WORK LESS WEDNESDAY
WLW #33
📕 1. Book I Read This Week – Free Time by Jenny Blake
Free Time is billed as a playbook to free your mind, time, and team for your best work.
Written by Jenny Blake, author of Pivot and co-creator of Google’s Career Guru coaching program, it was a great read.
Some highlights from my copy of the book:
“When you run your own business, working less is often harder that working more.”
“It will be impossible to truly free your time as a business owner if you work entirely alone.”
“In an ideal world, no piece of information about the business (or your clients) likes only in someone’s mind – yours or your team’s. None. Nothing.”
🌎 2. The Greatest Life Hacks In The World (For Now) – Article by David Brooks
Great compilation of some of the best life hacks in the world.
Some highlights:
- When you have 90 percent of a large project completed, finishing up the final details will take another 90 percent. (RW: happens every time with a website project!)
- Denying or deflecting a compliment is rude. Accept it with thanks.
- When you get invited to something in the future, ask yourself, Would I do this tomorrow?
- Just because it’s not your fault doesn’t mean it’s not your responsibility.
- You can always tell someone to go to hell tomorrow.
😴 3. How To Simulate A Full Sleep Cycle In 20 Minutes – NuCalm
One of the things I’m always struggled with is “turning it off.”
There’s this idea that most of us spend our lives at a “simmering 6” (out of 10).
Where we never fully experience deep relaxation (a 0) and we never fully reach peak performance (a 10).
To that end, I’ve been using this product called NuCalm a few times a week to help me with relaxation.
NuCalm is some crazy technology that combines three elements:
- Neuracoustic software (sound delivered via noise-cancelling headphones)
- A biosignal processing disk (a small sticker you place on your wrist)
- Eye mask (to block light and stimulation)
All three of these combine to drop you into Alpha & Theta brainwaves, activating your parasympathetic nervous system.
Each session takes between 20-50 minutes and I’ve been finding them really beneficial in the late afternoon.
Not an ad, just something I’m experimenting with right now.
📸 4. New Screenshot App I’m Playing With – Xnapper Beta
Sometimes you want your screenshots to look ✨pretty.✨ (see above)
That’s where Xnapper comes in.
Take a screenshot, and Xnapper will add a snazzy border, ready to share on social media.
Totally FREE while in Beta.
Check it out here (only on Mac for now).