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“We’ve already seen occupations like typesetting, switchboard operation, data entry, travel planning, and even retail sales dwindle or become obsolete, and technology will continue to replace manual work with machines. We need equitable retraining solutions for people who lose their livelihoods, but otherwise, this is a good change. The vast majority of people have more to offer than pressing buttons or sorting widgets. We need their contributions.”
Aytekin Tank, Automate Your Busywork (Page 158)
“Climate change, human rights issues, political polarization, loneliness, and isolation. These are just a few of the challenges we need to solve together—and it will take smart, creative, empathetic people to find workable solutions. The less time you spend on mundane tasks like email, the more time you have to unleash your imagination.”
Aytekin Tank, Automate Your Busywork (Page 158)
“Creativity is an utterly human skill that can’t be automated. But technology can sweep away some of the more tedious parts of the process, like research or data transfer or transcription. It can give you space to do the work that only you can do.”
Aytekin Tank, Automate Your Busywork (Page 158)
“Trying to force a wild human brain into precise, professional boxes is one of the reasons we’re so overwhelmed in the first place.”
Aytekin Tank, Automate Your Busywork (Page 137)
“There’s a poetic beauty in imagining that all the whispered conversations, cups of coffee, and daily minutiae add up to create a rich and textured story. Then there’s the reality of modern life: emails, chat notifications, system backups, and taxes. Our digital world has empowered us to accomplish so much, yet, many of us are proportionately beholden to electronic tools and tedious processes. My goal [is] to loosen their grip, to help you find more space and freedom.”
Aytekin Tank, Automate Your Busywork (Page 137)
“Your problems aren’t that unique. Your nature isn’t that unique. Your personal stuff isn’t that unique. In fact, it is universal. We are all people struggling the same way, we are all people with the same capacities and dignity and worth. Let’s celebrate that. Come together over that.”
Ryan Holiday
“Our definitions of ‘success’ are maybe the most common way we torture ourselves with arbitrary standards and made-up problems. It’s one reason I advise people to be careful and hold their goals lightly—because while goals may motivate you in the short run, a poorly defined version of success can really make you suffer in the long run.”
Mark Manson
“Getting a bad haircut is usually worse than missing an appointment with your stylist. A large portion of a tasteless dish is rarely better than a smaller portion of a delicious meal. There are many times in life when the outcome is more important than the output. In the same vein, your workflow shouldn’t just work; the system should create value for you and everyone else involved. Quality beats quantity.”
Aytekin Tank, Automate Your Busywork (Page 113)