Why and How to Be More Like an Aircraft Carrier and Less Like a Speed Boat

Because of the proliferation of productivity apps, methods, and “lifehacks,” we face constant temptations to tinker with our productivity workflows.

This morning, I almost ate the fruit. 

I use Omnifocus. I love Omnifocus. But 2Do, another popular task management app, is free for the next few days on iOS. So naturally, when I read about this, I had to download and play around with it. I really like it. In fact, it has features I miss in Omnifocus. For a few minutes, I wondered if I should replace Omnifocus with 2Do. 

But rightfully (I think), I decided not to. Here's why. 

Of course, it is critical to “learn-by-doing” and tinker with our productivity workflows and systems from time-to-time. System tinkering—done well—improves efficiency. However, we must avoid over-indulging in the deluge of “productivity porn.” This is easier said than done because system-tinkering makes us feel productive, even when we aren't. Our minds are fooling us!

So how to overcome this? 

The only solution I can come up with is thinking in terms of inputs and outputs. 

Inputs include: what you learn, how you setup your workflow, what tools you use, etc. 

Outputs include: the book you write, the lessons you apply in the real-world, what you accomplish with your tools, etc. 

And it is only the outputs that really matter. 

If we mindfully think in terms of outputs first and foremost, we will be less tempted to tinker with our inputs unless it is clear a tweak will likely improve the quality or quantity of the output. 

But if we find ourselves thinking primarily in terms of inputs without considering the outcomes we actually want, then we are most likely over-indulging in the latest fads, and fooling ourselves. 

The evolution of a workflow should be more like an aircraft carrier changing direction and less like a speed boat in unregulated waters. 

The Future of the Mind and the Future of Diffusion Research

    I tend to read a few different books at a time, usually something fiction, something non-fiction, and something way over my head and mind-blowing. Currently, the latter is The Future of the Mind: the Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind by Dr. Michio Kaku, a theoretical physics professor. I did not expect to come across anything relating to my dissertation in his book, but I did. 

    Dr. Kaku, describing limitations to EEG scans: 

     The EEG machine, however, is… passive… it analyzes the tiny electromagnetic signals the brain          naturally emits. The EEG excels at recording the broad electromagnetic signals that surge across the entire brain, which allows scientists to measure the overall activity of the brain as it sleeps, concentrates, relaxes, dreams, etc… However, the main drawback to the EEG, which has held up its development for decades, is its very poor spatial resolution. The EEG picks up electrical signals that have already been diffused after passing through the skull, making it difficult to detect abnormal activity when it originates deep in the brain. Looking at the output of the muddled EEG signals, it is almost impossible to say for sure which part of the brain created it (Kindle, 553-561).

    Similarly, as I argue in my dissertation, the diffusion of innovations literature primarily consists of studies that look retrospectively at an innovation (whether it’s the Internet, or cell phones, or wind turbines) years—or decades—after widespread diffusion. Like EEG scans, these studies miss out on the details. We can speak very generally about how innovations diffuse, but we know very little about how diffusion occurs person-to-person.

    This, I argue, is critical for understanding how future innovations will (or won’t) succeed, and whether they will (or won’t) diffuse across a market, or the entire world. 

Developing Elusive Habits or How Skiing Made Me a More Productive Person and a Better Father

Five-ish years ago, I went skiing for the second time in my life.

The next morning, newly-discovered leg muscles were sore, and I stretched out on the ski lodge bed, perusing various blogs. I came across a blog that raved about Evernote and its ability to skyrocket productivity. It was love at first download. Not just love for Evernote, but love for the whole idea of improving my productivity and general self-efficacy. 

I read David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) that afternoon, and when I returned to Boston from the mountains, I implemented a GTD system within Evernote. Since then, I have developed crushes on several other apps and productivity methods. I’ve used these apps and methods to build and maintain my personal time and task management systems, and have learned much about myself and what it takes to be the best version of myself.

But regardless of how many apps I download or productivity books I read, there are always areas in need of improvement.

One such area is journaling. I love to write. I have weird fascinations with notebooks, pens, and pencils, but for whatever reason, the habit of daily journaling eludes me. I know how beneficial it is, yet I start and stop journals all the time. Presently, on my bookshelf and in my desk drawers, there are at least 7 journals with a few entries on the first few pages. And then… nothing. 

Last week, reading a blog post by the Productivityist, Mike Vardy, I decided enough was enough. It’s time to journal and to do so consistently. But how?

Here’s my plan: 

Instead of addressing my journal to my future self, I’m going to address it to my future daughter. 

Someday in the future (I picture this happening on a spaceship), I will hand Barbara Ulysses Motta (kidding, Mom) a box of journals dating back to her second trimester. In these pages, she will see how weird (but productive!) her father is. 

Who better to hold me accountable than Barbara Ulysses? (Still kidding, Mom.)

What habits elude you? What extreme steps could you take to develop the elusive habit?

Tweet me at mjmottajr or e-mail at mjmottajr@gmail.com with your thoughts.