Obsessed with finishing emails

The emails are just piling up.  Whenever there is an opening in the schedule, I spent in on answering emails.  Often at the expense of doing something important but not urgent.  Need to develop the discipline of only spending limited, efficient time on emails.  Maybe just one hour in the morning for CSU and one hour at night, after completing other scheduled tasks.

Learn not to worry about things I can't control

I've worried last few weeks.  About so many things.  At first was running the innovation workshop in China, the invitation came too late so I had to decline.  Then is the ski trip and the weather; my right knee; the keynote speech at Defense Language Institute; the refinancing; the BPPE; the tires on the Lexus; the international recruitment plan; the online master degrees; hiring faculty, Brian leaving the country; the StartupWeekend, ..... too many to-dos, inspirations, wants, greeds, ambitions, and too little time, resource and talent.  Sigh.

Have to plan, execute, review.  But the more challenging one is how not to be worried and depressed about things that is out of my control.  Since there is not much I can do about them, worrying does not produce any results.

Hopefully the weather will turn nicer so I can ride my bike more, that is a proven method to reduce stress.

All we need

According to Cicero,  if you have a garden and a library,  you have everything you need.

When there is no human left to hear, is music still beautiful?

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH

The book turn out to be much more academic than I would like.  Skidelsky spent a lot of pages on establishing the prior scholar conclusin.

Still early in the book so I am hopeful.  My pessimistic hunch is that human nature have precluded there is a limited of desire.  So it will never be enough. 

Keynes assume by 2030 the west will be so productive that the average work hour is 15 per week.  But it is completely wrong in the US and most of the world except old Europe.   For better or for worse, the US and East Asia, work is not only for earning a living.  Long hours is a status symbol,  a badge of honor, a self-imposed lifestyle.  The poor are jobless, the rich work 70 hours a week.  So it completely defy Keynes' predictions.

Peaceful at the office

The campus is quiet, since most faculty and staff are still on vacation.  After a few days break, I felt restless at home, even at the home study.   Biking to campus this morning, I felt good.  There is strange peace in me sitting in my office working away.  No sure it is good :(

Wrote this to my contacts: Looking forward to 365 fun days of working and learning with you! Happy 2013!