Aloha friends,
Greetings from Hawaii. I just arrived at the big island a few days ago. It’s getting a bit difficult for me to keep my writing routine, but I think it’s one of the ways to help me feel grounded.
How to be a digital nomad from Levels is my favorite podcast in 2022. Three people offered completely different approaches to their digital nomad life.
One of the ideas that stuck with me was about making fast decisions.
Sam Corcos said,
Somebody recently said that one of the things that they found interesting about my decision-making process is the time from thought to a decision is usually very low. I tend not to ponder things very long. […] My friend Todd who lives in Costa Rica, mentioned that he just moved to Costa Rica. He has a new place in Costa Rica and said, “Any time you want to come, just feel free.” I looked at my calendar, and I was like, “Cool. How’s next Tuesday?” He was like, “Oh. Yeah. That could probably work. I’m going to make sure the bedroom’s set up.” Then I just went next Tuesday, and why not? I didn’t really have anywhere else to be, so it was fun.
I tend to do the opposite because my mind likes to optimize. When I’m running errands, I try to find the most productive way. It can be exhausting to consider all the details. And most things are just trivial.
One way is to put decisions into a 4x4 matrix in terms of consequentiality and reversibility. If it’s inconsequential and reversible, make the decision as quickly as possible.
It all makes sense in theory, but how do I rewire my brain so it won’t get meticulous about everything?
I stay in the countryside of Hawaii. Yesterday I was trying to optimize my groceries for a month-long stay without a car. It was exhausting. When I came back, I met a traveler sharing the same house. She said she would be renting a car for the next three weeks and happy to share the ride. Problem solved, in a different way.
We do things in a way that worked. Optimization worked quite well for me in the past. But if the situation is always changing, predictions often fail.
This is one of the things I want to experience more through traveling — everything is changing all the time. And hopefully, my brain will start to realize that planning and optimizing won’t always work.
Have a great week,
Weichen