Lichtenbergianism

Highlights

Whether I have done those things well is not the point. The point is that I have done these things, mostly because nobody told me not to. — location: 114

I've learned a lot of things, and all of them lead to my main idea here: you can do this too. — location: 117

I call it the Lyles Eternal Truth About Actors, and I give this advice to any uncooperative or fearful actor: "There's no such thing as an actor who can't, only an actor who won't." — location: 119

The tl;dr[3] version: Just do it. Then do it again. There, I've saved you the trouble of reading the rest of the book. — location: 136

Our motto: Cras melior est. Tomorrow is better. — location: 242

Procrastinators of the world unite! Later.

For a Lichtenbergian, there is nothing more shameful than getting right to work and doing All The Things. It shows a lack of moral fiber, we think, not to be able to avoid one task or another at will. — location: 270

The core value of Lichtenbergianism is procrastination, not doing All The Things. — location: 365

Here is the secret to successful Task Avoidance: because you are an artist, you have more than one Task to Avoid, each one nagging for your attention. The trick is to play them off against each other, avoiding one by working on another. — location: 400

"The key idea is that procrastinating does not mean doing absolutely nothing… The procrastinator can be motivated to do difficult, timely, and important tasks… as long as these tasks are a way of not doing something more important." — location: 416

The other secret of Task Avoidance is that gestation is a necessary part of the creative process in any model worth the study — and a smart artist uses Task Avoidance to let ideas form fully. — location: 426

Another important benefit of Task Avoidance is slack. Slack is that extra bit of rope that allows you to make adjustments in whatever it is you're doing with that rope — in Lichtenbergianism, slack is extra time, and it is critical to any adaptive system like creativity. — location: 448

In Lichtenbergianism, whenever you feel over-structured, rushed, or swamped, it's time for a little Task Avoidance. Clear out some time for reading, or thinking about another project. — location: 459

Just remember that filling every moment with work is not actually being efficient. — location: 462

Practice "structured procrastination" by alternating your projects — avoid working on one project by tinkering with another. Kanban your projects — know what you're putting off and why. Don't be afraid to let projects simmer. Learn the difference between Task Avoidance and Abandonment. — location: 550