Learning Easiness

Niklas Luman was one of the most prolific social science writers of the Twentieth Century. He has become more well known lately because of inventing the Zettelkasten method, popularized in the book Take Smart Notes, by Per Espen Stocknes. But he’s actually known for much more. He wrote 70 books and more than 400 scholarly articles. Given this, I found this quote from Stokness book very interesting:

He not only stressed he never forced himself to do anything he didn’t feel like, he even said “I only do what is easy. I only write when I immediately know how to do it. If I falter for a moment, I put the matter aside and do something else.” Until recently, almost no one really seemed to believe it. We’re still so used to the idea that a great outcome requires great effort.

Think about that for a moment. Can you imagine being a productive as Luman was, and yet only doing what you felt like you wanted to do, when you wanted to do it? How is this even possible? Isn’t all effort related to toil, struggle, and “working hard”? Didn’t Lumen feel “guilty” for enjoying himself through the whole process? I doubt it.

But I think our culture has been deeply patterned by the idea that hard work is the necessary precursor to success, and hard work is the same as feeling pain, discomfort, and struggle. From an early age, we are disconnected from our feel; our intuition; our sense of what feels right. This is hazardous, of course: when we disconnect from our natural rhythms, we lose touch with our humanness. I think this is one of the chief ways in which we get into trouble (as a species).

What small way might you allow yourself to relax and be in more enjoyment? How might this improve your in-touchness, your actual productiveness, and your happiness, all at the same time?