Excursions

I will no longer syndicate my posts to any social network timelines, that includes Micro.blog. This is the last post that gets syndicated. I will follow all my friends only via RSS and interact through emails or native comments. If you are keen to know what I am up to, you can follow the RSS feed.

For some time now, I haven’t been active on any social timelines. I simply can’t keep up. It doesn’t serve the purpose if I don’t contribute to the network and interact. At times, days go by before I respond to the mentions I receive and worse, I hardly ever reply to others’ posts. Being passively around the timeline only adds to the subconscious burden.

I also want to minimise distractions with my presence on the internet to lend myself more chances to build the right routines. Anything and everything that causes even a hint of friction has to be out. Given my general lack of patience for the hustle of social networks, they had to be out the door first.

I want to simplify everything. The tools I use. What I read. The way I write. Simple, that’s my word for the year.

I will no longer syndicate my posts to any social network timelines, that includes Micro.blog. This is the last post that gets syndicated. I will follow all my friends only via RSS and interact through emails or native comments. If you are kee… www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/1…

I am losing patience and desire for “social” in social network. It’s too fast paced for me and is only becoming more difficult with each passing year. I am better at handling engagements at a slower pace. May be I should retire to my conversations IRL.

I am losing patience and desire for “social” in social network. It’s too fast paced for me and is only becoming more difficult with each passing year. I am better at handling engagements at a slower pace. May be I should retire to my conversations IRL.

I have been thinking a lot recently about self-discipline and doing things I love. I want to understand why I need self-discipline to make myself do things that I love. There can be two reasons for this.

There’s an inherent dichotomy between the things that I love and the things I want to believe I love. Maybe I don’t love love journaling. Or meditating. But I want to believe I do. Hence, I need to fit these into my routine, or I just won’t do it. On the other hand, I do love reading blogs and non-fiction. Or mysteries. So, I don’t need a routine to make myself follow people’s feeds. Or read books. If this is the case, how can I separate things that I love from those I want to believe I love?

Another reason might be that the things I love aren’t easy for me to do. I haven’t mastered how to meditate. Or to journal. They don’t come naturally to me and hence, even a feeble friction – late nights or a busy work schedule or an unplanned travel – derails all my attempts to do any of these regularly. I need self-discipline to force myself to do such activities regularly (and patiently) as only through repetition will I master them. Only then would they start coming naturally to me.

I am yet to be convinced of the real reason. Maybe it is both; maybe neither. Whatever the case, I continue to force a routine on myself for I know of no other path to self-discipline.

YouTube is boring without recommendations. And I love that I could disable them by turning the watch history off.

YouTube is boring without recommendations. And I love that I could disable them by turning the watch history off.

I watched three movies over the weekend. I don’t usually do this, but after a hectic week at work, I had to give myself some relief. Two of the three movies were absolutely (and surprisingly) brilliant. Another one was just a mindless filler.

The first was 12th Fail. Such an inspiring story told in a simple, no-nonsense manner. In today’s phase of over-produced, over-dramatic, loud action movies, the plain narration was a treat. There was no ear-splitting background music and no unnecessary slow-motion effects. The life the movie was based on already had enough drama that it didn’t need any additional masala. Plus the music from Shantanu Moitra was mesmerising, especially the track Bolo Na that plays in the film. A beautiful, uplifting movie that can be watched with family, something that’s rare these days!

Next, we watched Migration – an unplanned rush to the theatre with the only intention to spend quality family time. And we did. A light, colourful movie with moments of hearty laughs. Of course, with a bucket of popcorn and coke. I always feel refreshed when my daughter has a wonderful time in a movie theatre. Watching her guffaw at the silliest of the jokes brings a big smile to my face. Today was no different.

With this much of the weekend spent on entertainment, I still had time for myself, for writing and lots of reading. I must be doing something right. I have a theory, but I am not ready to share it yet.

I watched three movies over the weekend. I don’t usually do this, but after a hectic week at work, I had to give myself some relief. Two of the three movies were absolutely (and surprisingly) brilliant. Another one was just a mindless fi… www.amitgawande.com/2024/01/0…

“Self-discipline is overrated. I should do what makes me feel good.”

“Just doing what makes me feel good makes me lazy. I need self-discipline.”

These are the two extremes I hop between. I would love to be in the middle somewhere. Self-disciplined enough not to be lazy, yet allow myself space to do what I love. Is attaining such a balance a myth? And what do I love? What does make me feel good?

Is it anything that’s frictionless or passive, like watching TV or clicking through YouTube recommendations? Or is it something that lends me a hollow feeling of achievement? Like reading random “intelligent” posts that I have no interest in? It must be neither. It is both.

Irrespective of which extreme I find myself at, I subconsciously judge how I spend my free time. It can’t be healthy. But I haven’t yet mastered the way not to be self-judgemental.

Here’s what I want to achieve. Be self-disciplined. To do things that keep me void of any guilt. But shouldn’t those be the things that make me feel good? As a result, won’t self-discipline make me lazy?