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Is This Really Necessary? · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: For more resources, including your free Daily Rider Starter Kit, visit DailyRiderLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: If there's one word that describes our modern hectic lifestyle, it's the word obligation.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: We're connected 24-7 to our devices, at least it feels like that, and literally anybody in the world with a smartphone can reach us.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Our inboxes are filled with email from marketers, influencers, and people who want something from us.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: And hopefully sometimes they're also it's also filled with messages from friends who are checking in on us.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Our social media feeds are crammed full of posts and advertisements that demand our attention right now, this very second.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: And it's easy to feel obligated to respond to all that stuff.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: But let me ask you this how much of that stuff is really necessary to your overall goals?
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: And how much of it can help you become a better writer or achieve the things in life that are really important to you?
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: You know, this is not a new struggle.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: We think of our modern world with all of our technology as kind of something new because it's interrupting us all the time.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: But this struggle is not really new.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, a Roman emperor named Marcus Aurelius struggled with this as well.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now he didn't have social media feed or he didn't have email, but he did have an endless stream of demands pouring at him every day.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: His private journals are collected in an amazing book called Meditations.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: And here's what he wrote in one passage.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: He said, If you seek tranquility, do less.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Because most of what we say and do is not essential.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you can't eliminate it, you'll have more time and more tranquility.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Ask yourself at every moment, is this necessary?
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Well, those are some really insightful words from a guy who definitely had a lot on his plate for most of his life.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it may feel like everything that comes at you in a day's time is completely necessary, but it's really not.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Is it necessary to accept every meeting request?
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Is it necessary to check your email 28 times a day?
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Is it necessary to spend so much time on social media keeping up with everybody else and engaging in every conversation?
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well, if you want to feel less stress and more peace, or as Marcus Aurelius put it, more tranquility, then ask yourself at every moment, is this really necessary?
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the amount of times that the answer is no may really surprise you.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: So here's today's challenge.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: When you feel obligated to respond to an interruption today, ask yourself if it's really necessary, or if you're just responding out of habit and guilt.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, before I wrap up this episode, I want to give a big thanks to today's sponsor, which is Plotter.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Plotter is the number one visual book planning software for writers that helps you plan books in the same way that you think.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Its intuitive visual interface allows plotting to be the creative process that it's supposed to be.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not just for fiction writers either.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: Plotter is a great tool for nonfiction authors, podcasters, speakers, and anybody creating content to organize their material and their story points.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I'm using plotter right now to work on my very first novel.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're ready to outline faster, get organized and save loads of time in your writing, go to plotter.com, that's P L O T T R dot com to begin your free 14 day trial.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: As always, thanks for listening, and I'll see you next time.