What's the problem with long-form content and lengthy newsletters in general (like this one)? In most cases, the problem is not the content - although there are surely situations where the problem is in the content and design of the content.

The problem, I think, is the moment the person receives the email. Since you are probably currently at work, you might open this email for just a second and decide to read some of the links at a later stage - after all, you're at work, and you have supposedly work to do. But this hypothetical later moment never arrives because there are already ~78 new emails all promising to make you feel better when you unlock your phone the next time. Plus, of course, all other notifications pilling on top of your smartphone.

Or in other words, we are often not deciding what to read and what to watch. We are simply responding to what's happening around us at the current moment. 

That's why, don't feel bad about simply watching the recommended videos on YouTube - we all do it. We all choose the path of least resistance to get through the day. The problem, no doubt, is that most of what we really want to read and learn is left untouched.

Since learning new things requires following a certain predefined path and more alone time, this activity gets buried and unchecked because everything else around us feels more exciting. 

That's partly why social media sites are so successful. When you're inside, you feel that you have a direct impact on the situation - on the now moment. You see immediate feedback after your interaction with others as opposed to reading something that might be useful 6 or 12 months from now.

But it might have a solution for those who want to concentrate on reading long-form content. Those who are looking for ways to think more about important topics. More time to practice and apply what's presented in great books.

Yes, something big is coming - 19.05.21.

With that being said, I want to thank all of the book lovers who participated in the survey I've shared in my last newsletter. (The form is still open if you want to complete it.)

It seems that we all don't have enough time to read the books that are quietly sitting on our reading lists. And, we all need some sort of accountability, exercises, and gentle nudges to keep us on track with our reading and doing goals.

Plus - another interesting takeaway from the survey - most people think that online communities quickly turn into huge time-wasting rabbit holes.

In the next newsletter (hopefully) I will share my response to the feedback I've gathered. I really do believe that it will be of value for people who are looking for ways to better interact with great books.

(If for some reason your email client decides to clip the email, click here to see the full content).

• [NEW] The Undiscovered Self by Carl Gustav Jung: The recurring theme of the book is how individuality is often misinterpreted and neglected because it’s observed by the lens of the general, not individual understanding. You can’t clearly sense the real character in the surrounding people, because you compare them to others which corrupts your judgment about the individual person. Therefore, the more you isolate yourself from what you know, the better you’ll understand what you don’t know about yourself and others.

Support my work: My newsletter is sponsored by my dearest members. If you want to support my work and to get access to the whole library of summaries on my site, you can consider becoming a member yourself. 

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

• Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor: We all need to breathe to survive but it seems that we're all doing it wrong. Yes, I know, it sounds strange but according to journalist James Nestor, at some point, humans have lost their ability to breathe correctly.
• Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond: In this "artful, informative, and delightful" - as famous reviewers state - book, Jared Diamond convincingly argues that geographical and environmental factors shaped the modern world. But I'm not going to say more about the book, I'll simply add this: Guns, Germs and Steel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

Interesting words from books and around the web:

• Sophrosyne [noun]: An ancient Greek concept of an ideal of excellence of character and soundness of mind, which when combined in one well-balanced individual leads to other qualities, such as temperance, moderation, prudence, purity, decorum, and self-control.
• Ukiyo [noun]: A word used to describe the urban lifestyle and culture, especially the pleasure-seeking aspects. Living in the moment, detached from the bothers of life. "The Floating World."
• Heliophilia [noun]: Desire to stay in the sun. Love if sunlight. Originates from the Greek hēlios (sun) and philia (fondness).

From around the web:

• 99 Additional Bits of Unsolicited Advice: Following up on his previous (extremely inspiring) list-post, Kevin Kelly published yet another blog post full of valuable general life advice for his birthday. My favorite are: "A problem that can be solved with money is not really a problem."; "The greatest breakthroughs are missed because they look like hard work."; "The greatest teacher is called “doing”."
• The Paradoxes of Modern Life: A cool list of very true paradoxes: "The Paradox of Reading: The books you read will profoundly change you even though you’ll forget the vast majority of what you read."; "The Paradox of Originality: Many of history’s greatest artists have found their voice by copying others. We discover who we are by imitating others and watching our uniqueness emerge over time." and more.
• 100 Blocks a Day: "Most people sleep about seven or eight hours a night. That leaves 16 or 17 hours awake each day. Or about 1,000 minutes. Let’s think about those 1,000 minutes as 100 10-minute blocks. It’s always good to step back and think about how we’re using those 100 blocks we get each day. How many of them are put towards making your future better, and how many of them are just there to be enjoyed?"

My son just turned 2! 

Last year, due to the pandemic, we weren't able to celebrate appropriately - at all to be honest. 

This year, though, while things are still not all that safe, we gathered with our closes friends to properly celebrate his 24 months of existence.

It was awesome!

My wife created a unique digital invitation featuring my son's favorite celebrities - he's a Marvel fan.

If you're interested, you can find it on my Instagram profile - stories highlights section. (You have to scroll a bit.)

Thank you for reading and stay safe!

Regards,

Ivaylo Durmonski