Which is better: to constantly try new things, or stick with what's efficient for you and apply your saved resources elsewhere?
From drinking to tattoos, there's a lot of stuff I simply refuse to try. This allows me to save on money, time, and probably health so that I can put it towards things I know I want, such as audiobooks, games, and fencing gear. I've tried a whole lot of different foods and drinks (sodas and juices) now that I have expendable income. My Steam page reports and even 250 titles in my library. Books line my shelves. Netflix and Amazon have dozens of shows and films on my watchlist. Without experimenting, I wouldn't have found most of the military documentaries I've engrossed myself with.
At some point, however, all that trying new things becomes too expensive to one's time and wallet. A habit regulates one's resources more efficiently. Routines stabilize and capitalize. Waste is trimmed gradually.
This applies to my overall theme of "one thing at a time." Discovery diverts attention away from a set goal, breaks the boredom growing inside a habit. I argue it's often a short-sighted distraction from a long-term objective.
At the same time, acting at all (even on impulse) is necessary. You've gotta just get up and do it.
It's important to break goals down into manageable chunks, day-by-day, task-by-task. Too big, and they will daunt us into passivity. Decreasing the daily scope allows time for that discovery amidst a set routine one knows will work. There is always room for improvement, but it's imperative we don't trash what succeeds.
I was wondering why you hadn't for a while, then realized that I still had the February tab selected, this happened to me last month as well, lol.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really nuanced issue, and one that weighs heavily on my mind. Firstly, establishing your objective is important. Do you want to fully explore a medium/topic/etc., or do you want to sample a wide variety of them? Either approach can have its value. In my mind there is (barring some medicinal bound forward) not enough time to experience everything worth experiencing artistically. As such it is wise to find which mediums you want to explore the most, or at least prioritize, and go with those. By avoiding certain things you aren't missing out on too much for all intents and purposes because you will by necessity be missing out on a bunch either way.
That's true. I take more to the first example, fully exploring something. I know enough of what I like; exhausting the possibilities to those things is enough to satisfy me.
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