Want to Be More Effective? Strive for Boredom.
Be okay with boring and you can succeed.
FOMO- the fear of missing out.
SNO Syndrome- Shiny New Object Syndrome.
YOLO- You only live once.
All are excuses to ditch a proven system.
These conditions keep you from doing your best work.
The most effective and productive people have a proven system that, to the outsider, seems boring.
But boring is effective.
Our brains are for thinking. Too many choices can be both good and bad. My experience has shown it to be a bad thing.
There is a limit where too many choices start to become more of a hindrance than a blessing. Barry Schwartz argues that in his book The Paradox of Choice.
When we’re faced with too many choices, we become paralyzed. When there are too many note-taking applications and systems, for example, we become paralyzed. We are not taking any action when too many choices are available.
Boring routines are effective precisely because of this. Routines, by nature, limit choice. Routines leave our brains with enough short-term memory to handle actual thinking.
It is essential to have some kind of routine. This doesn’t mean that your life has to be completely boring.
You can still have fun and enjoy life, but you should also have a system in place that helps you get things done.
A routine gives your life structure. It provides a framework within which you can handle the more important problems.
Routines also allow others to plan around your schedule. In this sense, you are respectful of your time and theirs.
But most importantly, a routine is effective. It allows you to focus your time and energy on the things that really matter.
So if you have to choose only one thing, make it something that is boring but effective. It will serve you well in the long run.
