Trivial nonsense, or: Work will dominate your mind if you let it...

Frankie at Pawtails Rural Retreat (and Frida in the background)
When she chewed my Nokia recharge cable, I bought a smartphone. But I survived.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had heard so much about this book from Ryan Holiday, Art of Manliness, and also the NPR podcast The Hidden Brain I just had to read it. Newport is Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University and he has given me a ton of confidence about my earlier approaches to my work, and several new ideas to try. I went on a hiatus from mobile phones from 2009 to 2015. Only when we moved an hour out of Canberra was I given an ultimatum by my wife that if I insisted we live in the country, I had to have a mobile phone. For a while I resurrected the old Nokia I bought in Amman, Jordan in 2009 while on sabbatical there. But when my (then) puppy Frankie chewed the recharging cable, it didn't make much sense to make such a statement so I updated. I had learnt the value if being unplugged. Over time, I have ebbed and flowed with social media to the point where now I seem to have a handle on it. I can recognise when I am going down the rabbit hole and self-rescue. But I don't think this is enough. Newport's work is interesting in that he is an academic, so his stories are instantly recognisable. The tips are clear and the advice is sound. And it obviously worked. Fortunately, I already have tenure, but I have to build a citadel around my deep work, or the shallow work will destroy me. A recent stint of long service leave gave me the break I desperately needed, and I have been productive. But I need to upset a few more people by avoiding the trivial nonsense that saps my time. I have always done this, but only jokingly outlined my theories. Newport gives me a new sense of resolution, so watch this space. If you are struggling to cut out endless, nonsensical, shallow work, read this book.

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On Bipartisanship, Reform Fall Guys, the Asian Century, and Infrastructure with Michelle Grattan

Protest against industrial relations reforms in Sydney , 15 November 2005.
Photo by Jasabella via Wikimedia CC BY-SA 2.5

At the recent Democracy100 forum at Old Parliament House hosted by the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, Bob Hawke and John Howard spoke about the present lack of appetite for reform. Populism appears to be making it more difficult to pursue a reform agenda.

Bipartisanship was a big part of enabling previous reforms. But since the 2007 election, the decline in the stability of political leadership has impacted upon bipartisan support for important policy initiatives, and attempts to address the rise in populism are leading to a feeling in the electorate that politicians are reluctant to act in the public good. Tough reform is difficult in this environment.

Peter Hartcher's reporting of the event captured some interesting thoughts: Bob Hawke and John Howard handled some of the largest reform agendas in Commonwealth history, market and tax reform respectively, yet the were re-elected to become two of our three longest serving prime ministers. It would seem that electors will reward the hard work of reform.

I wrote about this issue recently in The Conversation, but many questions remained unanswered. I often think about Fightback! and how politics may mess up good policy, but eventually policy prevails. My paper at the forthcoming Australian Political Studies Association conference will cover some of these issues.

But then I got to thinking about the idea of a policy "fall guy". When Dr John Hewson introduced Fightback!, he was soundly defeated by the infamous GST birthday cake incident. Yet most of Fightback! has since been implemented (albeit imprecisely). Did Hewson clear the way for Howard?

And then what about Hawke? Was Gough Whitlam his fall guy? And this got me to thinking about the challenges facing democracy and how bipartisanship must be the answer. Yet bipartisanship remains illusive.

So, in an effort to investigate some of these issues to encourage discussion with my students, I put some of these questions to Michelle Grattan AO, Professorial Fellow of the University of Canberra and Chief Political Correspondent at The Conversation. 

The recording was made at Parliament House, and you can hear the divisional bells for the Senate sounding in the background. My thanks to Michelle for providing this content for my teaching.

You can visit the podcast here or below:

On Philosophy, Art, and Living the Creative Life with Margarita Georgiadis

The Muses Urania and Calliope by Simon Vouet (c. 1634). Image via Wikimedia.

I've been delving into ideas about creativity, discipline and living in accordance with one's nature. Steven Pressfield and Cal Newport make no bones about the discipline required to get the creative juices flowing. Ernest Hemingway famously said that you have to leave some gas in the tank so you can keep writing the next day.

But what about someone closer to home?

Internationally acclaimed Australian artist Margarita Georgiadis lives in the village of Gunning on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. That's my home town, and for this podcast I spoke with Margarita about philosophy, art, and living the creative life.

I have a keen interest in philosophy. Yet when I speak to students and even other academics, if I ask about the particular philosophy that underpins their actions, their eyes seem to glaze over. Yet it is clear to me that philosophy underpins all good work.

Margarita Georgiadis.
Photo supplied.

I had read somewhere that when Margarita Georgiadis decided to work as an artist, she turned to philosophy first. I was keen to ask, why? What insights did philosophy provide? And, to what extent does discipline drive her creativity? What routines does she use to drive creativity, or is it more a case of waiting for inspiration? 

And what about my favourite way to get the house clean: the dreaded Procrastination (with a capital P because it is a proper noun, you know, like Beelzebub)?

Living by one's philosophy and creativity can be hard work. I often wonder if the intrinsic pay-offs are worth it? And whether the creative life is an accident, or a design based on Epictetus' idea of living in accordance with once's nature?

Margarita addresses these questions and more in this fascinating glimpse into the creative life. If you want to learn more about Margarita, her story is in the recently released book, The Best School of All.

For more information on Margarita's work, visit her website. Or if you are in Gunning, drop in to the Picture House Gallery and Bookshop and check out some of Margarita's work for yourself!

You can visit the podcast here or below: