10 Things to Ignore in 2023

I'm not saying tools like ChatGPT aren't remarkable. They are.

I'm not saying I'm a Luddite. I'm not.

I am saying that by focusing too much on such tools, you're degrading your creative assets. Invest in yourself and your own growth and don't worry about some guy who thinks he's so great because he used an open-source bot to write a blog post for him.

As always, what Elon Musk does has virtually zero relevance in my life, as it has none in yours. His exploits are fascinating and impressive, no question, but even his purchase of Twitter, which is used by so many people, hasn't had a single appreciable effect on anyone's life. Except for people who get outraged over everything he says.

Have we hit peak outrage culture? I don't know. I do know that it must be exhausting to be upset at everything and everyone all the time.

There are certainly some things in this world that need to be changed for the better. But you're never going to have the energy and attention to focus on anything of value in your life if you're constantly being triggered.

A perennial favorite to ignore. Provides little value (or unbiased facts) to anyone.

I know [insert your favorite guru] said that cold showers will change everything in your life for the better. No thanks. The benefits don't outweigh the costs. If I just got done with a two-hour run, especially if it was in the cold or the rain, and I come home to shower, I'm not standing under some ice stream just because it supposedly will have a minute balancing effect on my glucose levels or it will slightly reduce the shrinkage of telomeres so I can maybe live two weeks longer when I'm 83. Not worth it.

Obviously, this is on everyone's minds, but there's nothing we can do about it except to come up with a contingency plan for income should it have an effect on our work. I think it's best to focus on that and not on the worry over whether or not it will happen.

Work on transitioning your self-talk to say what you can do, not what you can't do.

Who's running against Trump? Will someone challenge Biden? What's going to happen?? DRAMA!

None of this matters right now. In fact, it probably won't matter in 2024, either.

If someone presents an issue in this context, disengage. You'll either end up in an argument, or you'll end up in an echo chamber. There's nuance in all debate, and if someone will not leave space for such nuance then you're best served to not have the conversation at all.

I think we've hit peak TV streaming. There are far more platforms to stream video than anyone could ever hope to watch. We're overwhelmed with choices, and what seemed like an excellent solution to cable has turned into a myriad of services and apps and monthly subscriptions that, when tallied, are probably more expensive than cable ever was. You can't remember what show is on what network.

Maybe it's time to delete the apps just as we cut the cable.