It is possible to say with certainty that a rare person never had a feeling that he or she wasted time for some useless thing or, conversely, spent insufficient time for something truly meaningful. In the column, “Learn to Edit Life,” Charley Reese claims people can avoid such frustrating feelings if they make deliberate attempts to realize what they can and want to do in life. When for a larger part of a day, people are constantly bombarded by immense volumes of information and face endless options to choose from, it is easy for them to get lost and forget what is really important. For this reason, Reese concludes that “in our Age of information, editing is by far the most important thing we can do.” By editing, Reese implies a skill of making decisions according to personal preferences and needs.
One of the primary implications of Reese’s article is that the understanding of its own capabilities, interests, and limitations, as well as the ability to implement this understanding in real life, provides multiple benefits. To achieve success, a person should set the right priorities, formulate goals, and focus on their realization rather than performing random activities. As Reese fairly observes, “it is by choosing what things they will not do that most of the great people have been able to achieve excellence in what they did do.” It means editing and purposeful navigation through a vast ocean of information is key to craftsmanship and professionalism in any sphere of performance.
Reese’s ideas seem absolutely valid as it is hard to imagine a person of supreme skills and knowledge allowing trivial things distract him or her, and wasting too much precious energy on them. A good share of planning and strategizing is always beneficial because it helps to map a course to move forward. “Our lives are constructed moment by moment, decision by decision, like stringing pearls” (Reese). This statement shows the value and significance of responsibility for everything that happens in a person’s life.
Overall, people who dive into anything indiscriminately risk never to grow either personally or professionally. However, it also seems that excessive planning can be harmful. If every single second is planned, and one strives to adhere to the plan by any means, without paying attention to anything else, life becomes narrowly focused and loses multidimensionality. Moreover, strict adherence to a particular program can make a person stressed and neurotic, leading to burnout. Therefore, while focusing on something genuinely important and meaningful, one should allow different things naturally happen. It is also not too detrimental to let temporary hobbies and interests consume you. A balanced approach and openness to new experiences and information are highly significant even when an individual is perfectly aware of his or her mission and passion in life.
The major takeaway from Reese’s article is that you can achieve success in something you want to do only when you decide to avoid things you do not want to do. This idea can be applied in life in many ways. First of all, it may be helpful when you already have a particular goal. For instance, in case a person wants to graduate from a college, he or she can develop a list of short-term and long-term objectives to achieve: find a part-time job to pay for education, attend classes, focus on a subject, and so on. Automatically, the very attempt to formulate things that should be done provokes thoughts about things to be avoided in order to succeed. In the case of a student, this list may include such points as sitting up late surfing the internet or drinking beers with friends, taking time to learn something unrelated to the education course, and others. As Reese notices, output in focus is a very important factor of success, and while “most writers focus on writing, most painters on painting, most soldiers on soldiering,” if you consider that academic success can largely contribute to your personal and professional growth, you must focus on studying.
Another way of applying Reese’s message to life is to filter the quality of information you consume throughout the day. It may be as simple as switching a TV show to a documentary channel or deciding not to scroll through a news feed on social media right after you wake up in the morning. When choosing to filter as much of low-quality and meaningless information, you can naturally start searching for those sources, which can support your intellectual and emotional growth much better.
Editing your life means taking responsibility for self-development and the overall course of life in your hands. Of course, it may take a lot of time and effort to master this art of decision making yet the results will definitely worth it. However, it is worth remembering that if you make a choice to direct your energy to some purpose, it does not necessarily mean you must focus merely on one activity. There may be a few things worth your attention. Either way, the art of editing can help you use your time to its best.
Work Cited
Reese, Charley. “Learn to Edit Life.” King Features.