Ever think the universe is playing tricks with you?

Well, last week, during the holiday of Chanuka, I managed to become engrossed in three very bizarre postings.  And, being the techie that I am, I found the confluence pretty funny.

What the heck am I talking about?

Exhibit 1:  Kevin Hartnett wrote about Dr. Minhyong Kim, a mathematician from Oxford.  In QuantaMagazine.  The article discussed the unification theory of physics and math.  And, Dr. Kim, claiming that now that he is old (he’s 53), he feels free to discuss his ideas how math and physics interact.  (Back when I was in grad school, two of my four roommates were math majors.  This was a hot topic then.  Guess what?  They didn’t solve it then, either.)

Exhibit 2: Of course, since one of the games we play on Chanuka is spinning a four sided top (called a dreydel), with the acronym נגהפ or ש.  The letters stand for the words- a great miracle happened here (if you are in Israel) or there (if you are not). I have been spinning these dreydels for decades- both the conventional way, as well as upside down (on the little shaft that is affixed to the body, as you see below).

And, one fellow (Alexander Klotz) – who either needed a publication or has WAY too much time on his hands, wrote an article, Extreme High-Speed Dreidel (sic) Physics.   And, yes, he used high speed cameras and Fourier Transforms to explain how a dreydel spins.   (Trust me, it’s way more math and physics than a soul needs.)

Exhibit 3:  The physics of productivity: Newton’s law of getting stuff done.   I mean, how the heck could I not read that article?  Newton.  Physics.  Productivity.

Yes, James Clear decided he’d tackle his productivity goals using Newton’s theories.  So, maybe, some of us need to review Newton’s laws of motion to understand what Clear is doing.

Got it?   Great.   Because what Clear does with these three laws is simply fantastic.

Let’s consider the first principle.  Objects at rest tend to stay at rest.  Clear reminds us that this is exactly what procrastination involves.   So, it’s critical for us to find a way to start any task we must accomplish in 2 minutes or less.  Because once we start, it’s easy to stay engaged.  Whether it’s an exercise routine, writing a report, or cleaning our house.  Once we get started, it’s easier to keep engaged on the task.  (Motivation generally comes AFTER we start something.)

And, the second principle of Newton?   Well, being productive is not how hard we work (that’s the magnitude of the force) , but it’s where we apply that work (it’s direction).  It’s also why pushing against the wall does absolutely no work.  Because nothing moves.  The object of our productivity to is reach the goal.  So, we must make sure our effort (the force) is focused on where we want to go (the direction).

The third law reminds us that our productive forces-  focus, positivity,  and motivation are opposed by stress, lack of sleep, or exceeding our Peter Principle  (trying to do too much at once or do things beyond our ken).   So, we need to more than balance those forces- we have to ensure that our productive force exceeds our retarding force of ineffectivity.

Some folks claim to “power through”, to use drugs or caffeine to maintain our focus, to improve our productive forces.  Except powering through only goes so far.  (It actually leads to more fatigue that will eventually impair our productivity.)

The better approach is to remove the impeding forces.  That means simplifying our life, learning to say no, or reduce our responsibilities that are dragging us in manifold directions.

Perfect ideas to help us approach 2018,  ready to achieve our goals.