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👋 Hey everyone,

Here are a few popular posts you may have missed:

• Allow me to reintroduce myself…

• An open secret about reading books.

• Andrew Huberman agrees, train the body and the mind.

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📚 Books Summary:

This week’s book is “Slow Productivity” by Cal Newport.

There’s an anti-hustle culture movement going on in the world right now. This new movement focuses on balanced productivity–doing great work without burning out.

If you enjoyed “Deep Work” or “Four Thousand Weeks” you’ll enjoy this book.

Here are 3 lessons from the book:

📖

1) One Project, One Priority

To do great work, you need to do deep work.

And to do deep work, you need to focus on one thing at a time.

Cal talks about the mistake he made early on in his career when he would try to work on an academic paper early in the day, then work on writing a book, and then switch to working on his computer science assignments.

Looking back, he wishes he had focused on just one project a day. “I was too young to appreciate this reality as a graduate student in my twenties, but I for sure recognize its wisdom today,” he writes.

A much more productive schedule would’ve been:

• Mondays = Work on academic papers

• Tuesdays = Do research for the book

• Wednesdays = Write a rough chapter for the book

• Thursdays = Edit the chapter

• Fridays = Work on computer science assignments

This way, you’re able to give all of your concentration into one project at a time, and thus go deeper into each subject.

So instead of trying to multitask or work on multiple projects on the same day, pick one project and obsess over it for the entire day.

📖

2) No Meeting Mondays

This is a simple yet effective tip: Don’t schedule any meetings on Mondays.

If you don’t work for yourself, you can still implement this tip by suggesting any other day when someone tries to set up a meeting with you.

The benefit of this is that it allows a more gradual transition from the weekend into the work week.

Sunday scaries tend to decrease, and you can start your week by working on a project you find meaningful without distractions.

I’ve been following this rule for some time now, and I love it. Mondays tend to be my most creative days, so I want to spend them writing and creating content instead of talking to people.

Other days, of course, could also work just as well. Perhaps keeping Fridays clear of meetings works better for you.

The key to this idea is maintaining some block of peace amid an otherwise cluttered and chaotic calendar.

📖

3) Pursue Your Passion Project

The old productivity movement encouraged spending every hour of your day working to make as much money as possible.

But slow productivity encourages people to pursue projects for passion, not profit.

Stephenie Meyer got the idea for a book from a dream in the summer of 2003. The experience was so vivid that she felt she had to write a book about it.

Even though she wasn’t an author and had 3 kids to take care of, she committed to writing every day whenever she had a bit of free time (usually after the kids went to sleep).

It took her a few years, but eventually, her book was published in 2006–it was “Twilight.”

Another example is Michael Crichton.

During his final year at Harvard Medical School, Michael realized he didn’t want to practice medicine after earning his degree.

So he spent the last year of medical school writing a book whenever he had some spare time between patients and lectures.

Michael would go on to write several bestselling books, including “Jurassic Park.”

Now, chances are pursuing your passion project won’t turn into a bestselling book that makes you millions of dollars (it might), but that’s not the point.

The goal is to spend your free time doing something fun or enjoyable, rather than doing something you consider “work.”

✅ Actionable Advice

1) Pick only 1 project to work on a day and make that your priority.

2) Avoid scheduling meetings on Mondays so you can ease into the work week.

3) Spend your early mornings or late evenings pursuing your passion project, even if it doesn’t make you any money.

💎 Weekly Gem:

Podcast: Cracking the Code of Love with Dr. Sue Johnson

Dr. Sue Johnson has been called the best couples therapist in the world. She’s also the author of “Hold Me Tight”, which has sold 1M+ copies.

In this podcast, she explains:

• How we choose our partners

• Why sex stops in relationships and how to fix it

• The importance of trust and safety in relationships

• How couples can reconnect after fights and even divorce

And so much more.

If you’re in a relationship or married, you’ll find this podcast extremely insightful.

Your opinion matters!

Thank you for your support,

Alex W.