Going off the grid - without email…
I had become so wired to the dopamine high of email interaction. An ever connected, always informed existence. Most of us suffer from the ineffective pseudo-productivity of answering non-urgent emails at the very instant they appear in our inbox.
Some of the advantages I experienced from ignoring email communication:
Focus - When you are not constantly being interrupted by pop-up messages alerting you on a new arrival in your inbox, and the associated anticipation of more information that will throw you off your planned agenda, you become much more focused on the task at hand. A simple lesson learnt from that experience was to switch off all notifications and only check emails at designated times.
I was surprised to learn how much time and energy is consumed by email. Every time you receive an email or 10, you face involuntary disruption whilst deciding how to respond to the email. The lack of time spent on email certainly avoided the undue stress associated with this communication.
The reality is, I haven't really missed much. I average about 200/250 emails received per day. Maybe 50 don't need my attention. At the end of the week I was down to 20 per day!!!
Admittedly, there has been some disruption in the day to day activity, as email is the go to form of communication.
A work around is always possible.
In conclusion, I figured out that I do not need to obsessively read emails to lead a productive life. It has allowed me to break the habit of constant email checking.
I shall definitely do this again, and more importantly have come to peace with scheduling time for email, as opposed to always ON!
Thought-provoking...
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
Self Reliance, an Essay from 1846. Emerson
In perhaps his most famous essay, "Self-Reliance," he urged his readers to believe in themselves and to choose transcendental nonconformity instead of simply following the conventional dictates of society.
In this essay,, "Self Reliance," Emerson's sole purpose is the want for people to avoid conformity. Emerson believed that in order for a man to truly be a man, he was to follow his own conscience and "do his own thing."
Emerson encourages his readers to be honest in their relationships with others
Essentially, do what you believe is right instead of blindly following society.
Emerson later credited the "iron band of poverty, of necessity, of austerity" for steering him away from a life of material indulgence and pointing him toward "the grand, the beautiful, and the good."
Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the most influential writers and poets of his time, was born in Boston on May 25, 1803, and began his profession after graduating from the Harvard Divinity School as a Unitarian minister on March 11, 1829. He became a senior pastor at just 26 years old and was given a salary of $1,800, which is comparable to $44,000 in today's (2016) dollars.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American Transcendentalist poet, philosopher and essayist during the 19th century.
One of his best-known essays is "Self-Reliance"
Soon after his appointment as senior pastor, he married Ellen Tucker, who was 18-years old at the time. A mere two years their marriage lasted as she was afflicted with tuberculosis before they wed, which would eventually take her life before her twentieth birthday.
He questions many areas of the Bible and many revelations to be "worn out."
He then starts a new doctrine of transcendentalism, which revolves around individualism and the belief that organized religion and political parties were corrupt. Transcendentalists have faith that people generally are at their best when they are truly "self-reliant" and independent. Transcendentalism was the catalyst for Emerson's famous piece on self-reliance.
Quotes...
Among the many forms in which human spirit has tried to express its innermost yearnings and perceptions, music is perhaps the most universal.
It symbolizes the yearning for harmony, with oneself and others, with nature and the spiritual and the sacred within us and around us.
There is something in music that transcends and unites. This is evident in the sacred music of every community - music that expresses the universal yearning that is shared by people all over the globe.
— Dalai Lama
I came across this incredible resource
It has a number of extremely inspiring and thought provoking messages from various music artists through the ages.
Enjoy it, if you are like me you will be lost in these thoughts for hours
Wisdom/ What I'm Reading...
The World’s Fittest Book, written by Ross Edgley, is a book filled with entertaining anecdotes and thought-provoking research in the domain of health and fitness.
"We may never fully understand the mysteries of the human body… But spending a lifetime trying is one well spent."
— Ross Edgley
This book is part science, part adventure and part physical education.
Edgley does not believe in and neither prescribes a full proof training and nutrition plan.
It's more a story of his life, his encounters with some of the most determined, strongest and fittest people on the planet.
He raced a triathlon with a 45kg tree strapped to his back!
That is a 1.5 kilometer swim / 40km bike / 10 km run.
He raced a triathlon with a 45kg tree strapped to his back!
That is a 1.5 kilometer swim / 40km bike / 10 km run.
The book tells the story of his own journey to discover how to become the best possible version of himself in the physically fit sense. Edgley studied sports science at Loughborough University in the UK.
His strategy for gaining a better understanding of the human body involves actively participating in the practices of many different cultures, and seeking out experts from different countries to create versatility in his research
The author has separated the book into four specific parts; The Beginnings: how a South American tribe completely shocked his understanding of fitness
The Five Laws of Fitness: creating clarity through the use of a diagram, the
Pyramid of Priority.
The Secrets of Record Breaking Fitness: A section that is dedicated for tailored fitness goals
Your Beginnings: Edgley concludes the book with a challenge that is designed to inspire, guide and propel you through your journey.
The book is very engaging and keeps you wanting more and highly recommend it as a good read, even if you don't have an interest in sports science as the journey Edgley takes you on through the book is based on his own 10 years of research from varied cultures and countries. Based on nutrition, fitness fundamentals and endurance.
The World's Fittest Book is the sum and substance of over a decade of research and the collective wisdom of some of the greatest minds and athletic bodies in history. By learning the lessons within it, readers will understand 'fitness' better than the vast majority of the population
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. How to train for anything and everything, anywhere and everywhere. The World's Fittest Book is set to become every fitness enthusiast's bible. ...
About the Author
Ross Edgley is an expert in the fitness industry, was listed in the World's 50 Top Fittest Men in 2016 by Askmen.com (the World's Biggest Men's Lifestyle website), and is founder of 2017's fastest downloaded training app (Primal 9) with Menshealth.com. He's been dubbed, "The World's Most Travelled Fitness Expert" (GQ, 2016) after living and learning from some of the fittest people on the planet. For over 10 years he's been involved in every area of sport, fitness, and nutrition imaginable. Ross is also co- founder at Europe's second largest online sports nutrition brand (The Protein Works), writes for range of publications (including GQ, Menshealth, Telegraph, Askmen.com, Mensfitness and more) and has amassed a social media following of well over a half a million people.
Pondering...
Down to Earth
Darin Olien is co-host with Zac Efron on the widely popular Netflix docu-series called “Down to Earth”
Darin is also a highly recognized exotic superfoods hunter, supplement formulator, and author of the book:
SuperLife: The five fixes that will keep you healthy, fit and eternally awesome.
Darin Olien, has been described as a guru of healthy living and superfoods. In the series, the duo travel across the world to find sustainable alternatives for age-old problems, such as pollution, poor water quality and starvation.
As the world is desperate for wide eco-friendly systems, this Netflix series demonstrates how it can be possible.
Using Zac Efron as the star to convey the right message to a real problem is clever.
The series has been criticised to be too simplistic, but I feel that it was not pitched to be an David Attenborough reproduction of science. The two travel to some incredibly interesting and remote parts of the world and showcase some very interesting insights of natural phenomena that have been well managed, like green energy, Blue Zone living and climate change.
