WORK LESS WEDNESDAY
WLW #109
💼 1. Work Is Not All Of Life – Quote From Tim Ferriss
Take 60 seconds and read this:
“Work is not all of life. Your co-workers shouldn’t be your only friends. Schedule life and defend it just as you would an important business meeting. Never tell yourself “I’ll just get it done this weekend.” Review Parkinson’s Law and force yourself to cram within tight hours so your per-hour productivity doesn’t fall through the floor. Focus, get the critical few done, and get out. E-mailing all weekend is no way to spend the little time you have on this planet.” – Tim Ferriss
I keep coming back to this quote as a guiding principle for running my business.
For the longest time, I felt like I always had to be busy, because it seems like everyone else was.
These days, I’m trying to get more done by doing less.
My work is more about making quality decisions, than putting long hours in.
I can make one great decision that removes 100 hours of work.
That’s what I’m looking for.
P.S. If you’re curious about Parkinson’s Law, I have a popular post about it here.
🗓️ 2. Another Win For The 4 Day Workweek – Update From Buffer
Why are some companies are focused on layoffs and forcing employees back to the office, while others are effortlessly working 4 day weeks?
Here’s Buffer’s story:
In May 2020, due to COVID-19 among other reasons, Buffer’s CEO Joel Gascoigne pushed to trial a four-day workweek across the team.
The trial was a rousing success, with increased productivity and general wellbeing improvements marking the four-day workweek as a winner.
In the end, they shifted to a four-day workweek for the foreseeable future at the end of 2020.
What are the benefits?
❤️ Increased productivity and happiness among 91% of Buffer team members
⭐ Improved flexibility to tend to physical and mental health, disability, caretaking responsibilities, errands, and spending time with family
Read more about Buffer’s trial and how you can implement it here.
🫀 3. The Ultimate Guide To Fix Your Health – Huberman Protocols
If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a BIG health podcast.
I’ve been a listener since the early days, but I’ve always had trouble keeping track of all the insights from marathon 3 hour episodes.
Problem solved.
Huberman Protocols is a free site designed to capture and distill all of the best health protocols from the show.
Whether you’re interested in Sleep, Morning Sunlight, Heat Exposure, Focus & Productivity, or something else, this is the spot.
⚖️ 4. The Law of Reversed Effort – Article from Big Think
Do you ever feel like the harder you try, the harder you fall?
There’s a reason for that.
There are many moments in life when trying too hard is counterproductive.
Need an example?
“It is nearly impossible to consciously will yourself to sleep.
Sleep comes to those who let their mind wander and focus on anything other than sleep itself.”
That’s The Law of Reversed Effort.
Want to learn more? Read this article.
🌎 5. 20 Key Principles To Understand The World – Twitter Thread by Gurwinder
Twitter has been pretty rough recently.
I’ve barely been on there.
But this thread is a classic banger.
20 key mental models to change the way you think.
3 of my favorites:
1️⃣ Hotelling’s Law:
Rival products (burgers, pop songs, political parties) tend to grow more alike over time, because creators copy more successful rivals to replicate their success and steal their customers/audiences.
Paradoxically, this increases the value of being different.
2️⃣ Goodhart’s Law:
When a measure becomes a goal, it ceases to be a good measure.
Since schools started to use test-scores as targets, they’ve gradually stopped teaching kids how to live fulfilling lives, and now mainly teach them how to pass school tests.
3️⃣ Generation Effect:
If you really want to understand a topic, don’t read about it, write about it.
The act of explaining something helps connect the dots and commit them to memory far better than the passive act of reading.