For the vast majority of people, constantly thinking about the meaning of life and dwelling on the fact that you're going to die seems like a recipe for anxiety. Trying to adopt a set of contradictory rules to follow would likely only compound that anxiety. To summarize the formula laid out by the author:
1. Remember, you're going to die!
2. Plan for the future, but not too much or you'll have multiple divorces and no friends.
3. Think about the present, but not too much or you'll end up poor and unhappy.
4. Think about the past to remember how far you've come.
5. Only do work where you are in "the flow", so you can be happy when you're dying (remember, you're going to die!)
I'm not saying these activities are pointless or bad in isolation, I just think it's unrealistic and generally not practical to have all that rattling around in your head while you make decisions about how to spend your time. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride. Be nice to others, find interesting things to work on and have some fun. If you spend all your time worried about whether your current activity and state of mind is somehow optimized for achieving the meaning of life, you have a good chance of being overwhelmed and paralyzed by it.
1. Remember, you're going to die!
2. Plan for the future, but not too much or you'll have multiple divorces and no friends.
3. Think about the present, but not too much or you'll end up poor and unhappy.
4. Think about the past to remember how far you've come.
5. Only do work where you are in "the flow", so you can be happy when you're dying (remember, you're going to die!)
I'm not saying these activities are pointless or bad in isolation, I just think it's unrealistic and generally not practical to have all that rattling around in your head while you make decisions about how to spend your time. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride. Be nice to others, find interesting things to work on and have some fun. If you spend all your time worried about whether your current activity and state of mind is somehow optimized for achieving the meaning of life, you have a good chance of being overwhelmed and paralyzed by it.