Date: 23.03.2022

Hello and welcome readers!

Almost every book I read is later added as a book summary on my website.

And I must confess. Not every book I pick is great in the general sense. But there is surely at least something great in every book.

That's not the case with the book Peak - the title I've shared last week.

The whole premise is worth exploring and later implementing.

But if I must pick a component that is to be printed and put somewhere on my wall in my apartment. It will be the framework labeled by the author as the deliberate practice theory.

If you don't plan to read the book.

If you don't plan to read my summary.

Do read this piece exploring the concept.

It holds the power to move you from good to great in the field you are operating.

• Shoe Dog by Phil Knight: A brave story about Nike, told by the founder of Nike, Phil Knight. How a kid in his mid-twenties decided to pursue a crazy idea. How, despite the odds and without a clear initial goal, plus constantly fighting debt, he transformed a small local Oregon shop into a billion-dollar enterprise.

Full text for members only.

Interesting books I recently added to my reading list (and hopefully will read at some point):

• 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, Kaley Warner Klemp: I found this book while l was listening to The Knowledge Project podcast, episode #130. I highly recommend listening to the show. The book looks like a must-have for anyone in a leadership position.
• Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari: A modern look on clinical depression and what really causes anxiety. Apparently, medications are not that helpful. What you need to change is the way you live your life.
• Fewer, Better Things: The Importance of Objects Today by Glenn Adamson: We are surrounded by objects, but do we care about them? In this elegant book, the author shares his musings about our relationship with stuff and how it can be improved.

(Note: The links intentionally don't lead to the default site (Amazon). Hopefully, if you decide to purchase a book from the ones I'm including, you'll choose a local library to support small businesses.)

Victor Hugo

Born in France, Victor-Marie Hugo is rightly remembered for his amazing literary output.

His chief works to this day remain Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (in French: Notre-Dame de Paris).

But these two are not even close to the amount of work he generated. He wrote in a large number of genres (lyrics, satires, epics, philosophical poems) and also produced more than 4,000 drawings.

How did he manage to achieve this?

Big Idea: Hide Your Clothes

The trick Victor Hugo used to create such a rich portfolio of work was quite simple. He spent most of his days locked up inside his study. And to prevent himself from going out, he locked his clothes away - gave them to his servants. The instructions were that the clothes can be returned to him only after he finishes a chapter.

With nothing except a large shawl. The only thing the author did was to write abundantly.

From my desk:

• Adaptive Thinking: The Best Way to Deal With Unexpected Situations: "We can easily label adaptive thinking as critical thinking on steroids. Or if we can rephrase the words from the author who wrote the deliberate practice book, adaptive thinking is the ability to recognize unexpected situations, quickly consider various possible responses, and decide on the best one."

From around the web:

• Kinky Labor Supply and the Attention Tax: "In this essay, we propose that the drop in labor participation rate of young men is a result of a combination of factors: (i) a decrease in cost of access to media entertainment leisure, (ii) increases in both the availability and (iii) quality media entertainment leisure, and (iv) a decrease in the marginal signaling utility of (conspicuous) consumption goods for all but the highest earners."
• 10 Lessons of an MIT Education: While probably the description of the lessons shared in this piece won't apply to everyone. I do believe that the lessons can be applied to any field. For instance: "By and large, "knowing how" matters more than "knowing what."

Tsundoku

The Japanese term Tsundoku means obtaining reading materials but letting them pile up without reading them.

Sounds familiar?

While the term was invented to address the issue of hoarding printed materials - books, newspapers, etc. The concept is equally disturbing today.

We subscribe to newsletters, save thousands of PDFs, bookmarks half of the Twitter conversations we encounter, save emails locally with the conviction that we'll need these things "one day."

But what really happens is a cluttered desk and a busy mind.

Half of your free time is wasted. The trouble is, we usually don't know which half.

Personally, I think it's dealing with abundance.

While technically having more stuff to watch, to do, to listen, to read - more options in general - seems better. It strips away joy.

You end up wasting hours deciding what to watch, to read, to do, instead of actually doing something. Eventually, even if you finally take on a task, your mind is busy processing the alternative - "What would have happened if I had chosen the other option?"

Want to enjoy your activities, not think about alternatives? I recommend setting healthy boundaries. Have both a list of things to do and a list of things you shouldn't do.

Thank you for your time!

Regards,

Ivaylo Durmonski

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