Hi everyone,

Fell sick on the first day of the month - reminded me that health is something that a lot of us probably take for granted. 

This week we're going to dive into two powerful mental models, the difference between hope & optimism and fun stuff like why we like mascots.

Also, since a lot of you have asked - here's my WFH setup!

Cheers,
Janel

The Art Of The One-Pager
A snapshot of one-pagers that Jeremy Connell-Waite created to accelerate his learning. Very fascinating. Learn about storytelling, community, big brands like IBM, Pixar and Patagonia in a colorful, info-dense adventure. My favorite find from the Pixar page: "You admire a character for trying more than their successes". That's why Pixar characters are so endearing to us. (h/t Marie Dolle)

Two Powerful Mental Models: Network Effects and Critical Mass
About network effects & critical mass, and applying those concepts as important mental models in business. I often think about network effects and their applications to many things in our lives and this article touches on them in depth, using Friendster as a prime example.

The Difference Between Hope and Optimism
People often think that these two are similar, but they aren't. Can you guess which one's better? “Optimism is the belief that things will turn out all right; hope makes no such assumption but is a conviction that one can act to make things better in some way." I'm on team hope.

What Happened To Facebook?
Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp went down for a few hours recently. What happened? Justin Gage from Technically explains it in an easy to understand way.

Why Do We Love Mascots? 
The Michelin Man. The Trix Rabbit. Tony The Tiger. All memorable mascots that consumers love. Why do we actually love them? "The mascots aren’t just meant to work as vehicles to make ads brighter and more colorful. They can be meant to work as metaphors."

60 Ideas To Boost Your Growth
Lenny's back with another gem. This time, it's 60 ideas to boost the growth of your product and get the word out there. Use drops, influencers, limited time offers and more.

My Work From Home Setup - A lot of people have asked me for peripheral recommendations (monitor, keyboard, mouse, stand) & handy add-ons to make WFH life easier. I've captured everything in a Notion doc.

Tango - Make how-to guides with screenshots in seconds, right in your browser through this Chrome Extension. Building up a knowledge base is key to scaling and growing companies and teams, and this tool makes it so much easier.

Forvo - If you're learning a new language and want to hear how locals pronounce words, this is an amazing resource. Listen to examples: gnocchi, paella and more!

Numbeo - Compare the cost of living between different cities.

SeatGuru - As the world opens up and people start getting back in the air, dodge terrible seats and score great ones by using this free tool.

I asked people on Twitter what high-quality newsletters they'd like to recommend, and got a whole bunch of amazing responses.

Here are my picks this week!

The Curiosity Chronicle - A newsletter that really makes you smarter. Sahil shares whatever he learns (which often includes mental models, and concise explanations about current events!)

For The Interested - A newsletter for creator with actionable tips that will help you to produce, promote, and profit from your creations.

Indie Hackers - If you want to learn what other founders are building, the latest trends and get useful tips from others just a few steps ahead of you, this is a gem.

What useful unknown website do you wish more people knew about? - A Reddit thread packed with gems.

A Generation Adrift - Curated lists of resources to learn about everything from Automotive Repair, to Cooking and Mental Health.

2021 State of Digital Nomads - Statistics about digital nomads this year.