ยป Life Goal: Defeat Entropy
Take a look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: most of your needs are being met right now. But you’re also devoting most of your life to maintaining them.
The biggest portion of your day is spent working for money. Most of your money goes to buy physiological needs: shelter, food, transportation.
Other than that you spend a lot of time sleeping, eating and cleaning. You spend time unwinding and socializing mostly just to stay sane. My point is that I might be spending more time on details than you, but almost all of your time is spent fighting entropy one way or another.
Our society is very focused on the idea that you should be accomplishing something important all the time. But is that reasonable to given how much time we have to spend just living? Instead, I think you should be measured on whether you do everyday tasks with grace. Is your life aesthetically pleasing?
Often I am just happy that I survived the day and not focused on making my life aesthetically pleasing. I have learned to find happiness and beauty is small daily accomplishments. Today my happiness will come from finishing the task of getting Michelle a birthday present. I try to make sure I get at least one task done a day that makes my day have meaning, especially since I have no job.
Maybe I will be able to sympathize with your need to spend time on details when I am finally out of survival mode and actually have my basic needs met.
Karen
10 Jun 09 at 11:17 am
My point is that we’re all just meeting needs, so it’s goofy to try to add something that “has meaning”. Instead, put meaning into how you meet your needs.
Did that not come through in the post? I totally failed if it didn’t…
Jared
10 Jun 09 at 11:33 am
I guess. I just think I spend more time in meeting my needs than you do. If you put the right meaning into how you meet your needs then you shouldn’t be getting overwhelmed with your to do lists and still have time to have fun with life and chat online.
Maybe you should make a daily top 5 to do list and just work on accomplishing those things?
Karen
10 Jun 09 at 11:43 am