The question I try to focus on isn’t “Is it true,” or even “Will it work,” but “Do I care.” Will this thing help me win? How does it relate to my life and my goals?
If there’s no immediate connection to a project I’m working on, or a skill that’s common across things I do, or a general human skill (like memory or motivation), I immediately discard it.
In this case: Why do I care about this author’s belief? My goals aren’t tied to his ability to sell books. Why spend the time trying to convince him he should test his belief, testing it for him, and helping him integrate the results? I have only so many keystrokes, and I wouldn’t waste them on him.
Did you used to be unselective about the information you took in?
If “Do I care?” has been a significant change, how has it been working out for you?
My point wasn’t specifically about science fiction authors and conventions, it was about getting from “We’ve been insulted! We’re losing out!” to “What’s actually going on?”.
Yes, I used to waste a lot more time than I do now. I still waste time, but I try to be more productive in my recreation time and I’ve successfully cut down on unproductive waste and increased “productive procrastination.”
I certainly feel less streched and am getting more done, so it’s been working well.
I don’t think anything in your post is invalid; I was just making an observation. Being able to get from “We’ve been insulted” to “Let’s think quantitatively about the situation” is valuable when you do care.
The question I try to focus on isn’t “Is it true,” or even “Will it work,” but “Do I care.” Will this thing help me win? How does it relate to my life and my goals?
If there’s no immediate connection to a project I’m working on, or a skill that’s common across things I do, or a general human skill (like memory or motivation), I immediately discard it.
In this case: Why do I care about this author’s belief? My goals aren’t tied to his ability to sell books. Why spend the time trying to convince him he should test his belief, testing it for him, and helping him integrate the results? I have only so many keystrokes, and I wouldn’t waste them on him.
Because you want this author to come to your science fiction convention.
More generally, people who run conventions care about whether they can attract authors.
Did you used to be unselective about the information you took in?
If “Do I care?” has been a significant change, how has it been working out for you?
My point wasn’t specifically about science fiction authors and conventions, it was about getting from “We’ve been insulted! We’re losing out!” to “What’s actually going on?”.
Yes, I used to waste a lot more time than I do now. I still waste time, but I try to be more productive in my recreation time and I’ve successfully cut down on unproductive waste and increased “productive procrastination.”
I certainly feel less streched and am getting more done, so it’s been working well.
I don’t think anything in your post is invalid; I was just making an observation. Being able to get from “We’ve been insulted” to “Let’s think quantitatively about the situation” is valuable when you do care.