This article is of a man trying to carve out his slice in the self-help, productivity-hacking attention economy. If you squint, it looks like sigma grindset satire.
The underlying advice in the blog isn't bad, but the formatting is awkward, and it is riddled with little specious bites that pollute the underlying message. To be more concrete, I appreciate the sentiment of "prioritize clearly and consciously dedicate blocks of time to the things that are most important" but the impact of the blog is weakened by statements like "In the new economy, your ideas are what set you apart" and "Deep work is how you build out your dreams in record time".
Implicit in the article is an assumption that life is lacking, and I'm not sure that is a healthy outlook. I'm not sure the "dream projects" I have would actively make my life better - but rather be the irrational answer to an imagined hole inside myself. Writing a book so I can convince the world I'm eloquent and clever. Doing art to prove to my Mum that her belief I'd make a great artist is correct. Getting a PhD to prove to my dad that he raised me smart. Getting a fancy house to prove to my brother that I am capable of success. I could spend an hour a day grinding out all these things, but I'm not sure any of the holes are fillable, or that the pay-off is meaningful.
The underlying advice in the blog isn't bad, but the formatting is awkward, and it is riddled with little specious bites that pollute the underlying message. To be more concrete, I appreciate the sentiment of "prioritize clearly and consciously dedicate blocks of time to the things that are most important" but the impact of the blog is weakened by statements like "In the new economy, your ideas are what set you apart" and "Deep work is how you build out your dreams in record time".
Implicit in the article is an assumption that life is lacking, and I'm not sure that is a healthy outlook. I'm not sure the "dream projects" I have would actively make my life better - but rather be the irrational answer to an imagined hole inside myself. Writing a book so I can convince the world I'm eloquent and clever. Doing art to prove to my Mum that her belief I'd make a great artist is correct. Getting a PhD to prove to my dad that he raised me smart. Getting a fancy house to prove to my brother that I am capable of success. I could spend an hour a day grinding out all these things, but I'm not sure any of the holes are fillable, or that the pay-off is meaningful.
I'd rather spend that hour walking a dog.