Here are two more things my Dad taught me that help me make sense of and navigate the world of today:

1. The ME Factor:

The ME factor stands for Motive and Expertise. That is to say, whenever some tells you something or commands you to do something, you can employ the ME factor to make quick sense of it. When a teacher tells you 2 + 2 = 4, the ME factor would tell you that his motive is to teach you, as he is paid to do so, and his expertise is that he’s got a degree in math or at the very least knows how to work with math better than you can. In light of the recent trend with schooling these days, a better example could be a father telling his son what to do. The father’s motive is that he wants what is best for his son (generally family does, though not always) and his expertise is that he is accomplished enough that he has procured himself a mate and procreated (and is still alive!).

2. Must Do, Should Do, Wanna Do:

Whether you are trying to get organized or get done a lot of tasks, especially if you overwhelmed, the Must Do, Should Do, and Wanna Do is good way to make sense of things so you can cut through the bull shit and get things done.

Everyone understands how to do the Must Do’s. Must Do’s are eating food, going to a job interview, going to the hospital, the obvious important stuff. Everyone is good at doing the Wanna Dos. Wanna Dos, of course, are things like playing video games, reading books, watching movies, or any other activity one pursues in one’s leisure time.

Where people go wrong is Should Do’s. Should Do’s are things like, should study for a test, should do home work, should clean room, should pay bills today and not tomorrow, and etc. People have trouble with Should Do’s because they are more important than Wanna Do’s but not as important as Must Do’s for someone to have to do them right now. Inevitably and understandably, people put off Should Do’s until later. Most people who do this forget to them later or put them off even more. Then when Should Do’s become Must Do’s people panic because they’re screwed.

If you ever feel panicked with a bunch of tasks or overwhelmed with life, make a list of Must Do’s, Should Do’s, and Wanna Do’s. Do them in order. Must Do’s first, Should Do’s second, and Wanna Do’s (third) at your leisure.

~Wald