Life, Technology … How will I manage all of this?

A friend of mine sent some of Thoreau’s thoughts that a Rod MacIver (I do not know him) put together after reading much of Thoreau’s work.

1 • A spiritual life is a life of calmness, of openness to mystery and beauty.

2 • Art emerges out of one’s inner life.

3 • Elements of a quality life: live simply, do quality work that is not rushed, avoid waste, live below your means and keep a reserve. Set aside a substantial portion of your time for leisure and silence. Adopt a thoughtful rhythm to your work and life.

4 • A close relationship with nature contributes joy and peace to a human life. Long, frequent walks in the woods bring serenity.

5 • Simple living enhances our awareness of, and openness to, the beauty of the natural world. Wisdom and simplicity are closely related.

6 • The path of joy is one of knowing who you are and living it. It requires befriending yourself.

7 • Everything worthwhile in life requires love, faith and imagination. Friendship, love, imagination, a spiritual life, a close connection to the natural world—all are mysterious and difficult to put into words.

8 • The processes of life co-exist with the processes of death. Good health, and life itself, are temporary.

9 • Society is a contrived reality. Expediency is valued; truth is avoided.

So, these few philosophies got me thinking on how will I lead a quality life, as laid out by Thoreau with all of the distractions that come with 21st century life. I will try to document my efforts and time managing communication with my new Twitter account, two email accounts (one work, one personal) two blogs I have just started, time with my wife, two daughters – one who is married, one who lives at home, walk our dog Gracie daily, ride my bike 2-3 times a week, recreational reading, reading for work (gotta keep learning), and oh yea do my job as an Infrastructure Architect using a Blackberry and a laptop, and keep my manager happy with my productivity and progress. Somewhere in there I have to find some time to eat or all of this just is for naught.

Should be fun … How is everyone else managing?

Enabling Change at the speed of thought

The basis of all change is Information and Action. Without a reciprocal, complimentary and respectfull exchange then Change, hopefully positive, change will not occur. For without information at the point where people and activities occur there is little basis in which to base a deciscion on; without a decision, or a plan, there is no Change.

Information Technology for me is about getting the information from one location to another.