The Mindfulness Machine
I just spent about 30 minutes mindfully looking into a class action lawsuit with Google Gemini and, while some analytical rabbit holes were required to address subtleties/nuances, successfully came to a clear path ahead, including deferring next steps for a week out bc i have until early next year to join the suit and have spent enough time today on 'fictional things'.
Next, the timer i set to remind myself to drink coffee sounds, which i cancel and immediately set my 'teeth' alarm thirty minutes out to 1) allow for acidic diffusion, 2) signal the suggested end to my morning desk time and 3) means that it's time to rock, so i'm going to head upstairs to play guitar until it's time to brush my teeth.
i've also enshrined this ritual in my scheduling engine:
since there are a number of things i can do consecutively while i'm upstairs, i'm going to create a 'guitar. meditation. floss. planks/stretch. change sheets. clean tub. alarm 1) so i have the list and 2) as a log entry of sorts bc the native iOS alarm app defaults to the current time.
this is where the above list came from; simply picking out the upstairs things from:
back from guitar, planks, stretching and changing sheets. here is the menu of next things i can do:
kitchen doesn't need to be reset bc dishwasher isn't full so there is a place to put anything that is in my way so there's minimal friction threatening my clean eating.
now is a perfect time to take the trash out before it gets too hot...done.
side note: i just realized that i didn't document anywhere my realization that i'm newly and highly activated to do mundane computer work eg class action lawsuit over coffee bc i enjoy my coffee and being at my desk next to the heater, etc. and, since i also need a place to reference my other insights, why not put them here and make them part of a daily template i copy/paste into each of these entries. I'll add them to the very bottom of this post...done.
so what's next? here is what my scheduler is serving up:
I'm not really in the mood to head back upstairs to meditate. plus, i can meditate at any time today.
same goes for flossing. is upstairs and can be done later, possibly bundled w meditation while i'm up there.
vacuuming is deliberately scheduled after 9am since i don't want to disturb my neighbors too early.
cleaning my coffee pot sounds good! stand by...alright it's now brewing and i set a five minute timer to check when the brew cycle is half way complete and shut off the coffee make to let it sit.
side note: i used the rest of my vinegar but had a full second container. how? bc i added vinegar to my grocery list as soon as my current container contained less than half a coffee maker full.
alright so the coffee make is off now so it can sit so i'll make a 'finish brew cycle' alarm for one hour from now...done.
so now what? scheduler says:
since breakfast is looming and flossing teeth is a bit inflexible due to acidic diffusion, that seems perfect. i'm also going to listen to a mindfulness audiobook while flossing...
...done. also played guitar for the nine minutes i had between finishing flossing and breakfast, which is now so stand by...
...alright breakfast complete and now is time for post-meal treadmill unless i decide to do physical housework instead. here's what scheduler is serving up:
i think spraying cleaner on tub then vacuuming living room away from fumes is a good play stay tuned...
...alright so finished cleaning tub and vacuumed the kitchen, hallway, air intake and half of the living room. i also finished the first two coffee maker cleaning cycles and carafe is now cooling before the third and final cycle.
next? scheduler says...
...and meditation is consistent with my needs, wants and feelings since it'll be nice to get off my feet for a bit so stay tuned...
...done w meditation and have twelve minutes before lunch...
...which is a perfect window to document dictation taken during meditation...
...done...and i was wrong about the twelve minutes, although that does remind that i need to run final cycle thru coffee maker so i can brew a cup after lunch...
...ok that's started so i can consider that done bc i'll just need to pour it out...
...which leaves...
...so 110 minutes free between lunch and dinner IF i decide to do more vacuuming, which i might be why not esp if i'm doing that instead of my treadmill walk. now, i'm going to check reddit...
...alright so i made and ate lunch and while cooking i realized that i don't have enough chicken for dinner so i'm popped over to the market and am now back. adding 'cook chicken' to the scheduler gives:
perfect. but instead of starting that right away i'm going to take some time to enjoy my afternoon coffee which should be fine given the 47 minutes of slack i have. while my coffee is cooling i could do anything but i'm enjoying being off my feet so am going to check reddit...
...ok nothing there. now i can look at and cleanup my reference section below...
-- REFERENCE ONLY: INSIGHTS CAPTURE --
Today's EF Insights
COFFEE DOES NOT BIND ME TO MY DESK
when i'm in the office or busy w work, i don't worry about adulting
i should do housework instead of the treadmill after meals bc otherwise i'll end up "recovering" at my desk and posting to reddit
high standards are robbing me of mindfulness
today matters
- what am i doing today that won't add value today?
- what THINKING am i doing today that:
- won't make today better?
- ...is DISTRACTING FROM today?
- NOW matters
- what am i doing right now that has nothing to do with right now?
- maximum longevity doesn't
- maximize AWARENESS; not years
- sensory pleasures (incl intellectual stimulation) are fleeting so why be distracted by seeking and indulging in them when they won't carry over to tomorrow?
- what am i doing right now that has nothing to do with right now?
---
NO COMPUTER WORK ON WEEKENDS!!!
sim racing is dessert, non-perishable and fleeting
also can involve theoretical end points
best when idle or not a good time for anything else
---
◦ (this is really an indictment of thinking) But of course this is extension/clarification/compatible with idea of things making today better vs not
◦ Return on thinking TODAY needs to be GREATER than Time spent thinking
\- and especially vis a vis time bc need to trust time machine
◦ Net zero is net loss bc not thinking is the whole point
◦ And also thinking consumes energy
◦ And there is an opportunity cost in the form of small things that can be eliminated from list
\- even if they also don't add value to today
\- but especially so if they DO add value to today
◦ Now = protect now = don’t strive toward end points beyond now/today
\- and rushing vs point b is striving toward end point beyond now
\- at the expense of now
\- again, thinking is the enemy here
\- thinking = not present
\- unless practical matters
\- and future efficiency is not a practical matter
- unless i'm not keeping up with what's essential
- which is not a threat these days
◦ Body doubling or tripling my brain
◦ Like go pro but inside thoughts
\- I'm watching
\- Others are watching
◦ Accountability
- perishability of today
\- sensory pleasures are fleeting
\- and incl intellectual stimulation
\- which in groups of more than one = explaining/understanding
\- things that make today better
\- things that don't make today better
\- things that can't be used until the future
\- shoes
- which are especially far in the future
\- things that don't make today better
\- inexact science / fiction
\- what will matter tomorrow
\- practical matters
\- getting things done that reduces backlog
\- esp when able to do esp when idle
- and have time/energy
- esp bc may not have time/energy tomorrow
\- and reduced backlog tomorrow relieves thinking / frees time tomorrow
- which is NOT striving if idle
- and is better than just killing time today w distractions that don't matter tomorrow
- with distractions/busy work
- because sense of abundance
- when there really isn't abundance
- when there are valid/worthwhile things to do
- what if july 4 were every day
\- i'd eat horribly
\- i'd spend time with people i don't like
\- i'd not exercise
\- i'd sleep all afternoon
Posted Aug 16, 2026, 5:59 PM UTC