it's like to be me