Summer energy
Howdy folks, is anyone else feeling that summer energy?
I mean besides the fact that it’s rained every day for the last 2 weeks in Manchester the summer energy is still flowing.
Every year I notice that my energy matches the season.
In summer I need less sleep. I’m never rushed because it always feel like I have the energy and time to do everything. Late nights and early mornings feel natural.
Heading into winter I need more sleep. The short days and little daylight make it a slog.
It makes me wonder if this all comes down to the amount of daylight + sunshine we get and if this would drastically improve by moving to a sunnier climate.
-Besides being close to friends and family moving to southern Europe seems awfully appealing right now.
Anyway, I’ve had my metal detector out this week searching all over the internet for precious metals, you can find my haul below.
p.s here's this weeks video: 6 Questions to Change your Life
1. Focusing on the craft (tweet): This is not even about Figma, it's about a larger issue... most people focus on the wrong areas.
Tools do not make you a better craftsman, they just help you do your craft. But everyone focuses on the tools, not the craft.
I've taken countless courses over the years and the one that made the biggest impact was from Paul Jarvis on freelancing. He didn't share a single lesson on using tools in that course, he taught what he'd learned about the craft of freelancing.
2. Ideas are the only things that last (quote): 100 years from now almost nothing we interact with on a daily basis will be remembered, except for ideas. This response from Paul Graham made me internalize just how powerful writing can be. If you want to check out the book this quote is from you can get it for free on amazon.
3. Giving people free airport rides (article): This is a great way to meet interesting people and it breaks the typical frame of interactions. If any creators/founders are ever in Manchester message me and if I'm free I'll pick you up from the airport.
4. UK Business flowchart (image): I’ve run a business for 5+ years (initially as a sole trader, now as a limited company) and I just can not get my head around why maximizing your income is so complicated.
So far my experience with accountants has been pretty bad and it feels like this is an area ready for disruption. If you run a UK-based company this chart is very useful to understand all the pieces involved with maximizing your income.
5. Treadmill friends vs sofa friends (tweet + podcast): This podcast episode with George Mack is a great listen, so many thought-provoking ideas. One that stood out from the conversation was this:
If you find treadmill friends do everything you can to be around them.
6, 7 & 8. Thought-provoking Nassim Taleb quotes on pain, advice and role models (quotes):
“Missing a train is only painful if you run after it! Likewise, not matching the idea of success others expect from you is only painful if that’s what you are seeking.”
“The psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer has a simple heuristic. Never ask the doctor what you should do. Ask him what he would do if he were in your place. You would be surprised at the difference”
“People focus on role models; it is more effective to find antimodels - people you don't want to resemble when you grow up”
End Note
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Have a fantastic week!
- Stephen