WORK LESS WEDNESDAY
WLW #56
š§Ā 1. Audiobook Iām Enjoying – The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
In the first session of šļøHow To Work Less, everyone shares their #1 book as an icebreaker, which we then compile into a Notion spreadsheet.
You can check out Cohort 2ās fav books here.
This book was recommended by one of my students, the talented motion designer Bogdan Dumitriu.
Anyways, about this bookā¦
Hereās the summary:
Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.
What sold me:
- Heās George R.R. Martinās favorite writer.
- Hugo Award Winner & NPR Best Book Of The Decade.
- Netflix series coming soon.
Iāve been trying to avoid reading business books at night (keeps my brain up when Iām supposed to be winding down), so this nonfiction option was perfect.
Iām nearing completion of Book 1 (it is a trilogy) and if youāre into sci-fi, I highly recommend.
šĀ 2. 6 Graphs That Will Change How You See Time Forever – Thread by Sahil Bloom
If youāre on Twitter, you probably saw this (it went UBER viral).
But if not, check this out this thread:
This thread details how much time we spend with different people over the course of our lives.
The data is from The American Time Use Survey.
In summary:
(1) Family time is limitedācherish it.
(2) Friend time is limitedāprioritize real ones.
(3) Partner time is significantānever settle.
(4) Children time is preciousābe present.
(5) Coworker time is significantāfind energy.
(6) Alone time is highestālove yourself.
The lesson: Be present today. Our time is limited.
āĀ 3. Why Iām Not Sold On Ikigai
Iām still thinking through thisā¦ Let me know what you think.
Youāve probably seen this chart floating around social media a lot:
Itās a diagram that shows the Japanese concept of Ikigai, which means āa reason for being.ā
Ikigai is everywhere.
There are books, journals, posters, heck, my business coach even taught a 45 minute workshop on it.
Itās a beautiful concept.
But Iām not sold.
Hereās my take:
I love the top 3 quadrants (what you love, what youāre good at, what the world needs).
Itās the last one (what you can be paid for) that doesnāt add up.
Telling people that the key to lifelong happiness REQUIRES money doesnāt sound right.
Itās ends up just being another way to define yourself by your job.
95% of jobs people would NEVER do if they won the lottery.
Itās also A LOT of pressure to find perfection at work.
Many would be better served to pursue work that:
- Stimulates you
- Makes good money
- Doesnāt take up all your time
Then go live your life.
šĀ 4. How To (Actually) Get To Inbox Zero On Gmail – Blog Post By Andreas Klinger
This short article is one of the most beautifully efficient systems Iāve ever seen for email.
In about 30 minutes of setup, you will:
- Get to inbox zero (even if you have 3,000 unread messages).
- Implement the GTD (Getting Things Done) methodology in your inbox.
- Redesign your Gmail for productivity.
This blog post has been around since 2013 and still gets hundreds of thousands of views a month.
šĀ 5. A Foolproof Way To Handle Your 1,000 Open Tabs
h/t @concoctionary on IG.
How I Can Help You
When youāre ready, here are four ways I can help you:
- šŗ Watch my FREE YouTube training called Work Less Fundamentals.
- š Join the Waitlist for Januaryās Cohort 3 of šHow To Work Less here. (77 students, 5 stars).
- š¤ Book a 1:1 session with me here. (Booking into Dec. 2022)
- š¬ Promote yourself to 11k+ subscribers by sponsoring Work Less Wednesday (Booking into Dec. 2022)