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One of my favorite quotes on this topic comes from Aurelius' description of his adopted father in Meditations. [Y]ou would never say of him that he "broke out

One of my favorite quotes on this topic comes from Aurelius' description of his adopted father in Meditations. [Y]ou would never say of him that he "broke out a sweat": but everything was allotted its own time and thought, as by a man of leisure - his way was unhurried, organized, vigorous, consistent in all. I feel like I spend a lot of time rushing from one thing to the next, constantly questioning whether I'm spending time wisely. And then I end up accomplishing less because I lack focus in one area. I've instead been trying to relax, slow down, and take tasks one at a time until completion. I'd also recommend Cal Newport's book, Deep Work, on this.

agumonkey 6y ago
I'm still stumped over the fact that humans are behind Antique Roma existentialism on average.
vishnugupta 6y ago
> but everything was allotted its own time and thought, as by a man of leisure As an extreme example; watching Schumacher at his peak perform during a qualifying lap or during race, in treacherous rainy conditions, while everyone was absolutely struggling, and him out front, half a lap ahead of everyone was like watching poetry in motion. You could tell he was very relaxed just by the way his hands operated the steering wheel, hitting the apex every time in a single motion, no twitching or tossing around the car. It seemed he just had more time, as in the time had just slowed down for him compared to everyone else. Edit: Typo; damn you Mac OS auto-correct!
- austinl 6y ago
  as by a man of leisure is my favorite phrase in the passage. I think it's the key to the whole thing. It's implies what kind of mindset you should try to adopt: relax, enjoy what you're doing and appreciate the moment (if you're able to). Aurelius' adopted father was a consul three times, which is certainly not a stress-free job! But he apparently was able to keep cool by the way he approached his work. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_consul https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_consul
- thrav 6y ago
  Time dilation is a real thing. You’re likely describing his experience accurately. We see it in obviously exaggerated forms in film, like the Matrix, but that’s based on real shit. The best baseball hitters describe seeing the pitch the same way.
Wohlf 6y ago
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

agumonkey 6y ago

I'm still stumped over the fact that humans are behind Antique Roma existentialism on average.

vishnugupta 6y ago

> but everything was allotted its own time and thought, as by a man of leisure As an extreme example; watching Schumacher at his peak perform during a qualifying lap or during race, in treacherous rainy conditions, while everyone was absolutely struggling, and him out front, half a lap ahead of everyone was like watching poetry in motion. You could tell he was very relaxed just by the way his hands operated the steering wheel, hitting the apex every time in a single motion, no twitching or tossing around the car. It seemed he just had more time, as in the time had just slowed down for him compared to everyone else. Edit: Typo; damn you Mac OS auto-correct!

austinl 6y ago
as by a man of leisure is my favorite phrase in the passage. I think it's the key to the whole thing. It's implies what kind of mindset you should try to adopt: relax, enjoy what you're doing and appreciate the moment (if you're able to). Aurelius' adopted father was a consul three times, which is certainly not a stress-free job! But he apparently was able to keep cool by the way he approached his work. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_consul https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_consul
thrav 6y ago
Time dilation is a real thing. You’re likely describing his experience accurately. We see it in obviously exaggerated forms in film, like the Matrix, but that’s based on real shit. The best baseball hitters describe seeing the pitch the same way.

Wohlf 6y ago

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.