“There are ideas that threaten deeply-entrenched ideas and strongly-held, widely-held beliefs. Because those who they threaten will do almost anything to prevent them becoming widely accepted. And because they’re actionable. Take them as your own and they will change what you think, believe and do.”

Our civilization is in its final century [John Gray]. No civilization lasts forever, and there is no political, economic, social, educational, religious or other ‘solution’ that will make the members of any civilization suddenly and radically change their behaviour. We do what we must do, and nature will do what she must to compensate for our excesses, and, since…

Nature always bats last [Kenny Ausubel], the world will go on just fine after we are gone.

The crowd is always wiser than the experts [James Surowieki]. No elite, no godlike president or junta, no priest or CEO, no crack team of managers or consultants or global thought leaders can make better decisions, or predict the future better, than all of us together in our collective wisdom. Leadership of all kinds is a dysfunctional vestige of an era in which that collective wisdom could not readily be tapped.

The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred [George Bernard Shaw]. If you really think that anybody really understands what another person has said, do an experiment after the next presentation you attend and ask attendees one-on-one immediately afterwards what they got out of it. You’ll be astonished.

You never change things by fighting the existing reality [Bucky Fuller]. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.

Show, don’t tell [Derrick Jensen]. This is a key answer to the malaise of our education system, and to the ineffectiveness of ‘knowledge management’. We learn much more from observing than from listening or reading, and we learn even more by trying it ourselves, hands on.

Human beings will be happier only when they find ways to inhabit primitive communities again [Kurt Vonnegut]. The way we live today isn’t the way human beings were meant to live, and deep inside we know it. That doesn’t mean throwing away technology, it means interacting with those in your community (human and non-human) in deep, authentic, synaesthetic ways we have forgotten.

People will listen when they’re ready to listen and not before [Daniel Quinn]. Probably, once upon a time, you weren’t ready to listen to an idea than now seems to you obvious, even urgent. Let people come to it in their own time. Nagging or bullying will only alienate them. Don’t preach. Don’t waste time with people who want to argue. They’ll keep you immobilized forever. Look for people who are already open to something new.

No one is in control This is two dangerous ideas in one, though I’m not sure if anyone has realized this explicitly. The first idea is that because no one is in control, the appearance of control that governments and corporations and their handmaidens in the media try to convey is all illusion: This world is far too complex for even the most powerful and complicitous elite to be able to steer or direct. That is the liberating idea: Don’t worry about fighting the ‘bad guys’, because they’re just caught up in the flow like all the rest of us. The second idea is that because no one is in control, everything is out of control. That is the terrifying, personal responsibility-burdening idea: No one can stop global warming, biochemical warfare, [your worst nightmare scenario here]. So now what do you do?

My question to you: What do these dangerous ideas mean to you, today?

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Founded by Australian born Julian Assange, Wikileaks publishes anonymous submissions and leaks of sensitive documents from governments and other organisations, while preserving the anonymity of their sources – and it does it very well. “Wikileaks has had more scoops in three years than the Washington Post has had in 30,” says Clay Shirky.

As explained when Chris Anderson featured Julian at TED Oxford, after some interesting times in Iceland, Julian worked with politicians and activists to draft the strongest free speech laws ever, and with those recently being passed Iceland now serves as one of the current outposts for Wikileaks. Cryptome reports that the current Wikileaks website is to be abandoned while a re-architected site is being built in Iceland, to cope with the increasing demand for information.

Assange calls the site “an uncensorable system for untraceable mass document leaking and public analysis,” and a government or company that wanted to remove content from WikiLeaks would have to practically dismantle the Internet itself.

This relates particularly to Australia, where the Labor government are in the process of setting up a mandatory ISP-level internet filter that would be maintained by the ACMA. The proposed blacklist was leaked and hosted by Wikileaks, before later being shown to be easily manipulated. There are many insightful perspectives on the issue, in particular from Google Australia, Pat Allan and Gavin Heaton. In the week before the 2010 election was called the government went quiet on the program, delaying any action into the next term.

The interesting element here is that the internet was created to be resilient through the geographical distribution of nodes, and that the resulting connectedness has provided a platform for open communication and transparency.

That structure is currently redistributing the balance of power.

–

Wikileaks on Wikipedia
No Secrets on The New Yorker

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When I thought about releasing a new blog template it was because the clutter of the previous sidebar (where I listed recent snippets from a bunch of widgets / Personal APIs) was annoying me. I remembered the experience I often have of reading a magazine on a weekend and wondered how to bring that feeling to a collection of web pages. I am immersed in page after page of solid content, without distraction. There is a tactile element to flicking through the sections (that has returned if you use an iPad). The photos are large and amazing, illustrating the theme of the story. Time slows down when I read a magazine.

When I was sifting through the code I wanted to retain the essence of the previous theme while slimming it down to the essentials. How do you know what the essentials are? You ask yourself “If I removed this, would it matter?” over and over again.

Does it really matter if the homepage is an index of links to the contents instead of the actual recent posts themselves? No I don’t think so. I hope the curated collection of posts titles gives a person the ability to glance over quickly to see if the themes reflect what they are hoping for.

Does it really matter if I remove the sidebar widgets for things like my recent messages, photos, check-ins, music, projects or places? No I don’t think so. They can live in my about page profile, where people naturally go if they would like more information about my identity.

Does it really matter if there are no comments? This is probably the most controversial change. People kinda expect comments all over the web these days, almost too much, as if they deserve to be able to shout out their opinion on everything. That line of thinking doesn’t resonate with me at the moment, so for now the comments aren’t being displayed. This is not an attack on your ‘freedoms’ as a reader to be able to share this post, or in fact comment. Think about how you would share an article in a magazine – you might tear a page out and give it to a friend, you might lean over and point out a particularly interesting line of writing, or today you might take a photo with your mobile and email it to a friend with a note. People do this with blogs too – in fact, hardly anyone who reads my posts actually comments on the blog itself, it is a ridiculously small amount. People are much more likely to comment while sharing on Twitter or in an email, or face to face (where nobody else can hear it). If you would still like to comment back to me you can email me (privately) or include me in a tweet by mention (publicly). If you don’t mind that I see the comment or not, then please comment anywhere! The beauty of the internet is that you can have your own server to say whatever you like – you might trackback from your own blog, you might comment using Google Sidewiki, or you might even talk to yourself while shaking your head. Who knows. The idea that comments need to be available on a page is an illusion.

Does it really matter if the content is obvious and unobstructed by bright flashing distractions? Yes. That’s why there is a single column that has all the content and big pictures, while the meta data is waiting for you at the bottom when you finish reading.

Does it really matter if there is no meta data at all? Yes I think so. That’s why I decided to show the number of pageviews relative to the date I published the post. Hopefully it gives the page a bit more of a tactile feel, some depth.

Does it really matter if there are links to related posts? Yes I think so. If you make it to the bottom of a page without hitting Back or the X button to close the page then you are probably still interested and wanting to follow the trail. That’s why the related posts are there to entice you to another page, but also with the choice for a completely random article – who knows where that will lead you?

Does it really matter if there is information about the author? Yes. Knowing where a person has come from gives information a lot of context, adding flavour to the words on the screen. I have found through observing blog stats over the years that the core information is the about page to find out more about the individual, the subscription action if you want to get notifications, and the most obvious is plenty of options to keep reading more while you are there. That is why these are the main actions that are highlighted in the footer.

Does it really matter if I post at all? Yes. Twitter is awesome for its immediacy and the 140 character constraint, but there are messages that go beyond that limit that I still want to share. That’s why I have this space.

What about micropatronage? This is an interesting one. I decided to include it because the magazine metaphor fits really well – if you like a magazine and want to support it, you can buy a subscription. Yes I will keep posting if you don’t sign up (because my motivation here isn’t money). You aren’t buying the content, but you have the option to support it. The difference between the two is subtle.

With any change there is a risk that some people won’t like it. The risk depends on your intentions for doing something and the possible effects of the change. In this case I have been writing my thoughts down primarily for myself to keep a log over time. I store these thoughts in public because I would prefer them to be public by default, in case anyone in the world happens to be searching for them. It doesn’t make much sense for me to make them private.

I want to keep a curated collection of thoughts and that is why I have also deleted some posts that used to be here. Pieces of the web grow and die each day and this blog should be no different, that’s evolution.

To round this off, the risk of making the change is super low – in 5 minutes I can turn the previous template back on and return everything to how it used to be. That’s unlikely though :)

Organic stuff doesn’t live forever.

On a related note, this post was typed through Buster Benson‘s amazing 750words because it gives you a fascinating insight into how you are writing at the moment. Here’s this post.

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I was at Circus Oz’s ‘See It to Believe It’ opening this week and the show they have put together for 2010 is amazing. The level of integrity and authenticity that was present was really special as the group have taken the art to a whole new level of performance.

After Melbourne they travel across South Australia before heading up to Darwin and then over to Berkeley. Look out for the big top and look up the show dates before you miss out!

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The source of these ideas is Ev’s experience while creating his own venture while moving from Brooklyn to San Francisco. I featured a few of his best articles in my minimalists blogging post recently.

The reason for the short post is that MB is discounted over the next few hours, so go get yourself a copy!

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It has been interesting watching Ross develop his minimalist self over the past year – living with him for a few stints in St Kilda certainly gave me an inside perspective. Now that I’m going to London for three weeks, I am going to give the minimalist lifestyle a bash.

I have have challenged myself to only take carry on luggage with me for the trip. Because I’m a nascent minimilist, I’m going to walk you through how I’m going to tackle this.

Light mind, light pack

Certainly, one of the most important things when going away is to actually go away – make sure you can leave work at work and be in the moments you will find yourself in.

I’ve started following the GTD philosophy these last few months, and now know that I can leave life for a few weeks without missing key things that need to be done. My girlfriend Rose, who has a busier job than I do, has also started using GTD and whilst she may need to check in on some important projects whilst gone she can also come to our holiday fully in the moment. That’s important, because it means I can leave my laptop behind to buy me prescious space in my Crumpler Mahoubar messenger backpack.

Don’t be naked

Realise the truth that you actually don’t wear that many clothes in real life. Maybe a t-shirt or fresh shirt each day, a pair of jeans here and there and one pair of shoes. You have a wardrobe to dress that up a little bit, and to be prepared for an ‘occasion’ when that happens…but that’s it. You don’t actually NEED it when travelling. You’re not packing a portion of your wardrobe – you are packing clothes to keep you from being naked. Don’t try to pack a ‘mini-wardrobe’ – just take the basics.

Having said that I have one ‘occasion’ I’ll need to be pimping for – Rose’s parents 40th aniversary. I’ll be on show, so I need to look the goods and will be taking a few items to dress up my shirt/jeans combo. Perhaps that is good advice – take one outfit in your luggage you would be happy to present to your new girls parents and JUST pack that. Then think about what else you might need to not be naked, and you have got yourself a packed bag!

Take only the best, not just ‘less’

From what I can glean from other minimilists, the key is not reducing stuff meaninglessly but only owning great stuff you really use. In that vein, I will be taking my three pairs of Exofficio underware, 3 threadless t-shirts and one shirt for the ‘occasion’.

I will also be taking my Cambodian kromar (to dress up an outfit whilst out during the day) and a pair of ankle-boots that double as comfy getting around shoes, as well as some ‘smooth’ shoes suitable for any occasion. I am a sock fiend so I will be packing 5-6 pairs of ‘indy like’ socks as my minimalist treat.

That’s it! I fly out on Saturday afternoon from sunny Melbourne and head off for London.

What would you pack if you were me?

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Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population, and that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas. This observation that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes later became known as the Pareto principle (and also as the law of the vital few).

Dormancy is a period in an organism’s life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity is temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolic activity to help an organism conserve energy. Dormancy tends to be closely associated with environmental conditions.

Hibernation is a state of inactivity during winter. It may last several days or weeks depending on species, ambient temperature, and time of year, and fur on the animal’s body. The typical winter season for a hibernator is characterised by periods of hibernation interrupted by sporadic euthermic arousals wherein body temperature is restored to typical levels.

It makes good sense doesn’t it?

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Getting Things Done is the popular productivity system developed by David Allen over 30 years of coaching Fortune 1000 executives. The result is an incredibly thorough and enlightened set of ideas about how people organise themselves, how to implement lasting habits, and most importantly – how to get to that place where you are ready for anything.

Remember that the key to Getting Things Done is not actually getting a lot of things done, it is about clearing your head and having all of your commitments in a trusted system so that you can focus and be mindful with whatever is happening right now.

This isn’t about being lazy or not having anything to do, in fact quite the opposite:

The “ready state” of the martial artist is not a passive, reactive or finite one. It is a totally dynamic, alive, creative, and expansive. But it’s not free. It is enabled by increasingly refined training and experience with work and life.

The GTD system

The minimal version of GTD is “Focus on positive outcomes and continually take the next action on the most important thing.”

The baseline version is “Get everything out of your head. Make decisions about actions required on stuff when it shows up—not when it blows up. Organize reminders of your projects and the next actions on them in appropriate categories. Keep your system current, complete, and reviewed sufficiently to trust your intuitive choices about what you’re doing (and not doing) at any time.”

Now let’s break that down into meaningful pieces:

COLLECT

Get yourself a pen and some paper and take 5 minutes to write down everything on your mind that you have to do. This could be something small like returning an email or something big like starting a business. Don’t try to do anything or filter anything – just write it all down. Your list will probably end up being anything from 50 to 200 things long.

PROCESS

This is where you will clarify each thing on the list. Start at the top and for each item ask yourself “Is there a next action?” If not, throw it out. If there is then you are either going to do it now (if it takes less than two minutes), Next (within the next few months) or Someday (who knows when, but you want to do it). If the action relates to a particular time then it belongs on your Calendar. If it will take more than one action to complete then add it to your Projects list.

ORGANISE

Group all of the things into their lists and give them context. You might tag with contexts like “phone calls”, “in the office”, or by areas of focus like “health”, “social”, “career”. The idea here is to make it easy to find the relevant list of things depending on your current state.

REVIEW

You will review all of your lists whenever your mind isn’t okay with everything. Now and Calendar a few times per day, Next and Projects every day or two, Someday every few months. Keep your system current, complete, and reviewed sufficiently to trust your intuitive choices about what you’re doing (and not doing) at any time.

DO

You now have an epic list of all the things you want to do, organised and reviewed. You are ready to make the Next Action that makes the most sense – based on your current location, available time, energy and priorities. If not, then there is a leak somewhere in your system and you need to fix that.

That’s it! Now here are some of the distinctions I have found particularly useful:

The Tools

The original book was written in the time of paper filing cabinets, so if you read it you will learn about old gems like the ‘tickler file’ and more. These days there are hundreds of computer and mobile applications that will try to help you – but the reality is that you will need to figure out what works for you. At first I recommend using a paper notebook so that you don’t get distracted by the flashing shiny bits of a new toy. The GTD principles apply to whatever medium you choose. I would recommend that you use something that is with you all of the time so that you have a single source of truth. It needs to be a trusted system or none of this will work because you will keep things in your head.

Next Actions

If you are going to use just one aspect then it should be the concept of the Next Action, because that is really what separates GTD from the common todo list. David describes next actions as changes that you want to make on the world, or, “the next physical, visible activity that needs to be engaged in, in order to move the current reality toward completion.”

Either you need new tires or you don’t. At some point, the tire thing crosses a very distinct line. Before then, not needed. After then, needed. Once they’re needed, there are no ABC categories for tires. They also don’t quite fit into the “quadrant” matrix. Either they are a project to be done as soon as we can or they are not. Period.

When you break it down to this level it becomes very black and white, so the way you write them is very important. It should be a statement that you can tick off as being complete. As Merlin Mann describes – things like “get new work”, “lose weight” and “buy christmas presents” can’t really be “done” because they are each a complex multi-action Project. Converting these to next actions would make them look more like this:

• Find old resume in filing cabinet
• Call gym to see when membership expires
• Start a running list of everyone I need to buy Christmas gifts for

Now those are things you can tick off as being complete. They are your next actions.

The Horizons

If you are worried or stressed and don’t know why, look to the horizon. Start at the next action list and zoom out until you have clarity. Do this as often as you feel you need to, and at least weekly. This is a really powerful aspect because it is so natural. When you zoom out you are going to go from your daily actions to your weekly projects that stem from your current areas of responsibility which flow from the yearly goals that match your career, lifestyle and purpose. Wherever you get stuck you need to zoom in and figure it out.

Clarity of your big rocks while knowing the next actions will give you the awareness you need to change the world today.

Get started now, and ask yourself: What’s on your mind?

__

Also see:

GTD notes from the collective through Kindle Highlights

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (2002)

Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life (2004)

Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life (2009)

David Allen Authors@Google Talk

Merlin Mann interviews David Allen

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I mentioned Ned’s great list of Awesome Melbourne Tech Startups.

Chloe is maintaining a Twitter list of Melbourne’s Tech Meetups.

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Philippe Goldin, a neuroscientist from Stanford University, made the distinction between two types of attention – intent focus on an object and more open scanning. When we talk about attention we are usually referring to the former, though the open scanning form is what often happens when we use social media apps – you are aware of the flow and watching for something interesting.

The tweet format particularly lends itself to this because of their frictionless nature. Look over these and see how your mind responds:

Ultimate Frisbee #tick

Autumn morning in St Kilda http://twitpic.com/1ptva8

“(Distance you’re traveling) / (weight of luggage you’re carrying) = (how much you feel like Jason Bourne)” /via @robinsloan

Never hold back a smile /via @jwswj

An A380 is flying over St Kilda. Not super sure how exactly, seeing how big it is!

Just as you can smell flowers while having a conversation, the tweet format lends itself to a similar flow. Contrast that mode to how you feel writing a blog post or a letter to someone.

@gregpass: If tweets go by and nothing interesting happens, it’s like you’re not even paying attention to them. #wisdom2conf

Be aware of your attention mode next time you write a tweet.

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