There are a number of repeat discussions that I have with myself whenever I go for a walk or sit down to do some thinking. Every few weeks they’ll pop up and I’ll rehash the same information, the same discussion points, and the same insights over and over and over.
It’s very cyclical.
So, I figure the best way to expunge these conversations from my brain is to put them on paper. That way I can free up some space to develop some new internal discussions that I can also eventually get sick of and also write down.
Makes sense to me.
So, without further ado, here are my thoughts on what we have the time to do with ourselves.
I believe I first came across Warren Buffett’s 5/20 Rule through Cal Newport’s Deep Work, but the experiment has come up in a number of books on productivity, ugh, that I’ve gone through in the past couple of years.
The experiment completed in 3 steps.
- Take some time and write down the 20 most important things that you’d like to do with your life. These should be big things; like having a family, starting a business, or writing a book. Those ginormous dream goals that everyone supposedly has.
- Then, take even more time to circle the most important 5 out of that list of 20. Really think of what the top points are for you.
- Finally, cross out the 15 non-circled points and spend the rest of your life actively avoiding them.
The point is, if you spend your life trying to complete all 20 of these goals, by the time you die you will likely not have finished any of them. Each may only be 20-30% complete.
Whereas, if you only have 5 major goals, your chance of completion is much higher.
Now, Warren Buffett is a very rich man, so… take that for what you will. But I do believe that this exercise has a lot of gold in it.
I want to make feature films, but there are many other mediums that I find very tantalizing, and it’s tough to not succumb to their songs.
Short stories, plays, animation, children’s books, novels, comics, tabletop role playing games… not a week goes by that I do not feel drawn to one of these mediums and feel that maybe I should give them a go.
Now there are filmmakers that have dabbled in separate mediums. Tarantino and Cronenberg have both written novels; Ethan Coen has published plays, short stories, and poetry; David Lynch has his artwork… and there are going to be other examples too, of course, but these are established filmmakers, they’re going to have the funds to reach out.
And, for the most part, these forays into other mediums only came well into their film careers. They weren’t juggling multiple crafts when they were starting out.
Whenever I’d go over this conversation in my head I’d always be very adamant about the idea that you only get one medium. That if you want to make movies, or write novels, or be an architect, or a fashion designer than you focus on that specific “want,” you don’t let other “wants” creep in.
I’m not so sure now. Does it all add up to whatever you are supposed to be? To whatever you are supposed to do?
I just heard the phrase, “If I knew where I was going, I’d already be there,” and I think that’s all there is to it.
Follow your nose and hope for the best.