Fear versus Joy of Missing Out ...

“Oh the joy of missing out. 

When the world begins to shout

And rush towards that shining thing;

The latest bit of mental bling–

Trying to have it, see it, do it,

You simply know you won't go through it;

The anxious clamoring and need

This restless hungry thing to feed.

Instead, you feel the loveliness;

The pleasure of your emptiness.

You spurn the treasure on the shelf

In favor of your peaceful self;

Without regret, without a doubt.

Oh the joy of missing out”

—Michael Leunig: JOMO trend for 2018 and beyond

Many people who are on their death bed will tell you that they do not regret the missed parties or the superficial friendships, but they regret the deeper stuff: the long dinner conversations with family, not being true to yourself, not developing deeper relationships, and not practicing enough self-love.



Hell hath no fury like a senior public servant scorned
BERNARD KEANE: The trouble Roman Quaedvlieg is causing for his former political master is testament to why it's a good idea to look after public servants you want to dump.

I’ve written frequently about the Power of Three and man’s predilection for thinking in threes.  Three’s fit comfortably into our mind, we can remember them and focus on them – Aviate, Navigate, Communicate; Adapt, Improvise, Overcome; React, Recover, Regain; and at my own core – Focus, Commitment, Discipline.

Focusing in today’s VUCA world with our mobiles continuously interrupting our flow is increasingly difficult, with distractions – both real and self-imposed – all around us.

Canadian Chris Bailey has been studying Productivity and Focus for a few years now and has just published Hyperfocus (Pan Macmillan).  Worth a read.

A few take-outs:

-       Set yourself no more than three daily tasks.  Write ‘em down, knock ‘em off.  The Power of Three!!

-       Get on top of your phone: Put it in airplane mode; leave it in another room; store it in your (more inaccessible) laptop bag; shut off almost all notifications; decimate your apps; never take it into the bedroom; go back to watches / alarm clocks for telling the time.

-       Switch environments from messy to tidy and back again to maximise the right balance between creativity and discipline.

-       Take a mindful shower – or my version – a mindful bike ride.  And my favourite – have a glass of wine during the evening (people are 20 – 40% more creative after a smallamount of alcohol).  Trick is to remember to write down what you come up with!!! Via Kevin Roberts

Senate committee sitting on second Quaedvlieg letter
UPDATED: The former ABF commissioner's second letter to a Senate committee looking into Peter Dutton's ministerial interventions has been published online.

Be responsive and don't be rude: Nicola Roxon's advice to public servants
REVISIT: Not being upfront, treating the minister as an idiot: "These are the sorts of things that sap confidence quickly.”
CLOSING SOON: APS Diversity & Gender Equality Awards nominations

YET WHO WOULD REALLY WANT TO MISS OUT ON FINDING WHAT MAKES WOODWARD RUN?: Bob Woodward's unquenched desire for the truth was evident at age 12, when he learned two things — that his parents' marriage was falling apart and his dad was remarrying — from snooping in the mail and through his dad's pockets. That’s from Alicia Shepard, who wrote the 2007 book, "Woodward and Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate.” In a 1974 interview with Alan Pakula, who directed “All The President’s Men,” Woodward said:  “I was raised in a small town in the Midwest, and one of the things I learned very early was that everybody in the town had a secret. … And most of the time nobody ever found out about those secret things.”

MY BROTHER: “He was shot because he was a journalist, and for no other reason. You can go online and find more than a few yammering fascists who think that’s perfectly OK … The guy who threatened to shoot up the Boston Globe plainly held that view,” wrote Carl Hiassen in a must-read column devoted to his slain brother, Rob, one of five people slain in the newsroom of the Capital Gazette.

SO-CALLED LAW ENFORCEMENT: Why did these sheriffs, some under criminal investigation, applaud when President Trump criticized the free press? At least 10 of them had been found out by the news media for sleazy dealings in their departments, The Guardian's Jon Swaine discovers.

SAFE AI FOR NEWS: How can we ensure artificial intelligence for news will be developed ethically and in the public interest? The Knight Foundation has a $750,000 grant it is looking to distribute to people who help answer that question. An open call for ideas begins on Wednesday.

TEACHING US: The Guardian US has put teachers in charge of editing a series of education stories for the past few days. See how they’re doing.

PAYING IT BACK: A new investigative journalism center will be established at Indiana University, thanks to a $6 million gift from a one-time reporter who became a business tycoon. That follows the recently announced establishment of two investigative journalism centers at Arizona State and the University of Maryland. I'll be featuring an interview with the benefactor, Michael Arnolt, later this week.

How to Find a Novel, Short Story, or Poem Without Knowing its Title or Author: “Locating a novel, short story, or poem without knowing its title or author can be very difficult. This guide is intended to help readers identify a literary work when they know only its plot or subject, or other textual information such as a character’s name, a line of poetry, or a unique word or phrase.” Created by Peter Armenti, Digital Reference Specialist, Library of Congress. [h/t gov-info: The Government Info Librarian blog]

To Restore Civil Society, Start With the Library. This crucial institution is being neglected just when we need it the most. By Eric Klinenberg (@EricKlinenberg), a professor of sociology and the director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University

“…But the problem that libraries face today isn’t irrelevance. Indeed, in New York and many other cities, library circulation, program attendance and average hours spent visiting are up. The real problem that libraries face is that so many people are using them, and for such a wide variety of purposes, that library systems and their employees are overwhelmed. According to a 2016 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, about half of all Americans ages 16 and over used a public library in the past year, and two-thirds say that closing their local branch would have a “major impact on their community.” Libraries are being disparaged and neglected at precisely the moment when they are most valued and necessary. Why the disconnect? In part it’s because the founding principle of the public library — that all people deserve free, open access to our shared culture and heritage — is out of sync with the market logic that dominates our world. But it’s also because so few influential people understand the expansive role that libraries play in modern communities…