Margaret Atwood (for Matter) - It’s not climate change, it’s everything change
The second THE article of the year about climate change. It dives into the two extreme pictures on how our transition to new energy resources can go. And goes into how it will go down depending on where we are in transitioning. About how the conversation has shifted the last few years. But what struck me most is that this transition is about the human psyche. How when you just think about it as climate change, you miss the psychological change that is needed for this transition. How our values and the way we view ourselves are dependent on how we create energy. From "I am what I make", to "I am what I buy”, to “I am what I save and protect”.
Tim Ferriss Show - Brené Brown on Vulnerability and Home Run TED Talks
A great first dive into that balance between acceptance and improvement can be heard in the conversation between Brené Brown and Tim Ferriss. A great episode throughout. About her Ted talks, vulnerability and shame. But from minute 31 it really gets into that balance. How do you keep your drive to compete when you accept that you are enough? Her point is that you need to be centered in acceptance in order to have a healthy competitiveness. It unleashes her to strive for excellence. Not acting from that center results in a need for validation. And I couldn’t agree more.
Jon Westerberg - 10 Hard Truths About Making Things
Jon writes a lot of nice posts. But I decided to share this one. He shares 10 things about being a creator that are hard lessons to learn. So read this and be on the lookout! The 9th one spoke the loudest to me: Talent won’t mean anything if you don’t finish anything. “Nothing has to be perfect, just put it our there”. The funny thing is, the next point is to "make each creation count". I think that navigating that fine line between acceptance of the imperfection and striving for improvement is going to end up being another blog post soon.
Robyn Scott - The 30 second habit with a lifelong impact
Productivity hacks are all around on the internet. But just reading about them doesn’t make you more productive. So I’m going to experiment with a few. In these two articles there are 4 tips for productivity:
The 20/20/20 formula - Start your morning with 20 minute blocks of exercise, prioritizing and learning.
The 90/90/1 rule - For 90 days, spend the first 90 minutes of your day on your number 1 priority
The 60/10 method - Work in 60 minute sprints and relax for 10. You can use Pomodoro for that.
The 30 second habit - Take 30 seconds after every meeting to write down the most important points for retention.
Robin Sharma - The Methods for SuperHuman Productivity
Productivity hacks are all around on the internet. But just reading about them doesn’t make you more productive. So I’m going to experiment with a few. In these two articles there are 4 tips for productivity:
The 20/20/20 formula - Start your morning with 20 minute blocks of exercise, prioritizing and learning.
The 90/90/1 rule - For 90 days, spend the first 90 minutes of your day on your number 1 priority
The 60/10 method - Work in 60 minute sprints and relax for 10. You can use Pomodoro for that.
The 30 second habit - Take 30 seconds after every meeting to write down the most important points for retention.
The New Yorker - Why Startups Love Moleskines
Yes for offline and first-order-access!! In times of "disruption-worshipping techno-utopianism coming out of Silicon Valley” Moleskine just doubled sales in the last 4-5 years. Revenge of the analog!
Noah Bradley - How I became an artist (The 12 year journey of my art thus far)
Very cool to read his journey of becoming an artist. Following a very non-liniear path with many twists and turns. Seeing the progress he makes in his work visually (lot of pictures included) is especially cool and re-emphasizes the importance to always keep developing yourself!
Jamie Varon - Hey, Internet: Stop Trying To Inspire Me
Yep, on the internets it always seems like everyone is up to something far more epic than you. But, never forget that you should only compare yourself with yourself! Live in the now and ask what you can do better now! Ok, big message in a light packaging.
Seth Godin - Back to (the wrong) school
Old but still relevant! "Large-scale education was never about teaching kids or creating scholars. It was invented to churn out adults who worked well within the system.” And to increase student loan debts perfectly fits into that plan. You’re less likely to rebel or revolutionize if you have to pay off a huge debt.
Lauren Modery - Dear people who live in fancy tiny houses
This one just cracked me up! "Do you ever wake up wondering, I’ve made a huge mistake?”. I love how the tiny house community reacted to this post. "Mexican food farts. Yes they exist. Everywhere. Tiny house or not.” "As far as sexy time is concerned, a lady never tells. But I will say, if this Tiny House is a rockin’, don’t come a knocking!"
Ryan Holiday - I Just Turned 28: Here’s What I’ve Learned In Another Year
A yearly post about the lessons he has learned that past year. He is “only” 28 but has already done a boat load of stuff. Very cool lessons. Like: "Thinking you already know is the most dangerous attitude.” Or: "Ego is the fundamental problem in almost everyone’s life” And: "They weren’t kidding about that meditation shit”. And of course “Just never buy dessert. It will disappoint.” The very last one on his list is actually the hardest for me.
Unmistakable Creative - The Instigator Compass
Without having a plan for the outcome, this writing project turned into a beautiful collection of essays on finding a compass in creative work. A compass that is needed in the life of any artists (writers, entrepreneur, painters etc) when shit gets messy, hard and complex. Firstly finding work that matters. Then about the grit needed to see it through and actually make something worthwhile. Lastly about how to make art that touches hearts. Go! “Forever is a long time to play it safe"
Mark Manson - 7 Strange Questions that help you find your Life Purpose
Questions help guide your brain in inquiry. And finding the right questions is a powerful way to make it easier to let the answers find you. Questions like “What should I do with my life?” or “What is my life purpose?” are utterly hard to answer. But “What can I do with my time that is important?” is way more manageable. That why Mark Manson came up with 7 strange question to help you find your life purpose. First one: "What’s your favorite flavor of shit sandwich and does it come with an olive?"
Wait But Why - How Tesla Will Change The World
Another great explanation about the change in climate and its causes is done on Wait But Why. They use words that humans actually use and understand. The article at large is about how Tesla will change the world, but starts off by explaining the problem with gas/petrol cars. I - nerd alert - especially love the graph of where our power is coming from and how it’s used. And the dog in the cave with pork metaphor is hilarious as well.
Eric Roston (Bloomberg) - What’s Really Warming the World
Or course, we know there is no debate on climate change among people who know about it. There is an orchestrated perception of a debate. This infographic/article by Bloomberg puts all the potential causes (sun, volcanoes, deforestation, you name it) and their effects on the average temperature in one graph (last 125 years). Very insightful.