If you are old like me, you remember what a Disk Jockey did. In the 80s certain cool kids acted as a DJ putting together bootleg mixes and turning records. They were in tune with what people wanted to hear and they were in demand. Something was unique about the choices they made or the unique organization of songs. Our complex lives and cacophony of distractions require a “cool” DJ to surgically select stimuli that we let into our daily life. There is a movie that has the phrase “aim small shoot small” which I think is great advice when life gets really loud. There is no way we are able to process the amount of information that we can access or that we are fed. I get overwhelmed with the amount of information that comes in so when life provides me a task that is very important, I act like a DJ for my life and start making hard choices so I can hear the music. Here are some actions that I take when I find more data than processing capacity. I hope these tips help you choose a great playlist.
1. Everything may seem expedient, but everything is not important.
2. Important things have lasting impact and a range of impact that if not handled correctly can create a damaging blast radius.
3. Multitasking is a lie. You can’t effectively do two tasks at one time. Load a task at a time then complete it before moving to the next task.
4. Learn to say No, Not now, and Later. Pressure to say Yes, ok, and I’ll get to it next; ignores the necessary agency we should apply to tasks.
5. Build 30 minutes into each day for what I call “thinking time”. Sit and soak up the ambient noise of the world. Realization might be a byproduct of quiet time.
6. Embrace how much of your day is dealing with fear. I must face how much of my daily life is processing fear. Is fear motivating my decisions? Is fear the reason I am saying yes? I picture my fear as a large grizzly bear that I pet sitting on a dock. It is always there but I can control it. Fear is a powerful emotion that we must learn to identify and manage.
7. A person wants their priorities to be my priorities. Some people are not trying to create synergy with you because they want something from you. Remember that a good playlist depends on mutual respect and agreement.
8. Let your yes be yes and your no be no.
9. Make a list of non-negotiables that you add to each year so that you can DJ from the right foundation.
Albert R. Hartley
Currently Reading:
When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress
By: Gabor Maté
Notes to John
By: Joan Didion
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
By: Rick Atkinson
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture
By: Gabor Maté
Kafka on the Shore
By: Murakami
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times
By: H. W. Brands