Zerebria

I have a retarded mind: I very often go through the best ideas in books and posts without noticing them right away. They usually become some sort of “seed” in my head and take 3, 4 days to fully grow, without me having the least intention to do anything about them. And then one day, as a flower that opens after a delicate nurture, I say: “wow”, and do something about it.

Writing the successes of the day was one of those great ideas. Simple, non-coded, very little time-consuming, it pays off in a way that is almost scary. (more…)

“There is nothing wrong with me. In fact, I’m a very good boy. I do all the math. I separate color and white clothes before laundry. I can tell when a traffic light is red, a floor slippery or a person angry, thus increasing my owner’s probability of survival. And man, do I enjoy all of it! (more…)

In “Getting Things Done”, David Allen affirms that the size of projects does not matter (for those who are not familiar with the GTD methodology, Allen defines “project” as any desired result that requires more than one simple action-i.e. a “pack” of actions with a defined purpose), and in terms of logic, he is right. Everything in his book is rigorously logic. But it makes me think of certain Zen masters. (more…)

I love books, so I always try to improve my reading system by making it as organic as possible; I intend to get a system that sort of “defends itself” from the aggressions of modern life, hurry and other everyday monsters. I’ll talk another day about the working and behavior of my reading pile, which is still evolving. Here I want to explain the tiny ecosystem of my “now reading” area and how it works. (more…)

While any moment is good to start, personal journaling has always been a classical example of new year resolution. And a very healthy one: it increases your awareness and allows you to squeeze to the most the juice of every moment. Furthermore: in an age where time plays and fools us so badly, I have come to think that journaling is a must for mental sanity. (more…)

Yeah, right: metaphors, images, similes… I am talking about poetry here, about making your personal computer really personal. The using of original names for your computer folders and control lists can do a lot to stimulate your creativity and improve your focus. (more…)

This text is a sort of “spin-off” from my previous post “Productivity the Spartan way”, which was about my experience using a vintage computer (God bless it). Now, having spent some time back in my century, I’d like to share with you some of the enhancements I brought with me and a few general (more…)

In his classic work “De Bono’s thinking course”, the master of creative thinking Edward de Bono (of the “Six thinking hats” fame) exposes a series of techniques to improve reasoning, as a sort of exhaustive “thought gym”. One of his exercises consists in (more…)

…to enhance lists

“Man gave name to all the animals”, sang Bob Dylan, and he knew what he was doing. From tribal cultures who honor the magic power of language (with their taboo words that cannot or can only be spoken under certain conditions) to high culture products like Borges’ short stories (more…)