What is a “Stateless Computing” Protocol?

We deal with countless things every day and are occupied with our necks in tasks and chores, so this can become exhausting.

In this article, we'll explore the Stateless Computing protocol, which aims to ease burnout and encourage present-focused behavior.

The "Stateless Computing" protocol for humans

A computer program usually tries to save everything you do. It keeps track of what you've done, where everything is, and the status of all variables, which is nice for a program because computers help keep track of many things.

This is how most of us work in real life. We try to remember thousands of things, wrap our heads around fresh information as soon as we receive it, and make lots of decisions, all together. But humans are not designed to function in such a demanding and anxious manner.

There is another type of computer program called "Stateless Computing," which doesn't permanently store information and keeps no record of previous activities. Instead, it gathers the input of the computer or another program, processes it, and provides a result. When it finishes, it starts again and takes on the next task. It works on tasks individually, processes them, and then jumps to the next.

We can take the person working on the assembly line as an example. They're supposed to receive the product from the person before them, get their job done, and then pass it on to the next worker, working on one product at a time without worrying about what happened before or after their task. This method strips a person of their humanity and turns them into a robot.

You can approach this another way, you just need to do the task now. For example, if it's an artwork, work on the painting before you and pour your heart and soul into it. There's no law stating that each piece of art relates to the art that came before it or all the other things that you have to do next. Fix your eyes on the painting, the colors, and the present moment.

This way, we can handle anything. For example, wash the dish in your hands without worrying about taxes, then calculate taxes. You don't have to worry about whether you're a good enough person or if the world is falling apart. Just get your taxes done, reply to that email, write that letter, or talk to that person. Let the moment and the task at hand be all you have in mind, and that is the "stateless computing" protocol.

Applying the "stateless computing" protocol in life

The first thing catching your attention would be how comfortable it seems to take it all in at once, but you still have much to do. Therefore, you should follow easy steps with this protocol to ensure that you have your eyes set on the right thing. It's very challenging to work on just one task, and it has to be the right task, so there have to be more elements to the protocol:

1. Make a to-do list

This is an easy way to keep track of what you need to get done at the moment. Make a list of everything you must do, divided into what needs to be done today and what needs to be done later. For example, grocery shopping, exercise, meetings, and answering emails. Don't overcomplicate this list, it's just one place where you mention everything that needs to be done, and don't spend too much time creating it.

2. Prioritize

When you have a list, there has to be a way to prioritize tasks according to their urgency so that you know which one to tackle first. For instance, every morning, the first task after meditation is to look at the to-do list, add the things that need to be done today, and then prioritize them.

Identify the most critical tasks to accomplish today, the next, and those that must be done sometime later. Over time, it becomes a piece of cake - work on the highest priority task, then the next, and do not overcomplicate it.

3. Process incoming information

Managing the inbox might be one of the tasks queuing every day. For email, this means it's time to check your inbox. The main options are to reply and to archive as much as possible. If you can't reply to an email right away, you can add it to your to-do list.

The same applies to Facebook messages, WhatsApp, and others. Your tasks should include handling and responding to these messages and adding anything else that needs to be done to your to-do list.

4. Take notes

Sometimes, you will need a way to remember things, so take notes, for example, and you can save them in an app on your phone or laptop or write them on sticky notes -whatever suits you better. Just write the note so that you can go back to it when you need it. If a task you plan to do in the future requires a note, add a reference to the note in that task.

Having strategies for handling all your responsibilities helps, for sure. Integrity, curiosity, compassion, fun, purpose, learning, growth, and appreciation for life are a few examples of values or principles to live by that may be beneficial. A nice way to live mindfully is to use the "stateless computing" protocol.