It’ll Do

I have a lot of very flawed systems and tools that I use on a daily basis.

My calendar, for instance, serves as both a to-do list and schedule of events. It’s fine for both purposes, but not great at either.

My note-taking setup, likewise, is not sophisticated or optimized for the tasks I throw at it. It’s basically a stack of digital paper that syncs to the cloud and allows me to jot stuff down, and I use for lists and notes and even podcast episode scripts, before then copying and pasting that information to other, more specialized and capable software.

These systems and tools that I use, though functional, are rudimentary compared to some of the whiz-bang processes and gizmos other people wield.

I enjoy trying out new tools, taking them for a spin, and imagining how they might amplify my capabilities in some fashion. And there are some truly cool products available that might allow me to optimize my daily habits and work routines in some fashion.

Sometimes it makes sense to wholeheartedly invest in such tools and structures.

Often, though—almost always, in fact—I try out the cool new thing, earnestly assess it, and then decide to stick with my existing paradigm.

I’m not afraid of new technologies or worried about upending my norms: on the contrary, I love fiddling with new tools and reformatting my habits to incorporate them. I look forward to such workday transformations.

To avoid the possibility of endlessly flitting from flashy new thing to flashy new thing, though, I have a habit that helps me pour cold water on my wide-eyed enthusiasm.

I allow myself to try new things that seem like potential upgrades to some aspect of my life, learn enough about them to understand how they work, and then imagine how they might be incorporated into my existing routine—or in some cases how they might upend the existing dynamic and serve as a basis for an entirely new set of habits and structures.

Before adopting this new whatever, though, I ask myself whether my existing setup is good enough that it justifies waiting before making these changes. And if I can honestly answer, “It’ll do for now,” I stick with my current paradigm.

The logic behind this filter is that there are costs to making any sort of change to one’s life, be it personal or professional. Some of these costs are psychological, some are monetary, some are time- and effort-related.

This somewhat conservative approach to the implementation of new things pairs well, I’ve found, with my otherwise very progressive and optimistic perspective on technology, tools, and ways of doing things.

Without this countervailing stance to ground my enthusiasm, I’d likely never settle on any particular toolbox and process, and would thus have trouble making things with any consistency or standard of quality.

This specific means of achieving equilibrium, I’m certain, will also someday be replaced by something better. But for the moment, for my purposes, it’ll do.

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