I want to say that we're not going to meet ourselves through walking. Through walking, we actually escape the idea of identity, the temptation of being someone, or having a name and a past. Being someone is only good for lavish parties where everyone tells their own story; being someone is only good for a therapist's office. But isn't being someone also a social obligation that drags along a foolish and exhausting story – because after all, everyone must stick to the image they've drawn of themselves?

A Philosophy of Walking

The freedom that comes from walking lies in not being anyone, as a body that walks has no past or history; it is only a whirlpool in the very old current of life.Nietzsche once wrote that breaking away is a difficult task, as severing ties or freeing oneself from the bonds of attachment brings pain and suffering. However, the benefits will soon become apparent.

The Freedom of Walking

Nietzsche's personal life was destined to be shaped by these very ruptures, separations, and withdrawals: from the world, society, companions, colleagues, spouses, friends, and relatives. But each break that deepened his solitude meant an ever-increasing expansion of his freedoms. He no longer needed to explain or compromise. His vision was clear and unbiased.

Nietzsche's Personal Life

Nietzsche would walk all day and immediately write down whatever his body, in its confrontation with sky, sea, and glaciers, inspired in his thoughts. "Thus spoke Zarathustra with his heart: I am a wanderer and mountain climber. I do not love the plains. And it is as if I cannot sit still for a long time. And everything that still comes to me as fate and trial will be in that new wandering and mountain climbing: but man, in the end, tests only himself."

Nietzsche's Thoughts

Rousseau claimed that he couldn't think properly, write, create, or be inspired by anything unless he was walking.The mere sight of a desk and chair was enough to make him sick and take away all his courage. It was during long walks that ideas came to him, on the road that sentences flowed from his lips and subtly marked his movements. Walking was the path that ignited his imagination.

Rousseau's Source of Inspiration

Were the Greek philosophers good walkers? Legend has it that they were, as they are often depicted standing or strolling among their students, pacing back and forth under the roof of a colonnade or among the trees, pausing occasionally, turning back, continuing in another direction, and always with their students following closely behind.That is why Raphael, in his famous painting "The School of Athens," portrayed the archetypal philosopher of antiquity in this way: standing, with a firm step, and a commanding finger.

Greek Philosophers and Walking

Walking without anything, not even necessities, is surrendering to the primal. When you do this, nothing else matters: no map, no self-assurance, nothing but a wholehearted belief in the world's generosity. Stones, sky, earth, trees - all serve as gifts, providing endless support.

Walking Without Anything

By surrendering to these primal elements, we gain a trust we've never known before - a trust that soothes the heart because it makes us entirely dependent on another and even frees us from the duty of self-preservation. Primals are the things to which we surrender, the things that are given to us entirely. But to experience the essence of the primal, we must risk crossing the boundary of necessity.

Primals

When a hike stretches on for a long time, there comes a moment when you lose track of how many hours have passed, or how many more it will take to reach your destination. You feel the weight of basic necessities on your shoulders and tell yourself, "This is enough - there's no need to do anything more to keep body and soul together." You feel as though you could continue like this for days, for centuries.

Lost in the Wilderness

You no longer remember where you were going or why. These questions seem as meaningless as your past or the time of day. And so, you feel free because every time you recall a sign of your former hellish responsibilities – your name, age, profession, and history – it all seems utterly ridiculous, insignificant, and illusory.

Forgetfulness

We don't belong to those who only think when surrounded by books, when books ignite a passion within them. We're accustomed to thinking in the open air - while walking, jumping, climbing, dancing, preferably in secluded mountains or on the seashore, where even footprints can spark a thought.

This “passionate affirmation of the simple life” explores how walking has influenced history’s greatest thinkers—from Henry David Thoreau and John Muir to Gandhi and Nietzsche (Observer) “It is only ideas gained from walking that have any worth.” —Nietzsche In this French bestseller, leading thinker and philosopher Frédéric Gros charts the many different ways we get from A to B—the pilgrimage, the promenade, the protest march, the nature ramble—and reveals what they say about us. Gros draws attention to other thinkers who also saw walking as something central to their practice. On his travels he ponders Thoreau’s eager seclusion in Walden Woods; the reason Rimbaud walked in a fury, while Nerval rambled to cure his melancholy. He shows us how Rousseau walked in order to think, while Nietzsche wandered the mountainside to write. In contrast, Kant marched through his hometown every day, exactly at the same hour, to escape the compulsion of thought. Brilliant and erudite, A Philosophy of Walking is an entertaining and insightful manifesto for putting one foot in front of the other.

philosophy

Philosophy

religionandspirituality

Religion & Spirituality

travel

Travel

books

Books

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

Frédéric Gros

There is a direct link between motion and creative insight.Bring your notebook and make your walk explicitly to take notes. Be like an explorer in an undiscovered jungle, taking notes as you walk.Whatever comes to mind, note it down.You’ll often find that the more you note, the more ideas are pushed up.

Go for a journal walk.

Yeah, you know what that is for you. There’s that one thing you keep holding off because it’s icky, uncomfortable or reminds you of pain.Use this as an opportunity. Get the thing done, or at least one thing toward getting it done.You’ll feel better, and you will be creatively boosted.

Do one hard thing.

Even if every fibre in your body says, ‘Not today, bro,’ throw on some dirty reggaeton and whip your hips.You can’t help but feel better after a dance-off with the mirror.

Have a cheeky dance.

Great! You finally have permission to write down all your strange or left-field thoughts and ideas in a dedicated booklet.This is significant because, often, without knowing it, we train ourselves to play it safe. We avoid risks and are drawn to conform. This is a death sentence for creative insight. Push yourself to write down far-out, ‘over-the-top’ or straight bizarre ideas more often.This is you playing at your edges. This is training you to think outside the box.It is also energizing and fun.

Start a ‘weird ideas’ journal.

Draw a mind map to explore ideas for your next book or creative project.Whiteboards, spider diagrams, and placing sticky notes on the wall are other examples.Creativity flourishes when seeing something visually in one place and moving segments around.New connections are made that we might have otherwise missed.

Use non-linear tools.

They say the shower is one of the best places to get ideas.Being immersed in the white noise and refreshing heat or cold water power makes a difference.

Go swimming.

What? Who said Lego or Hungry Hippos had to end at age ten?My Austrian grandma had this box of toys I used to open whenever I visited her in Vienna. It contained little wood cars, puzzles and tiddlywinks and other treasures. I’d open it even into my thirties and wish I could open it today.The toys instantly transported me to a world of play and connection-building.

Play with children’s toys.

I’m serious! How often do you walk backwards?Not only is it good for exercising certain muscle groups, but walking backwards breaks patterns.When we break the usual patterns, our brains are forced to adapt. When the brain has to think in new ways, we are forced to be creative and see the world from a new perspective.

Walk backwards.

When doodling, our minds are still, and we obsess less on cyclical thoughts that worry us.We activate the part of our brain that we use to be creative. It’s not just for phone calls.We can draw for fun, without a sense of needing to be ‘good,’ which may reveal new insights that surprise you.

Doodle.

Explore how engaging the senses through activities like listening to music, walking in a forest, ambient white noise, aromatherapy, flotation tanks, or tactile experiences like playing with play dough can enhance creativity by stimulating different parts of the brain.Some of my best writing is done listening to aeroplane cabin noise on a loop.Onward.

Experiment with sensory stimulation.

People say consistency is the key to creativity.But sometimes, doing the same things repeatedly can leave us feeling like beached whales on sand.We need something fresh.

productivity

Productivity

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

habits

Habits

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

10 Badass Motivation Ideas

Slow Productivity is a term coined by Cal Newport, an author and computer scientist. It refers to new philosophies in the field of work and productivity that are in contrast to the prevailing culture of "continuous and uninterrupted work." He argues that this culture leads to job burnout and ultimately a decrease in the quality of work. He has written a new book by the same name that has quickly become famous. Cal Newport is the author of the famous books Deep Work and Digital Minimalism.

In today's fast-paced and interconnected digital world, the quest for productivity often leads us down a path of overwork, stress, and eventual burnout. Cal Newport challenges this modern ethos and calls for a fundamental shift in the way we approach work.At the heart of his argument, in the first section of the book, is a call to reject the frenetic pace of "false productivity" and instead embrace a slower, more intentional approach.

Cal Newport begins by diagnosing the modern work culture with a disease he calls "pseudo-productivity". This condition is characterized by a constant busyness, where the number of tasks completed or hours logged becomes the measure of productivity. However, this approach often leads to shallow work, where quantity trumps quality and meaningful engagement with work is lost. This cycle not only diminishes the value of our work, but also our well-being.

The problem of false productivity

Newport argues that the antidote to this hustle culture is "slow productivity." This concept isn't about reducing output or working at a snail's pace, but rather about cultivating depth and quality in our work.Slow productivity requires an intentional approach, where focus, skill, and well-being take priority over the sheer volume of work completed. This book provides the groundwork for a paradigm shift, encouraging us to re-examine our relationship with work and how we define success.

A slower alternative

One of the core principles of deep productivity is the emphasis on depth over breadth. Newport challenges us to narrow our focus, to invest our energy in fewer tasks, but to do them with greater care and attention. This approach not only leads to higher quality results, but it also cultivates a deeper sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Valuing Depth over Breadth

Reducing stress and burnout: By focusing on fewer tasks and working at your natural pace, you can reduce your stress and burnout.Increasing work quality: By focusing on quality, you can create more valuable and lasting works.Increasing job satisfaction: By doing things that are meaningful to you and that you are good at, you can be more satisfied with your job.

Benefits of slow productivity

Do less. Instead of trying to do many things at once, focus on a few important tasks and devote all your energy to them.Evaluate your commitments: Make a list of all your current work-related commitments and assess their importance and alignment with your personal and professional goals.Prioritize: Identify the most valuable and impactful tasks or projects and allocate the majority of your time and resources to them.Learn to say no: Develop the skill of politely declining additional commitments that do not align with your priorities or that would reduce your focus on key tasks.

Focus on fewer tasks

Everyone has their own natural pace. Don't try to work at the same speed as others, but rather work at a pace that is comfortable for you.Identify your peak times: Track your energy levels and focus throughout the day to identify when you are most productive.Schedule accordingly: Schedule your more challenging or important tasks for your peak productivity times, and consider lighter tasks or breaks for times when you have less energy.Build breaks into your schedule: Incorporate regular short breaks and longer periods of rest into your workday to prevent burnout and maintain a sustainable pace.

Work at your natural pace

Prioritize quality over speed. Instead of rushing to get things done, focus on doing them with high quality.Set high standards: Define what high-quality work means in the context of your projects and strive to meet or exceed those standards.Seek feedback: Regularly ask for constructive feedback from colleagues, mentors, or clients to continuously improve the quality of your work.Reflect and iterate: After completing tasks or projects, take time to reflect on what went well and what could have been done better. Use these insights to refine your approach for future work.

Be obsessed with quality

Slow productivity is a new and efficient approach to increase productivity that helps you achieve better results with less work. This approach focuses on focus, quality and work-life balance.

A New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and IndieBound bestseller "Brilliant and timely" — Oliver Burkeman ~ Do Fewer Things. Work at a Natural Pace. Obsess over Quality. ~ From the New York Times bestselling author of Digital Minimalism and Deep Work, a groundbreaking philosophy for pursuing meaningful accomplishment while avoiding overload Our current definition of “productivity” is broken. It pushes us to treat busyness as a proxy for useful effort, leading to impossibly lengthy task lists and ceaseless meetings. We’re overwhelmed by all we have to do and on the edge of burnout, left to decide between giving into soul-sapping hustle culture or rejecting ambition altogether. But are these really our only choices? Long before the arrival of pinging inboxes and clogged schedules, history’s most creative and impactful philosophers, scientists, artists, and writers mastered the art of producing valuable work with staying power. In this timely and provocative book, Cal Newport harnesses the wisdom of these traditional knowledge workers to radically transform our modern jobs. Drawing from deep research on the habits and mindsets of a varied cast of storied thinkers – from Galileo and Isaac Newton, to Jane Austen and Georgia O’Keefe – Newport lays out the key principles of “slow productivity,” a more sustainable alternative to the aimless overwhelm that defines our current moment. Combining cultural criticism with systematic pragmatism, Newport deconstructs the absurdities inherent in standard notions of productivity, and then provides step-by-step advice for cultivating a slower, more humane alternative. From the aggressive rethinking of workload management, to introducing seasonal variation, to shifting your performance toward long-term quality, Slow Productivity provides a roadmap for escaping overload and arriving instead at a more timeless approach to pursuing meaningful accomplishment. The world of work is due for a new revolution. Slow productivity is exactly what we need.

remotework

Remote Work

timemanagement

Time Management

humanresources

Human Resources

Cal Newport is Provost’s Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, and the author of seven books. His ideas and writing are frequently featured in major publications and on TV and radio.From his website: "I write about the intersection of digital technology and culture. I’m particularly interested in our struggle to deploy these tools in ways that support instead of subvert the things we care about in both our personal and professional lives."

Cal Newport

Slow Productivity

If you’ve ever played Tetris, you know that the game has a clear goal: to prevent the blocks from stacking up to the top of the screen for as long as possible.You accomplish the goal and win, or you lose and start all over again.Other games, like The Sims, don’t have a clear goal. Its sole purpose is to continue the play. You can build houses, find a job for your Sim, and even drown him at the pool…but the game per se never ends — only when you turn off the computer.

As James Carse explained in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Finite-Infinite-Games-James-Carse/dp/1476731713?geniuslink=true">his book</a>, life also has finite games, which have a clear goal and end at some point, and infinite ones, which don’t have winners or losers and are ongoing.And it’s important to differentiate them so you can “play” them correctly.For example, your health is an infinite game. You have to constantly take care of it. There is no point in your life that you can be like, “Oh, I’ve reached peak health; now I can relax and not do anything else about it for the rest of my life”.

Inside your health, however, there are many finite games. Running a marathon would be an example. It ends as soon as you cross the finish line and you can either accomplish it or not.But what happens when you treat infinite games life finite?Let’s focus, for example, on learning. Imagine Beth, a student who thought, “When I finish uni, I’ll never have to study and learn new things again. This phase will be over, and I’ll focus only on working”.

But as soon as Beth got a job, she had to learn how to use specific software, and later, she had to attend seminars and watch online courses to perfect her skills.Beth’s approach to learning was wrong. She treated it as a finite game when learning is an infinite one. Whatever you do for a living, you’ll always have to keep learning.Finishing your bachelor’s or master’s degree is just a finite game inside the infinite game that is learning.

The truth is that infinite games never end. You reach a goal just to realize that there are more things to improve and work on in that area of your life. Problems don’t disappear but rather evolve. The game continues.And the best way to “play” it is by making it enjoyable

Life is a game, and it’s much more fun if you play it as your own game, so stay light and loose and relaxed.

entertainment

Entertainment

How To Play The Game Of Life

Your instincts have a compass that points in two directions. What excites you? What drains you? No matter what advice anyone gives you, no matter how smart they may be, you need to let this compass guide you.

Whatever excites you, do it. Whatever drains you, stop doing it. For example, many musicians get into music because they love playing their instruments. They love it so much they want to do it full-time.

But then, well-meaning people say, if you're going to be in the music business, you have to read this book on music business law, you have to learn networking skills, marketing, tech skills, accounting, and writing good newsletters, and so on.

Soon, those musicians are spending all their time doing everything but playing their instrument and decide it's not worth it. They give up, get a dumb job, and lose interest in their instrument because a music career seems tedious and overwhelming.

But nothing is worth losing your enthusiasm. Nothing. Whatever excites you, do it. Whatever drains you, stop doing it. You have to pay close attention to that compass, even in the little day -to -day decisions.

You get offered a gig. They're on the phone waiting for an answer. Does it excite you or drain you? You hear about some new technology. People say you need to check out this new app. Does it excite you or drain you?

If it doesn't excite you, don't do it. There's almost nothing that you must do. Whatever you hate doing, someone out there loves doing it. So if it's necessary, find them and let them do it. Work toward this ideal and soon you'll be doing only what excites you the most.

Then you'll find that doors open for you, opportunities come your way, and life seems to go easier because you're doing what you're meant to do.

A Philosophy of Walking

10 Badass Motivation Ideas

Slow Productivity

How To Play The Game Of Life

Compass in your gut

Matt Jahantark