ImpromptBrüuImpromptBrü
Breadcrumbs of ProofPoured3connected(Jump)
How the notebook worksEvery page answers two questions: what kind of thinking it keeps, and how far along that thinking is.What it keepsNotesmy thoughts in fluxTopicA gathering point. It collects the notes underneath it, and sometimes nothing is written in the middle.MineMy ideas, at every stage of thought.Inspiredthis oneNot fully, or mostly, original. It says whose idea it started as.StubNot enough to say in public yet. Here for the links in and out.How far alongSteepingThin and early. Written down so I can find out what I think of it.BrewingHas a shape, still moving. Most of the notebook lives here.PouredFinished, which is not the same as long. Five words can be poured.Mix kind and stage on the benchEdited

Breadcrumbs of Proof

On episode 147: Good Productivity of the Time and Attention Podcast, Chris Bailey shares a quote and interesting idea.

There’s no such thing as love; only proof of love. — Jean Cocteau

Bailey’s error aside, he makes a brilliant connection to productivity:

There is no such thing as productivity, only proofs of productivity.

I found this to be a really interesting thought, especially as I am currently reading Oliver Burkeman’s Meditations for Mortals. So many of us strive to do more, yet Bailey gets right to the heart of it: productivity is hard to measure and exists only in what we actually produce. As knowledge workers, our productivity manifests solely in the breadcrumbs of “proof” we leave behind. Although some might try to frame productivity as a measure of effort, it is observed through output.

So now it is my turn to twist a quote, this time from Oliver Burkeman:

…for the usual perfectionistic, limit-denying reasons – wanting to be optimally productive instead of just productive, or wanting to feel in full control of your time and obligations – you never managed to translate your impulses into action.

So what lesson do I take away from all of this? Rather than seeking perfection, seek completion. Along the way, regularly, leave breadcrumbs of proof rather than focusing on the most productive way to do things.

1 min readCreated Edited

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