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Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.

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43Folders.com is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.

Dr. Johnson on reminders

Dr. JohnsonThis morning I've been starting to put together an "Introduction to Mindfulness" post, and I ran across this wonderful little quote that's been attributed to Dr. Samuel Johnson:

"People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed."

Yep. That right there is pretty much the whole bag of donuts in 13 words.

When people -- sometimes understandably -- howl and moan about the blinding "obviousness" of everything we talk about on 43F, somewhere in the back of my head a Johnson-esque voice whispers, "Yeah, but do we always do the things we already know we should do?" And I have to say "No, we don't." Or at least I don't.

I think most of the time you guys just happen to get whichever lecture I've most recently needed the most myself; like a fretful mother, I make you put on a sweater when I feel a draft. Which is kind of funny I guess, but hey, ideas gotta start someplace.

Even all the blindingly obvious ones.

The Asia Pacific Headhunter's picture

Zen, Mindfulness and GTD... My top...

Zen, Mindfulness and GTD...

My top goal this year is to really get on top of GTD and my own personal efficiency levels in my entire life. I really feel that I have made some really big strides in the last year, thanks to...

 
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