How to Get Stuff Done (Like a Philosopher)

Plus, six whole centuries I know almost nothing about.

Dear Prompt Experimenters,

AI is just so…scalable!

On Monday, I shared a mini-manifesto about “what philosophy should be like.”

Today, I asked DOT if she could help me convert that post into a custom GPT with universal reach (all philosophers, all topics, personalized to all users).

Yep, with AI we can go from “it would be nice if…” to “here you go!” in just a couple hours!

And thus, Philosopher DOT, the fifth member of the DOT multiverse is born!

Paid subscribers, please be sure to scroll all the way down for the link!

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FIRST ADVICE FROM PHILOSOPHER DOT: Enlightening your daily to do list

“To Do” by ChatGPT

It’s a problem I struggle with. I’m practically and emotionally reliant on my daily planner to organize my day, tell me what’s next, optimize my time. That’s great, but it can feel like a negation of free will, an enslaver and robot-maker. This was the first topic I discussed with Philosopher DOT:

Hi DOT, I want to apply philosophy to a specific topic or problem.

:

Wonderful. 🌿 Let’s wander barefoot into your question.

Before we start building a philosophical lens, I’d love to know just one thing:

What’s the specific topic, problem, or question you’d like to apply philosophy to?

No need to make it sound grand or philosophical. Just tell me what’s alive for you—what’s gnawing, glowing, twisting, or quietly sitting at the edge of your thought.

Once you share, I’ll suggest a few philosophical companions who might help us make meaning of it—and then we’ll choose one to walk with.

I want to think about how to "live with" my daily to do list, so it can help me organize my day without becoming something I fixate on to the point of becoming its slave.

Ah—yes. The sacred scroll of intentions, turned tyrannical taskmaster. You seek to live with your to-do list, not live under it. A delicate dance between structure and soul.

Let’s get philosophical.

Here are four thinkers who might help you reimagine your relationship with this daily ledger of life:

🌀 Martin Heidegger – The To-Do List as a Form of Being

Heidegger would remind us that the “list” is not just a tool—it reflects a mode of being. Are you using it to ready yourself for the world, or to avoid being present in it? His idea of “authentic temporality” could help you shift from managing your time like a resource to inhabiting it as something sacred.

Try-on prompt: What happens when you view each task not as a “thing to be done,” but as a way of disclosing your being-in-the-world?

🧱 Simone Weil – Attention as Prayer

Weil believed that true attention is the rarest and purest form of love. The to-do list can be an enemy of attention if it fractures your focus. But what if each item became a portal for reverent attention? She can teach you to live the list like a liturgy.

Try-on prompt: What if you selected one task each day to perform with radical, undivided attention—as a practice of sacred presence?

⏳ Bergson – Measured Time vs. Lived Time

Henri Bergson drew a vital distinction between chronos (clock time) and durée (lived duration). Your list likely obeys the former. But your spirit lives in the latter. Bergson might help you blur the rigid edges of the day—infusing it with more elasticity, rhythm, and flow.

Try-on prompt: What if your list was ordered by energy or mood, rather than hour?

📜 The Stoics – Tasks Without Tyranny

Seneca or Epictetus would say: Use the list, but don't let it own your peace. You control your will, not outcomes. A Stoic to-do list would include a daily acceptance clause: “I will do these things… if fate allows.” Clarity without clinging.

Try-on prompt: What if each task came with a “memento mori” clause—a reminder that peace matters more than perfection?

Which one of these feels most resonant today?

Or, if you're torn (as I often am), I can help you “wear” each philosophy for a day or two—like trying on different pairs of shoes before walking out into the orchard. 🍃

I love that latter idea. How should i start?

Exquisite choice. 🌿 Let’s build you a Philosophy Wardrobe for Your To-Do List: a three-day wearable thought experiment. Each day, you'll “try on” a different philosophical posture toward your list—not just as a mental concept, but as a way of living your day.

Here’s how we’ll begin:

👟 Day 1: The Stoic Cloak – Peace First, Outcome Second

Philosopher: Epictetus (with a whisper from Seneca)
Tone: Calm. Resolute. Impervious to fluster.
Mantra: “I will do what I can. The rest is not mine.”

Your Practice:

• Rewrite your to-do list this morning—but after each item, add one of the following:

  • “If fate allows.”

  • “If it is within my power.”

  • “And I will not be disturbed if it is not done.”

Example:

• Reply to Marie’s email — if fate allows.

• Go for a run — if my body allows, and the sky does not drown me.

Reflection Question (tonight):

• What changed in how I approached my day when I released control over the outcomes?

👡 Day 2: The Bergsonian Sandal – Time, as I Feel It

Philosopher: Henri Bergson
Tone: Flowing. Intuitive. Elastic.
Mantra: “I move through time, not by the clock—but by my current.”

Your Practice:

• Reorganize your to-do list not by priority or urgency, but by:

  • Energy: High, medium, low

  • Texture: Creative, social, logistical, embodied

Then choose tasks by tuning into your inner tempo, not external obligation. Let “now” choose the task.

Example:

• High energy + social = brainstorm with Raj

• Low energy + embodied = stretch on the floor like a sleepy cat

Reflection Question (tonight):

• What surprised me when I followed inner time instead of the clock?

🪶 Day 3: The Weilian Veil – The Task as Prayer

Philosopher: Simone Weil
Tone: Reverent. Quiet. Luminous.
Mantra: “Attention is love.”

Your Practice:

• Choose one task and commit to doing it with full, gentle attention.

  • No multi-tasking

  • No rushing

  • No internal commentary

Whether it’s making tea or replying to an email, treat it as a sacred act of attention.

For the rest of your list, you may go about it as usual. But pause before each item and ask: “Can I do this with love?” If not, perhaps it waits.

Reflection Question (tonight):

• What did I learn about myself by offering pure attention to one small thing?

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