Mixed Signals: Go change it

No. 16 – 27th of December, 2020

I don't do New Year's Resolutions.

I make changes when I want to. Not when the calendar tells me to.

Want to change something? Go change it.

Yet there is a change I've long struggled with... keeping a diary.

I know it would help me be a better person.

I've struggled to build it into my routine.

One trick I'm trying out is using an actual diary. A page per day.

Even with this, I'm not waiting until the 1st. I've used this year's diary (for something other than scribbling out plans) and I'm writing in the back, each night before bed. It already feels great.

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📄 Articles...

+ Benefits of a daily diary. Derek Sivers, from a couple of years ago.

Every day at some point, just open up this diary, write today’s date, then start writing. Write what you did today, and how you are feeling, even if it seems boring.

I like how Derek separates out journaling, something I already find helpful.

+ The Day You Became A Better Writer. Scott Adams (Dilbert comic strip creator) inspired my 'No goals' post below. Here, he gives a masterclass in going from being a bad writer to a good writer. In 264 words.

+ Slack Is the Right Tool for the Wrong Way to Work. Cal Newport has some great articles on The New Yorker. Such as this one, which explains why tech won't save us until we save ourselves.

+ School Wasn’t So Great Before COVID, Either. Focus on America, but that didn't stop me from nodding the whole way through.

It’s remarkable how little schools have changed over time; most public elementary schools are stuck with a model that hasn’t evolved to reflect advances in cognitive science and our understanding of human development.

I've spent the last 3 years trying to understand why schools are so reluctant to change. Once we understand that, kids lives will get a whole lot better.

📚 Books...

+ The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. An early-stage investor in (among others) Uber and Twitter, Naval is also the co-founder of AngelList. Described as 'the Angel Philosopher,' this book demonstrates why.

If I have some fundamental “ah-ha” insight or concept, Twitter forces me to distil it into a few characters. Then I try to put it out there as an aphorism.

Then I get attacked by random people who point out all kinds of obvious exceptions and jump down my throat. Then I think, “Why did I do this again?”

The book is in two parts (wealth and happiness), and has a fantastic recommended reading section (which you can get online here), that helps explain my current bank balance! 😬

📺 TV/Video/Films...

+ The Art of Living with Less Stress. Another one including Derek Sivers. A (rather funny) animated video of a small piece of conversation with Tim Ferriss. Derek explains why slowing down on his bike made him realise it makes sense to slow down in life.

🎧 Podcasts...

+ Jack Butcher on Creator Lab. I'm part way through this, but I'm already keen to go back to the start and listen again. So much value on building something people need, and doing it a step at a time.

Jack is the founder of @VisualizeValue, a Twitter/Instagram account he’s grown to 100k+ followers in less than 2yrs.

His business brings in $100k+ per month with 99% profit margins.

Thank you to Siim Männart who suggested the Creator Lab podcast to me.

🧸 Toys...

+ The Ultimate Guide to Twitter Advanced Search. Both the best feature on Twitter, and the one that least people use (or know about).

+ Readwise. I love going back through the underlined sections of books I've read before. This is a great way to do that with highlights in e-books and articles.

📝 Anything by/featuring me...

+ No goals. Thinking of setting some goals for 2021? Don't.