I fixate on things. When a thought strikes me in just the right way, I start thinking about ways of implementing it and — admittedly for a limited time — the idea seems to me like the GOAT.
A few examples form my past are:
- Obtaining an Iron Ring after getting my B.Sc. in ACS.
- Buying a standing desk.
- Getting lost in the Forest of All Knowledge of coffee making.
- Buying a Chemex Classic Coffee Maker.
- Learning to draw with pencils. (Oh God, was this a disaster.)
- Buying a Kindle.
These ideas have one thing in common: they all require some level of financial involvement. A standing desk costs more than a few pencils, but still they do cost.
The worst part is after I start working on one of those """projects""", they don’t seem to be so great anymore. I find that I can work at home without a standing desk and if I really want one I can go to work from the office. I enjoy coffee, but subtle differences between coffee beans from different soils or different countries are too subtle for me. I do like coffee, but I don’t think about taste differences.
I live with myself for some time now — 26 years to be precise — and after that time I found a solution that works for me: thoughts quarantine. You wouldn’t allow a new person to alter your life from the very first day you met. Thoughts — like people — need to get through a fortnight of quarantine. I allow myself think about them, I can do research on the subject, but I’m not allowed to get involved in any other way. If the idea is sound enough, it will get through 2 weeks of movement restriction perfectly fine. If I’m still willing to implement it, I give myself a green light then.
This method proved to be efficient for me. Some projects die out, but that’s OK. Others? Flourish. (Buying a Kindle was a best $100 I’ve spent in a very long time.)
If you’re like me and you find yourself pulling on various subjects frequently, I suggest you give this method a try. We are our minds, the thoughts we allow to enter our heads, shape our thinking, which in turn shapes who we are.
Written on 2024-06-08.