Sunday Musings - Staying Focused, Connected, Asking the Right Questions
November 20th 2022
Welcome to another Sunday Friends!
Here is your Sunday Musings, a quick dose of what I’m exploring and thinking about. Please feel free to forward this along to friends.
Apologies for the late push, Substack’s 2FA and I were at odds all weekend but we’ve got it fixed now!
I’m writing from an Airbnb in Memphis, TN, USA. Spending the holiday with the family. I was chatting up a mentor of mine about techniques and frames of mind to getting a lot of things done. We came up with some concepts along the lines of a couple types of people. Those who see the things we have to do as burdens and those who see things we have to do as obstacles to be overcome one by one.
Those overcoming their problems one by one attack them with purpose thinking “I’ll do this, then that, then eat, work on this task next, then go to bed.”
Those others are weighed down by their problems and have to bear the burden of their tasks and find the time, somehow, to overcome them. “Ugh, I have so much to do, how am I going to find all the time to get it all done.”
For my part, I think there’s a middle methodology here but it’s all about mindset and perspective. I think of my tasks as burdens I’m bearing, but all in the same backpack. I get to choose how I load my pack; those burdens that aren’t on the route I’m headed, I discard; or better yet, find a better person to accomplish them. The others are a part of where I’m going. As I continue on my journey I accomplish those things I need to get done, placing them where they need to go and lightening my load every step of the way.
This is only my perspective, but it feels very right to me. It’s a blend of the Eisenhower method, the concept of slow burning (accomplishing pieces of many things over time), and the two mind sets above.
We’ve all been many different types of people during our lives; I know I have. Somedays I’m energized to tackle the world, others I need a few cups of coffee and a motivational pep talk. It really isn’t what’s got to be done, it’s just my perception and approach.
Since my chat, I’ve been actively thinking about what I need to get done and how I approach them. Thinking of things as happy burdens that I get to accomplish along my journey and each one makes me a bit lighter and better able to accomplish my journey as I complete them makes me more productive, more in control and less like I’m drowning in my to-do list.
Hopefully someone finds this useful!
Have an amazing week!
-e
P.S. Thank you to everyone who responded to last week’s email about the Hustle - To a person, you all reminded me that it is okay to take a break, which I’m grateful for! I’ll reply to everyone individually, but it sometimes takes time!
This Week’s Recommendation
5x5 Series by Cyber Statecraft Initiative at Atlantic Council
The 5x5 series brings together five experts to answer five questions in the world of “cyber”. I find the multiple opinions helpful in evening out my own thoughts; additionally, the topics on 5x5 have always been thought provoking. Their latest covers “The rise of cyber surveillance and the Access-as-a-Service industry”.
The AaaS industry essentially uses spyware to create a single entity as a solution to aggregate tons of capabilities such as malware, tactics, techniques, procedures, training, etc…) that governments, and corporations can then purchase. At their best, they give unique insights into competitors, employees, and citizens, at their worse, they enable a holistic compilation of intelligence (I use the word intentionally) on targets to enable offensive operations much more simple.
Takeaway thought: When the product is free, you (or your data) are the product. Be mindful of what you put out into the web.
Technology I’m Looking At
Twitter Alternatives/Supplements
As we watch the events unfold with Twitter, there are an increasing number of peoples looking to, and migrating, to alternative social media platforms. While I’m not sold on the idea that Twitter is going to go down in flames like FTX, I recognize that many are looking for something else; and there’s opportunity to broaden our perspectives. Here are my first two thoughts; what are your thoughts?
Mastodon:
Mastodon is a relative newcomer and it’s receiving a lot of attention. More than a million people have joined since Twitter’s recent turbulent times. I love the decentralized concept and that I can start up a server to host an entire community of interest, outside of just my thoughts, and bigger than just me. That being said, it’s small; but startups have a tendency to become big.
CounterSocial:
It has more than 63 million users already. Creative Bloq, called it a “no-nonsense alternative to Twitter” that is already “proving to be plenty popular,”. ZDNet says it’s the best alternative to twitter. I like the idea of putting up something focused on discourse and engagement without the concern of ads; the interface feels a little “in the basement with a tin-foil hatty” in contrast to the open feeling of Twitter, but that could also be adjusted.
What am I missing? What are your thoughts?
Quote I’m Musing
“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.”
-Pablo Picasso
Surprisingly effective. What good is a key if you don’t know the lock it opens? Better still, our answers are only as good as the questions we ask. I have, on many an occasion, spent too much time attempting to solve the wrong problem (answering the wrong question).
I posit that the key is in understanding, observation, and exploration of the environment you are in, and the problem you need to solve. When you have that, you can begin to ask better and better questions to achieve the answer you Need rather than answering a problem you already know; or worse, getting the right answer but not learning or knowing why.
I would love your feedback!
Which musing is your favorite? What else do you want to see or what should I eliminate? Any other suggestions? Please let me know. Just send a tweet to @erichaupt on Twitter and put #SundayMusings at the end so I can find it. Or, eric@erichaupt.com for long form email.
Have a wonderful week, I’ll see you Sunday.
-e
