Issue #19: Getting Things Done, The Litany Against Fear, and A Cook's Tour
The Getting Things Done System, The Litany Against Fear, Jay-Z's start, Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour, and St. Augustine
Hey everyone, welcome back to Thursday Thoughts. I obviously haven’t updated in the last two weeks and that’s because I’ve been giving some thought to what I want the future of this newsletter to look like. This might include me changing the publishing date and experimenting with some of the things that I include. As always, I’d love any feedback about my work. Now let’s get into it.
In this week’s issue you will find:
The Getting Things Done System
The Litany Against Fear from Dune
Jay-Z on his start
Anthony Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour
a quote from St. Augustine
The Getting Things Done System
Over the last few weeks, I've been somewhat overwhelmed with the responsibilities. Juggling schoolwork, exams, internship applications, and content obligations led to me shirking some of them (the reason why I, unfortunately, didn't update this newsletter for the last two weeks).
In hindsight, however, without a clear-cut task managing system - I never stood a chance. Without taking the time to do morning pages first thing in the morning, or listing out the things that I want to accomplish by the end of the day then literally nothing ends up getting accomplished.
A lot of us go through life never really taking the time to be mindful and list out those projects and tasks that need to get done. We might have the greatest of intentions but unfortunately, you don't rise to the level of your intentions - you fall to the quality of your task system.
Last week I included this quote in my piece on Journalling:
"When you have to use your energy to put those words down, you are more apt to make them count." - Raymond Chandler
And I think there is a lot of truth in those words. The simple act of getting all the things you need to do on paper (actual paper) makes a world of difference. Management guru Peter Drucker once said, "What gets measured, gets managed." I would venture to say that what never gets written down can never be managed.
Then the question becomes what system you use. Over the last week, I was recommended the system popularized by David Allen in his New York Times Best Seller Getting Things Done.
One of the core principles of the system is creating a project list. Projects can be defined as any outcome that you want to be accomplished. A project could be studying for a test, publishing a piece of content, or tasks like setting up a physical.
Below each project name, you also need to clearly define each action step that would lead to accomplishing the overall project. In regards to studying for an exam, those action steps would be to watch each lecture and take notes, read the corresponding textbook chapters, and revise the past homework.
Simply writing all these things out and maintaining a detailed project list gives you a sense of clarity and a sense of purpose on what you need to accomplish. With all the action steps spelled out for you, it really does wonders for making sure you hit all your objectives for the day. More information about setting up this project list can be found on the Getting Things Done website here.
Lessons from Storytelling - The Litany Against Fear from Dune
I'm currently reading the iconic science fiction novel Dune with my book club. Just 100 or so pages into the book you can clearly see how this novel from 1965 has shaped other giants of science fiction like Star Wars and Alien. During my reading of the book I came across one of the most famous quotes from the series that many people might be familiar with - The Litany Against Fear:
"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
The main character Paul Atreides recites this when he's feeling overwhelmed or fearful and needs a reset. The bolded portion in general "Fear is the mind-killer" struck me particularly as a great way to look at the emotion. There's a huge theme in the book about how fear keeps us from our more "enlightened" life and on further introspection, I'm sure all of us can see how fear has kept us from doing things that we were meant to. The next time that happens - I'll be sure to keep the reminder from Paul Atreides top of mind.
Jay-Z on His Start
I recently came across this short clip of Jay-Z talking about his start in the Hip Hop industry which started with a lot of closed doors and rejection. Just another example of the tenacity you need to become uber-successful in any industry. All you can do is keep your head down and keep putting the work in for years before you can expect any sort of success.
Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour
I wrote about Anthony Bourdain in the last issue and two weeks later I'm still enthralled by his huge body of work. I finished his book A Cook's Tour and was delighted to discover that the TV show version of the book is available for free on Go Traveller's YouTube channel. Each chapter from the book is expanded on in the TV show along with some extra stories of his travels from all across the world. Here are a couple of my favorite episodes:
Quote of the Week
"The mind commands the body and is instantly obeyed. The mind commands itself and meets resistance."
St Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
Thanks for reading! As always, if you're enjoying the newsletter, I'd love it if you shared it with a friend or two. You can send them here to sign up.
And should you come across anything interesting this week, send it my way! I'd love to find new things to read through members of this newsletter.
Until next week,
Rohan Anthony
Let the record show I like Dune before it went viral on Twitter
I didn’t use this “system” for more than a week lmaooooo