5 Day Reading Challenge in August 2023 📚✨
Day 1️⃣
1. How to Become Comfortable With Uncertainty by Michael Ashcroft (6 mins)
- Embracing Uncertainty: People often seek familiarity, but in today's complex world, it's beneficial to accept and navigate through uncertainty.
- Value in the Unfamiliar: Using methods like the Alexander Technique, resist jumping to immediate conclusions and remain open to multiple perspectives.
- Act with Epistemic Humility: Acknowledge the limitations of our understanding, and be ready to adjust beliefs and actions based on new insights.
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2. Comparison Anxiety: How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others by Dr. Hannah Rose (7 mins)
- Origins and Impacts: Social comparison starts in childhood and, while it can motivate self-improvement, excessive upward comparisons, especially via social media, can cause feelings of inadequacy and reduced cognitive performance.
- Social Media's Role: Social media often showcases the best parts of people's lives, leading to frequent upward comparisons which negatively impact well-being.
- Managing Anxiety: Combat comparison anxiety by recognizing personal achievements, seeking relatable role models, partnering for mutual goals, building supportive groups, and limiting social media exposure.
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3. The Swedish philosophy of lagom: how “just enough” is all you need by Jonny Thomson (4 mins)
- Core Concept: A Swedish philosophy emphasizing balance, contentment, and moderation.
- Key Aspects: It advocates for social awareness (fair sharing) and a mental shift away from excess (valuing simplicity and contentment).
- Applications: Useful in various life areas like work-life balance, simple fitness routines, and valuing home-based joys.
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Day 2️⃣
1. The Proven Path to Doing Unique and Meaningful Work by James Clear (6 mins)
- Arno Rafael Minkkinen's commencement speech introduced the "Helsinki Bus Station Theory," emphasizing the journey of creative work.
- The theory likens creative development to buses departing from the same station. Over time, they diverge and find unique destinations.
- The theory underscores the importance of consistent re-work and revision in creative pursuits to achieve uniqueness and mastery, advocating for staying on the same creative path.
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2. What is Design Thinking and Why Is It So Popular? by Rikke Friis Dam, Teo Yu Siang (11 mins)
- Design Thinking is an iterative, human-centered approach to problem-solving, used across various fields from design to business.
- It comprises five phases: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.
- Leading companies like Apple, Google, and Samsung have adopted it, and prestigious universities such as Stanford and Harvard teach its methodologies.
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3. Imitate, then Innovate by David Perell (19 mins)
- Imitating before innovating helps discover unique styles, as seen in successful artists and entertainers.
- Many modern creators avoid imitation due to an overemphasis on originality, limiting their potential.
- Balancing direct imitation with inspiration from diverse fields fosters greater creativity.
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Day 3️⃣
1. Blockbuster: The #1 Mental Model For Writers Who Want To Create High-Quality, Viral Content by Michael Simmons (14 mins)
- The "Blockbuster" mental model emphasizes quality over quantity, leading to the author's articles achieving millions of views.
- Most online attention is concentrated on top-tier content due to the internet's "rich get richer" dynamics.
- This approach helps writers build reputation, gain loyal fans, and is likened to Warren Buffett's selective investment strategy.
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2. Self-improvement is Actually Addictive — If You Have the Right Frame of Mind by Neeramitra Reddy (4 mins)
- True self-improvement is not just about physical habits but encompasses the physical, mental, and spiritual self; it becomes addictive when done correctly.
- The primary driving force behind self-improvement is having a meaningful "why", as supported by Nietzsche's quote and Viktor Frankl's findings.
- Having a strong purpose or "Why" guides one towards genuine self-improvement, while also ensuring the mind and body are looked after.
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3. Establishing a Reading Habit by Nesma Nujum (4 mins)
- True self-improvement is not just about physical habits but encompasses the physical, mental, and spiritual self; it becomes addictive when done correctly.
- The primary driving force behind self-improvement is having a meaningful "why", as supported by Nietzsche's quote and Viktor Frankl's findings.
- Having a strong purpose or "Why" guides one towards genuine self-improvement, while also ensuring the mind and body are looked after.
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Day 4️⃣
1. While most people fight to learn “in-demand” skills, smart people are learning rare skills instead by Michael Simmons (14 mins)
- Successful innovators like Elon Musk, Ray Dalio, and Bill Gates prioritize rare and valuable skills over popular "in-demand" skills.
- The "Outlier Algorithm" suggests that to stand out and make a significant impact, one should learn and invest in skills that are both valuable and not widely pursued.
- By following this approach, individuals can differentiate themselves in their field, achieve greater success, and avoid the pitfalls of conforming to conventional wisdom.
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2. How developing mental immunity can protect us from bad ideas by Dr. Hannah Rose (6 mins)
- Concept of Mental Immunity: Mental immunity, or cognitive immunology, enables the mind to detect and reject misinformation, much like the body's defense against pathogens.
- Benefits: A strengthened mental immune system promotes informed decision-making, protects against false information, and enhances critical thinking.
- Ways to Boost Mental Immunity: Enhance awareness of misinformation, foster evidence-based beliefs (meta-beliefs), and practice regular self-reflection on information sources.
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3. Where Do Great Ideas Come From? by Mario Gabriele (13 mins)
- Encouraging Failure: Environments that embrace failure yield more innovations.
- Diverse Perspectives & Brokering: Novices can offer fresh solutions, and those bridging information gaps in organizations spark creativity.
- Intrinsic Motivation: Those driven by intellectual challenges innovate more, but increasing knowledge requirements delay peak innovation age.
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Day 5️⃣
1. Inversion: The Crucial Thinking Skill Nobody Ever Taught You by James Clear (6 mins)
- Concept of Inversion: A technique derived from Stoic philosophers where one envisions the opposite of desired outcomes, aiding in better planning and overcoming fears.
- Wide-ranging Applications: Used by mathematicians like Carl Jacobi, artists like Nirvana, and in everyday scenarios from project management to personal finance.
- Benefits: Inversion helps in identifying potential pitfalls, fosters innovative solutions, and challenges biases, promoting logical and rational thinking.
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2. Mindfulness Hurts. That’s Why It Works. by Arthur C. Brooks (8 mins)
- Avoiding mindfulness and staying distracted from negative emotions can worsen mental well-being.
- Mindfulness, despite being challenging, offers benefits such as reducing depression, anxiety, and improving memory.
- Mind-wandering and escaping from discomfort hinder emotional growth, while confronting difficult emotions and being present can lead to greater happiness.
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3. Self-Education: Teach Yourself Anything with the Sandbox Method by Nat Eliason (11 mins)
- Self-Education in the Digital Age: Digital tools enable easy self-learning beyond traditional education.
- The Sandbox Method: Create a practice zone. Steps: 1) Set up a practice space, 2) Research, 3) Practice, 4) Get feedback.
- Embrace Continuous Learning: Prioritize deliberate over naive practice. Seek expert feedback for improvement.
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