Mindconnection eNL, 2010-12-19

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Something I didn't get into is how trend in using modern technology is to engage usage habits that dramatically reduce the brainpower of the user. You can find some good literature on this topic, if you want to explore further.

What's happening is people have delusions of adequacy in relation to multi-tasking. When interviewed, heavy multi-taskers are quite confident they manage it well and can do multiple things either interleaved or simultaneously. But actual testing shows these people perform very poorly at everything they do. Their perception and reality are not even close.

The gist of it is this. If you don't want to function at the moron level, don't multi-task. I don't mean that as an insult to multi-taskers; it is actually what their multi-tasking makes them.

Focus on what you are doing (driving, making love, reading, studying, exercising, writing, problem-solving, whatever). It is far better to do one thing well and go on to the next thing and do it well, than to do everything poorly. When you multi-task, you will not do anything well. It may appear that way, but only because your judgment is impaired (and it's impaired because you're multi-tasking!).

The concept of focus has been proven over and over for thousands of years. It's the basis for everything from lasers to martial arts to starting a fire with two sticks.

In addition to being able to do each task more competently by focusing on what you are doing, you will find you complete more tasks over all. This is the only situation I know of in which you can actually have it better, faster, and cheaper.

If you find yourself answering e-mail while talking on the phone while composing a letter, you are finding yourself in stupid mode. Pick one thing and make the others wait.

If you find yourself texting while driving, do us all a favor. Stop, get out of your car, and put your cell phone under your front tire. Then drive slowly back and forth over it until the pieces are unrecognizable.

At one time, this generally meant having far more house (square footage) than you could easily clean and maintain, so that you could have ample space to cram all of the junk you really didn't need but bought anyhow to fill the space you have in that huge home. I hope that, today, most of us are past the immature world view.

I have found that setting goals and working toward them is far more effective than just doing things and hoping they turn out to be worth it.

When mapping out your financial planning, this is a good philosophy to adopt.

Before you can set goals in this regard, you do need to define what, for you, is a good standard of living. It should not be based on how expensive your car or home is. If a car gets you comfortably and reliably to where you need to go, how is it more "prestigious" that you paid $50,000 while another person paid only $18,000? Guess which person actually looks like the smarter of the two?

Some things to consider when coming up with your definition (upon which you will decide your financial goals):

• Good meals on a regular basis. This seems obvious, because nobody likes to starve. But it's not about starvation. Most Americans, for example, are malnourished and over-caloried. And they eat too few meals per day. Can you afford quality food, or will you sentence your household to "Death by McDonald's?"
   
• Good clothing. This does not mean a closet full of faddish stuff. If you buy clothing made from quality materials (quality weaves of natural fibers) and made with good construction, and care for it properly, it will last you a long time. Choose basics, so you can mix and match for varying looks.
   
• Good books. Just as good food helps build strong, healthy bodies, good books help build strong, healthy minds.
   
• Comfortable home. Bigger isn't always better. A smaller home that is well-furnished, uncluttered, well-maintained, and well-appointed can be a wonderful place for all kinds of things. Rest, relaxation, and entertaining are just a few. If you need a large venue for an event or three, rent a hall.
   
• Travel. Many people like to travel. If you have time to spare, go by air (do that if you're kinky, too). Travel by train is a wonderful experience; the getting there is part of the joy of the vacation or business trip. With laptop prices as low as they are today, there's no reason you can't have a little office with you (to work, watch movies, or just stay in touch with everyone else). And the meals on Amtrak are exceptional--coming from me, that's really an endorsement.

The above list is only partial, of course. Now, here's a final thought on your planning. Most people "save for retirement" or count on some kind of pension or a payout from a government that is $200 trillion (that's 12 zeroes) in debt in an era in which Ben Bernanke cranks up inflation by $600 billion. Think a bit differently. Think in terms of being able to continue living a full and rewarding life, rather than retreating from life into "retirement."

Sure, you may retire from your job (or already be there), but don't squander a lifetime of learning by watching television and playing shuffleboard. What else can you do, and how will you support that financially?

Shortly after turning 50.

At www.supplecity.com, you'll find plenty of informative, authoritative articles on maintaining a lean, strong physique. It has nothing to do with long workouts or impossible to maintain diets. In fact:

• The best workouts are short and intense.
• A good diet contains far more flavors and satisfaction than the typical American diet.

The portable scanner at right is $99, and there's a $30 rebate. That's quite a deal.

The IRISCan 2 is a light, small, USB-connected multi-purpose full-page color scanner. Scan and edit photos. Convert business cards into Outlook contacts or other formats with the included software. Scan documents up to legal size directly into fully editable text files for any Windows or Mac application.

No computer needed to do the scans! Store on the SD card and transfer later, or if you want to scan directly into a Window or Mac application you can also do that. Fits in your briefcase, but scans full pages in color.

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