Hurry up, get more done, and die, By Mark Morford

[madokie]

Your terrifying word of the day is "microtasking" and it comes by way of a relatively humble, ostensibly helpful article I read via one of those perky little DIY blogs that exist to tell you a million ways to tweak and hack your entire existence to gain maximum productivity, efficiency and improved overall time management, because, well, if that's not the true meaning of this manic American life, what is?

The advice was horrifyingly simple: When you find yourself pausing in between normal projects and work tasks for anything more than, say, 30 seconds, why not take those tiny moments and, well, do more things? I mean, you're just sort of sitting there, right?

What sort of things? Fast things, little things, otherwise inconsequential things you don't care about otherwise, like clearing your junk mail, refilling the stapler, changing your voicemail message, retweeting someone's Twitter blip or giving a momentary damn about something you need not give a damn about otherwise but hey, what else are you gonna do, breathe? Feel? Merely... exist? What are you, a hippie?

It's a fascinating and yes, terrifying idea, really, that if you could just maximize your output a little bit more, if you could cram into all open white space another thing to do, wow, think of all you could get done by the end of the day? Think of how much you could get checked off your list? ...


(Full URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/10/19/notes101911.DTL&nl=fix)

[lunatica]

1. I have two part time jobs.

In one I do work for 100 departments. It's endless and never stops. No matter how fast I go there's always a mountain of work the next day. In the other job I do work for 1 department. I can go at a slow pace sometimes. I can take coffee breaks. I can talk to my co-workers and my manager doesn't feel the need to crack the whip. I do the exact same job for both my jobs. AND I GET PAID THE SAME IN BOTH JOBS.

[cilla4progress]

2. Always love love LOVE

Morford...just signed up for his weekly columns - delivery in my in-box!

Thanks for posting!

[madokie]

3. First thing I look for in my inbox on a wednesday morning is Morford

[malaise]

4. Must read - so true

Rec

[socialindependocrat]

5. I have a friend...

who feels that if he isn't busy he is not worthy of living.

This is one reason for being productive.

It's neurotic but, it's a reason.

I'll fill my time with smelling the roses and

talking to friends and

sitting in the sand by the river some really great food

or

feeding the fish and watching them percolate the water around
a piece of bread like little piranhas.

[stuntcat]

6. busy people think less

less time to learn about issues and consider them makes people easier to control, ahem, I meant govern!