You cannot drink from an empty cup
Productivity and busyness have become a badge of honour in our culture. “Grinding” and “hustling” is the supposed daily reality of every Instagram budding entrepreneur. They are all admirable qualities, a reflection of the responsibilities of life, yet they have a time and a place.
If we want to truly optimise our learning, acquire knowledge and enrich our lives then we need to intentionally allocate time for disengaging in these pursuits (especially for temperamentally highly industrious individuals who struggle to do nothing). We need to afford ourselves time to just BE. We are after all human beings. Doing is great, and necessary, but it should be supplemental to our lives rather than an end in and of itself.
Breaking from the incessant consumption of information and stimuli permits us to take a step back and integrate our learning. We can meditate on what we have learned. Learning for learning’s sake is wonderful (and I wish we could do more of it, rather than merely seeking to commodify our learning) but constant productivity is useless if we do not afford ourselves the requisite time to internalise and consciously process what we have learned.
Otherwise we risk mirroring the proverbial hamster on the wheel. Our learning becomes unconscious, meaning that the act of ‘learning’ becomes more important than the actual desired result of learning — greater knowledge and wisdom.
For those who extract as much efficiency and productivity from each waking hour in the day this can be a very difficult concept to implement, and even to come to terms with. Anxiety from ‘not doing’ quickly ensues. But the sacrifice of ‘non-productive’ time in the present will reap far greater dividends in the future. If you can comprehend and process your learning, and formulate your own opinions based on that learning (i.e. engage in original thinking) then you will separate yourself from the plethora of people who also engage in extensive self-education — especially given the unprecedented availability of free information at our disposal today — but who do so an automated habitual manner. The average knowledge of your fellow man is growing exponentially with the democratisation of information. You must adjust accordingly.
Have the foresight to recognise the value in allocating time off from ‘the grind’. You cannot pour from an empty cup. Filing your cup is a process that requires integrating and internalising your learning. This could take a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months. Experiment. But do not simply listen to a YouTube video out of habit, as a form of background noise. Be intentional in your learning.
Know that it is often more beneficial to sit in silence and do nothing vis a vis allowing that background noise to distract you and provide you with the self-assuring veil of productivity and self-improvement. What eventually ensues (speaking from personal experience) is a gradual mental fatigue, disillusionment with the subject matter, and general burnout. Don’t make the same mistake.
Fill your cup on a regular basis.
