On human washing machines

Hi, troublemakers! 👋

Here’s a powerful quote I’ve highlighted this week, along with a thought for you to reflect this weekend.

Take care and unwind!
Tom

1 Quote

From N.N. Taleb’sAntifragile:

"(…) an aspect of modern life that treats humans as washing machines, with simplified mechanical responses—and a detailed user’s manual. It is the systematic removal of uncertainty and randomness from things, trying to make matters highly predictable in their smallest details. All that for the sake of comfort, convenience, and efficiency."

1 Thought

For many years I was a human washing machine. I’ve always enjoyed routines and patterns, so the idea of getting rid of randomness was very appealing. I remember when with all the gurus and countless protocols popping out, I started programming my life:

Wake up 4am, read, journal, read again, go for a run, cold shower, deep work, skip breakfast, tea, bla bla.

I’ve tried all that stuff, and it all makes sense, but only if done in a healthy way and not Detective Monk’s way. Following these protocols without reflection only works in the short term. It’s like a bad diet - you quickly see results, but internally, there’s nothing but damage.

And then there’s this annoying sense of achievement by 7 a.m. Damn, I could still have gotten some good sleep!

Relax… don’t panic. Overprogramming is just not the way to live.

Some programming, like healthy habits — yes, do that. I never stopped enjoying reading in the mornings, running, and taking cold showers (that’s actually a lie - I’ve always hated cold water).

The bottom line is I’ve just found a way not to base my entire sense of life around these things.

Written from randomness at 5am (because I couldn’t sleep today).