Hey Merlin, thanks for the linkage! Small typo though, I’m at LifeClever, not LifeDev. ;-)

I totally agree with you about spending too much time planning what you’re going to do rather than doing them. The important thing about the Unschedule is that it gives you a visualization of an entire day that includes leisure as well as work. Turns out I’m not “working all the time” as it sometimes seems. So already, my brain is starting to reduce the negativity associated with work.

I was going to keep a procrastination diary, but I never got around to it.

I saw Merlin at the NYC OmniFocus panel, and asked him for a book recommendation, and he kindly recommended The Now Habit. I read it, and though I can’t say I’m scheduling “play time,” I’ve been keeping a log in iCal for 6 days. As Fiore promised, my stress level is dropping, despite this being a particularly traumatic week work-wise.

It’s a lot of benefit for nearly zero effort. I have to track my billable hours anyway, so all I do is fill in the blank spaces in my new calendar group (“Log”) with other colors.

Beyond stress relief, I’m now “batching” work into time blocks and stay on point for more reasonable periods of time. If the habits I’m learning in this exercise stick, I can see myself having more stress-free fun and making more money.

Last year, I started picking up books on laziness. I've always been a bit fond of idleness (oh, who am I kidding, I'm a bum). Anyway, there were three books in particular that I enjoyed...

From the France, Bonjour, Paresse (Hello, Laziness) by Corinne Maier was at the top of the French bestsellers list a year ago. With clinical cynicism, Mme. Maier provided a methodology of sloth geared toward corporate executives. It was a runaway success, perhaps due to the fact that the book stood in stark opposition to the leading political party stance that the population is tired of only working 35 hours per week, as currently mandated by law.

Not to be outdone, the Germans offered their own vision of faulheit. Utterly lacking in cynical charm, the wholly clinical Joy of Laziness by Peter Axt and Michaela Axt-Gaderman quantified the benefits of doing nothing. The Professors Axt set out a very precise regimen of physical inactivity, record the results, and prove empirically that one will live longer and be happier if one does nothing {and eats nothing}. Personally, I think Epicurus did it better, and with style.

But my favorite was the British ideal - How to be Idle by Tom Hodgkinson, of The Idler. His take was more mystical, spiritual, and frankly impractical. His website is a veritable shrine to the outlandish extremes people will go to do nothing. For example, though an American one, the website highlights Paul Bowles. Tangiers is a long way to go to do nothing. Why not simply plop down where you are? But no, there must be some sense of romantic wandering...

I couldn't find a standout American book though. Americans (IMHO) tend to be less interested in humor, philosophizing, or rigorous study than in selling twelve-step programs designed to promote a better sense of self-worth. This is also known as sacrificing great sums of paper in the hopes of deifying gossip merchants and charlatans.

whew! That was longer than I expected. Enjoy!

always unsure on which tasks should have more priority over others. Hopefully the book has some work around.

I don’t know if he’s the originator of this term, but Steve Pavlina has a great handle for tricks like the unschedule - he calls them ‘Productivity Scaffolds’. Temporary supports to help you get back on track.

His blog post (linked to at the bottom of this comment) uses a morning and evening routine as an example, and it didn’t occur to me before that an unschedule is another good one.

I don’t think the idea of the scaffold being temporary/transitory is mentioned by Fiore in his otherwise great read, so it’s cool to see it addressed on 43f.

Link.