Yodeller

Mornings are quite important to us. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, early bird catches the worm and so on.

What you do in the morning sets the tone for the whole day. It's doesn't matter how early you get up, but if you just keep sleepwalking you'll do that for the rest of the day.

I have felt quite different after I started writing in the morning. It's a completely different view for the day when you have already published something by 7:30. I feel like I can do anything. There is no blockers, no feeling that I should get something done today. Because I already have.

It doesn't have to be anything big or important. You are just waking up after all, probably still a bit tired. Take it easy.

It doesn't have to be the first thing either. Just let your routine take control and let it handle the boring stuff while you wake up.

I don't just jump from the bed when the alarm goes of and immediately start writing. I basically wake up 20 minutes later when I get to my tablet, ready to write with a steaming cup of coffee in front of me. From there on I'm completely awake and ready for the day. Ready for anything.

I feel I have picked up speed on this change thing quite well. Maybe even too much. It feels too easy, like I'm rolling down the hill.

I have always tried to improve myself. But somehow the change has felt like crawling up the hill. Hard, tedious work. And if I stop I immediately start to slide back.

Maybe I have now finally learned the basics. Learned how to change. After that everything else is easy?

Even if it feels great now I'm not sure if I should go on so fast. Maybe this is still just temporary. An adrenalin rush. Maybe this was just a small downhill before the next big climb.

With the velocity I have now gained I should get good deal up that hill already... but what then?

Or should I just speed up, take advantage of this downhill to ensure I'll get as high as possible when it's again time to climb.

One thing is certain: I can't jump off from this speed, not anymore. Either I slow down, or keep going.

We live in an age where there is more information and entertainment available than ever. It sounds great. But is it really that good for us? Information overload hits against our face as soon as we are connected. Messages, notifications, updates, ads. One more thing from which we need to survive.

The idea of all human knowledge at your fingertips is inspiring. You could learn anything. And we just watch cat videos. Something that fills our extra time so we don't have to think. We are enchanted by it, addited to see one more kitten tumbling, one more laugh. Over and over again.

I don't think we should worry that much about somebody controlling the media. There is no need for that, we don't care anymore. What would be the point of controlling the color of those kittens?

Huxleys vision of the world of tomorrow might have been far of on many things but the control of the masses with endless stream of entertainment was spot on.

I like cat videos.

It's ok, we can watch few of those. But there has to be a limit. Some self disciple to stop before it's too late.

We must awaken!

As soon as you stop watching (only) cat videos you might find a new world of information. There is videos and articles available for any subject.

It feels nice to think that this is important, useful. I'm doing something instead of wasting time!

Well... Not necessarily. I like reading about obscure physical phenomenons like quantum lattice models or Hilbert space, or some trivial facts from history like what was SS Automedon carrying when it was captured by Germans or who was the first Akkadian ruler.

I'm not sure if Banach-Tarski paradox will ever be as good of a conversation starter as "Hey, did you see that cat video where it does that funny thing?"

If we just study subjects randomly, based our interest on a whim it's highly certain it will be something useless. Or at least something we find very little use outside playing Trivial Pursuit with our friends, annoying them with our besserwisserism. It turns into mere entertainment. Another form of wasting our time.

In addition to being useful information there should be a purpose. Why am I reading this article about mysterious Russian radio station called UVB-76 or "the Buzzer"? Do I really need to know about it? Or would there be something else, something that I could actually use someday?

When you have finally decided to start consuming meaningful content and you have focused the topics around a purpose there is one more thing to be aware of: information overload.

Usually used in a context of getting too much information from different sources, but in general it's just too much information.

We are still only humans. Our learning and understanding capacity is limited. Even if we could pore through all the books written about our chosen field in one day we wouldn't be experts in that field. It's probably even less that we could know after such feat than it would be after reading just one page.

Learning is not about consuming information. It's about understanding. It needs time.

It's much like physical training. You can't do it all day every day. And they both also require recovery periods. Rest and relaxation. But you also gain mental stamina, you can go on longer, and speed, you will understand faster. The gray muscle needs workout too.