Distracted Philosopher

Everyone has a different tool they use for productivity. Everyone likes to manage their data differently. I’m not a fan of Microsoft Word or complicated document writers. If I need to get thoughts written down I fire up Textmate or Ultra-Edit, depending on the computer I’m using. A simple unformatted TXT file can be read on any platform and requires the least editing to make it into a presentable document, its all I use. What I want is a productivity tool built around those files. I don’t want something to incorporate them, just manage them. I don’t want a new text editor, I like Textmate. So far I have several tools that can get me there, but not everything

• Data gathering - Textmate/Ultra-Edit for editing, I can do a quick append to a text file with Quicksilver as well.
• Processing - if I can settle on a naming convention then I can use Hazel to manage those text files, pushing them into folders as needed. No known solution for this on the PC.
• Presentation - this is trickier. I want an “always on top” text viewer independent of Textmate. I use Stickies in developer mode from the Dashboard to keep a note in my face. I want that functionality, but that it opens an aesthetically pleasing text file as needed.
• Backup/Storage - I’m fairly ok having a folder on my laptop that I can zip up and toss on a USB drive or email to myself, thereby allowing me to share data.

I want a cloud solution, maybe Hazel + Transmit could do it for me, or even Transmit with its dock upload option… I’ll have to research it. Then have a server side app that presents those notes easily to the web. The kicker I think is the “Sticky Publisher” that keeps information in my face.

So, its a slow start (based on titles that is quite literal) as I get my blog out to the world. I had planned on going Blogger and keep as much of the endeavor in Google’s hands as possible. In going for simplicity I lost a lot of complexity, can you believe it? While Wordpress might not be the most hackable option, I was already on Bluehost and putting up a Wordpress blog was trivial. I’m now running Wordpress and hmming and hawing over templates. At least I’ve got Feedburner set up for RSS feeds and Share this for social bookmarking. This week I hope to settle into it enough to post a few times, get my sea legs and what have you. Soon I need to start sharing the love and identifying peers and what have you.

So I did alright I supposed, I made it to about 18 hours with the plan being a 24 hour fast. What I didn’t plan for was that I needed to have my Q1 performance review done by the end of the day Friday. Jody sans food is a slow moving beast that doesn’t process thought so well. I opted to have lunch for the good of my career and then completed that task and did some Excel hacking to boot.

Once upon a time I fasted one day a week, once upon a time I was a vegetarian. Recently I’ve over-indulged on one of the most generous perks at work, catered breakfast (lunch has more healthy options.) and resulted in what I call my “sugar funk.” I can’t handle as much sugar as I could years ago… its not hard to land in this state now. Work is not un-stressful either which fuels the need to grab a sweet and also produces its own level of funk. What’s my point? Just that in this modern age there are no shortages of ways to fill your body with crap and then suffer for it. I’m returning to that old habit today, a simple fast.Fasting has a number of pluses and minus which I am here to elaborate on. Aside from the metaphysical or spiritual which had their part in my younger motivations, there are physical and mental perks. I’m not looking for an alter state of consciousness… well I am but only in as much as removal of the aforementioned funk. If you’ve never fasted, this all might be news to you.

Fasting, the good:

• You slow down - Your perspective shifts without realizing it
• Focus on food changes - You don’t have to think about where to eat, what to make
• It’s empowering - You reaffirm who’s in charge
• Less stress on your digestive system - Everybody likes some time off right?
• Cleansing - no Garbage In, no Garbage Out
• Heightened senses - This goes with the perspective shift, it can be distracting but also enlightening

Fasting, the less-good:

• You slow down - The longer the fast, the slower you go
• Distraction - You notice the hunger and have to remind yourself not to feed it
• Heightened Senses - I swear I can smell bacon 3 miles away
• Less energy - I remember a day spent laying on the kitchen floor after 3 days of fasting, quite content to just lay there

I’ll re-emphasize that distraction can really get in the way. If you’re going more than a day I recommend that you have less required of you the further you go. I’ll elaborate on the merits with citation later, I’m sitting on a bus with no internet connection. I spent a lot of thought on this subject in the olden days but just fell out of the habit and never picked it up again. I’ll admit I’ve never made it past 3 days (did you see what I was doing at 3 days with no food?) but it always felt rewarding to have done it. I might have some interesting things to say by tonight, I’ll try to censor myself.