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Clearly, happiness cannot be achieved by thinking more but only by doing. „Doing“ usually does not need more thinking, typically the opposite actually.

What I observe is that when I have an extremely granular and clear list of things I have to do, I can actually do them. But as soon as there is the slightest gap were I can derail, I do derail. Maybe what I should do as a method is be hyper precise in my planning and then execute but do less of the in between things.

Im Durchschnitt liegt das Unglück. Oder wie der Engländer sagt – “you can drown in a river that’s on average one inch deep”.
Wofür zahlt man beim Essen: Zutaten, Zeit, Liebe, Können?

Tomatensalat – sehr gute Zutaten und Hände weg. Der Preis ist hoffentlich hauptsächlich die Tomate. 

Boeuf Bourguignon – günstiges Fleisch mit Sehnen und Fett, ich zahle für Liebe und Zeit. 

Das Schlimmste ist der Durchschnitt. Ein Gulasch mit etwas besserem Fleisch, aber ohne Zeit und Liebe gekocht. Mittelgute Tomaten aufwendigen Dressing, Croutons und Firlefanz. Ein Tomatensalat zum verabscheuen.

Analytically, the most things are easy. A lot of stuff is not knowable, often getting more information is easy. Why is it difficult to decide, when we the consequences are so meaningless? Why do we do so little?

All the work of people doing desk jobs (some 35% of the german population). The work can only ever be a limited set of things: 

• Writing a document (email whatever)
  • More or less complex / complicated
• Doing more or less difficult math
  • More of or less complex / complicated 
• Making a decision 
• Communicating a decision

Why does it feel like some work is “hard” ? How does brain work become “hard”?

When making decisions is taking into account opportunities that are not yet known. Because they are not known. 

If you are positive and have some surface area stuff will come up (from the Harvard Study of Adult Development I remember reading that the number of 2nd degree connections is the best predictor of wealth) and there can be tremendous value in what comes up in some parts of your life (business, entrepreneurial). For people used to looking at a lot of options and seeing outcomes, investors mostly, call this “Optionality” as a shorthand.

In other parts of life, too high an awareness of optionality is probably adverse because it prevents settling down. Like dating or buying a house. It would be interesting how that choice is made by people how are familiar with the concept of optionality.

1. How much do other people express their dissatisfaction 
2. How much do you emphasize/imagine potential dissatisfaction 

3. How much do you unconsciously take that into account in your choice 
4. How much do you consciously take that into account in your choice

Simple way is that you do not know 2. And assume that others overexpress 1. Than you should just care less and – largely – only pursue what you want. That requires knowing what you want though which can be tricky if you have taken the happiness of others as your guide to good behaviour.

(Do a Venn-Diagramm here in the future)

I am not sure what it is but the „All your base are belong to us“ and „Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds“ have a similar ring to it somehow.

I am writing these things here so I get to shipping stuff, because the non productive state seems not like a great mode to be in. And thankfully, in writing here somehow I do not trigger other thoughts like I would when writing something more strategic like a business questionaire or a political agenda which immediately opens up thought avenues.

This is interesting in and of itself, just wanting to write here leaves me very focussed on the writing as opposed to working on other issues (like aforementioned similar writing in different context). This feels good because of the focus, which I dont get in other situation.

Funny, so maybe it is this writing that I want to be doing? Very funny. I will try to carry over that focus into the other realm now without overthinking and just moving forward and shipping the document.

Approaches to Wanting

For human happiness it is often assumed that they either a) need to move towards a goal or b) let go and simply enjoy the process of whatever it is. In both cases there is a theory that things need to be found meaningful – either the goal or whatever the thing is that is being done.

The methods for deriving meaning are:

• Write a list of things (which ends up being family, health, whatever)
• Finding the meaing is in itself the task (mean search for meaning)
• Does not matter what it is, you need to force yourself into doing something and by just human nature doing something will lead to that feeling at least fullfilling

First blog post done.