Hmm

 

Many Thanks!

Many thanks to serpentinesheldonserpentine and to Cultural Offering for their kind mention of my recent Substack post on Books for America's 250th Anniversary. 

Many thanks also to Nicholas Bate, A Large Regular, and A Layman's Blog for their mentions.

They are deeply appreciated.

[Photo by David Kovalenko at Unsplash]

Disciplined Distractions

 

Consider your average workday. How much of it is consumed by distractions? How much more work could you get done if you reduced them?

Now for the brutal part: How many of those distractions are chosen by you and not inflicted by others?

My guess is that it's a large amount so here's the assignment:

Set aside 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon for those self-chosen distractions. No other time can be devoted to them.

A rigid application of that regimen will make a big difference.

[Photo by Bradley Andrews at Unsplash]

Guitar from 1679

 

A Small Sampling: The Man Never Sleeps

 

 

Make his site a daily visit.

Headmistress Katharine Birbalsingh: "This is a civilizational failure!"

 

On My List

 

Hit the Books!

Books for America's 250th Anniversary.

An improved and enlarged list is here. Bear with me.

[Photo by Max Sulik at Unsplash]

The Battle of Oslo

 

Communication's Changing Standards

 

I have found that email messages have become so common that they are often ignored. If there ever were a resemblance to the old-fashioned paper, envelope, and ink version, it is long-gone.

That's one reason why text messages are far more likely to be read. Although techie, they are more personal and, like email, the recipient has the ability to choose when to respond.

Still, there was an intensely personal aspect to the old paper and envelope approach. 

I follow a ritual and use a letter opener: a miniature samurai sword that a friend brought me from Japan.

The ritual is surprisingly enjoyable. As the process unfolds, one can study the type of stationary, the nature of the signature, and even the stamp.

All are evidence that a real person took the time to send me a message.

I recently received a letter that had a William F. Buckley Jr. postage stamp on the envelope. The hand-written postscript said:

"I want you to know that not everyone merits that stamp."

Nice touch. 

Big smile.

Try that with an email!