Posts Tagged ‘Personal Development’

As I sit here writing this I am laying in the sun on Maehama beach in Miakojima, Japan. The picture above is the location just after getting out of the car. Am I sending you this from my vacation? No. Technically, I’m working.

For those who have been following this blog for a while know that I gave up my job in Tokyo, got rid of all my stuff, and moved to the beautiful island of Miyakojima to do Internet marketing. For those interested in doing something similar, check out the 4 hour work week.

Today, I actually want to talk about how important it is to get out of the office and especially, away from the computer.

Regardless of the job, it seems that most of us spend a lot of time punching away at a keyboard. It has become so common we don’t even consider working somewhere there isn’t a computer. Unfortunately, working on the computer isn’t always efficient or creative. It can also be quite distracting.

If you are using a computer, then there are a lot of distractions. It can be difficult to focus on work, when a failblog video is just a couple of clicks away. This of course is after you read through the endless unimportant email. And even when you do get to work, you switch between several tabs and projects. What is it that computers actually help us do again.

So what can you do? Get away from the computer. Turn it off. Remember what you did before you had a computer? A lot of projects we do on the computer can be done ( better and more creative) another way. This works especially well for projects that have several parts. Most projects have a part you need to think about and create. If you do that away from the computer and in a place you like it doesn’t feel like work.

Lastly, consider substitutes. Today’s smart phones can do quite a bit. If you have to be in front of a “computer” take it with you. I say this as i am typing on my Iphone. Work doesn’t seem like work if you are sitting on a beach.

And with that I think it is time to end this post. The sun is getting kind of bright.

A simple question: does worrying help you better prepare or does it just cause unneeded stress?

This is something I often wonder. On one side, worrying about something causes me to take action and make preparations if something doesn’t turn out well. And sometimes those preparations create an even better result than I had originally hoped for.

On the other side, worrying about a worst case scenario can cause a lot of stress. Not to mention that many times there isn’t much you can do about it until the time actually comes.

I tend to be a pretty positive person and always hope for the best. However, I also try to be realistic in assessing a situation. Being to unrealistic can lead to disappointment and leave someone in a bad situation with no options.

So, what do you think? Is worrying a constructive and important part of decision making, or is it simply unneeded stress?