Build the life you want with a hybrid system

Cheesy title, yes. But it describes how I’ve developed my use of various digital and analog tools over the past several years to live in a way that fits my beliefs and brings satisfaction. Is there room to improve? Of course — there’s always room to improve. But my combination of habits and tools is feeling settled and peaceful. And as many people seem interested in these topics, I wanted to share my overall system. Why paper and digital tools? Simple. Both have advantages. Digital tools are…

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How to recover when things get overwhelming

There comes a time when your tasks and responsibilities will get out of hand. Despite your best efforts and disciplined approach, you suddenly find yourself with overflowing inboxes, tasks and notes scribbled out on paper, and a sense that you're not in control. Something will be missed or forgotten. This happens to all of us. And this is when people feel their “system” is broken and they jump ship. This can come in the form of reverting to old habits and ways of doing things. Or you start look…

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Is it even good to have goals?

I recently enjoyed a couple of good episodes of Whims That Work. In this one, hosts Drew Coffman and Joe Buhlig touch on goals and whether or not they’re a good way to approach life. So much of this episode touched on things that I discuss a lot here: goals vs. habits, notebooks, commonplace books. As I listened during my run, so many related resources came to mind: * On habits and goals, no one I know of has written as consistently as James Clear. So much of what Drew mentions here about…

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Dictatorship

I wrote a giddy post-Super Bowl post [https://chrisbowler.com/journal/patriots] last year. This year, my favorite sportsball team was back in the big game, but this year they came up short. And although my sons are now, through osmosis I suppose, getting into football and spent last Sunday wailing at the TV, flipping tables, or throwing hats on the floor, I was calm about the entire affair. Well, I was suspenseful during the game. But once the outcome was certain, I was fine with how it ended.…

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There is nothing virtual about bitcoin’s energy appetite

This is an area where I am lacking in familiarity with the subject. While I have read the headlines and watched in amazement as friends have taken the plunge to “investing” in a cryptocurrency, I have not taken the time to get a better grip on why some people are so bullish on this technology (I have several long articles on the subject in Instapaper, so bad on me). But any time I think about it, I can’t get past the environmental impact. > The total network of computers plugged into the bitcoi…

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Why I schedule 3 hours Of “NOTT” — no outcome thinking time — every week

Mitchell Harper reminds us that it’s important to schedule time to just think. Not to do, but simply to take time to ponder what we’re doing on this journey. > During my thinking time I focus on not “doing” anything. I don’t try to make progress on anything tangible. I don’t mark off goals on a ToDo list. I just sit in silence and think about things that are important or top of mind. I’m confident that the reason we all get our best ideas in the shower is because we’re not taking time…

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