Put your goals to work

Here is a goal of mine:

• Be a keyboard shortcut wizard.

This goal isn’t useful. It doesn’t do anything! It doesn’t matter what a goal is, it’s what a goal does that matters. And this goal has no soul. It does nothing to motivate me. It does nothing to convince me that it matters, because it doesn’t matter.  So here’s a secret something I discovered for learning more things, and becoming a little more of a polymath each passing year. Put your goals to work. Start by being more specific.

• Be a keyboard shortcut wizard in gmail.

And yet, even that is not good enough because it still doesn't work. Why in the world do I care about becoming a keyboard shortcut wizard for gmail? I’m not motivated.  Try again Jujimufu, squeeze that goal until it squeels!

• Use gmail keyboard shortcuts to help me clear my inbox everyday.

Why?!!

• Use gmail keyboard shortcuts to help me clear my inbox because they will help me do this more quickly, and will help me do it in a more disciplined manner.  It will help me free up time while being responsive.

WHY JUJIMUFU WHY?! WHY ANSWER THESE E-MAILS JUST IGNORE THEM!  DON'T BE RESPONSIVE! YOUR GOAL SUCKS!

• No I will not ignore them! I will be responsive! My goal does not suck! I will use gmail keyboard shortcuts because they will help me clear my inbox more quickly, so that I can finally have free’d up the time to... not have to think about clearing my inbox!  I’m too busy spending half an hour after half an hour on e-mail responses that I don't have time to NOT think about my inbox! I really just want to be free from inbox'ness! *cries* I will research, practice, and master gmail keyboard shortcuts by gosh! I WILL BECOME GMAIL KEYBOARD SHORTCUT GOD!!!!