Weekly Mix #230 - What we can learn from the genius and flaws of Kanye West

Using Regret, Life Learnings, Complexity & The Paradox of Genius

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Happy Monday!

One of my favourite writers, Derek Sivers, coined the phrase "HELL YEAH! Or no."

It's a tool for reducing commitments when you're too busy or feeling overwhelmed.

If you aren't ecstatic about something—HELL YEAH!—then say no.

It helps you prioritize only the things that matter most to you.

In the past, I've been a little skeptical about the application. It's a good rule for those who have reached some level of success, but does it work for the rest of us? Shouldn't we be saying yes to more things?

But you can choose to apply it selectively.

If you're in a period of your life where you want to advance professionally, apply it to your social calendar to make more room for work.

If you're building a family, use it everywhere else to open up time to spend with loved ones.

Whether you apply it selectively or universally, it's a good way to figure out how excited you are about something.

Is this a "HELL YEAH!" or no?

Have a great week.

Graham

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Links

📖 Why Life Can't Be Simpler - Farnam Street - The study of simplicity, whether in our lives or in design, is something that I continue to believe more important in living a happy, productive life. This article introduces Tesler's law, which was conceived in the world of design, but applies to everywhere that we find complexity in our lives.

📖 13 Life-Learnings from 13 Years of Brain Pickings - Maria Popova - Lots of beautiful reminders in here, from "Allow yourself the beautiful luxury of changing your mind" to "Don't just resist cynicism—fight it actively." The 14th learning is here: "Choose joy."

📖 How to Use Your Regrets for Good - GQ - Clay Skipper - Daniel Pink has a new book out about regret, which this article introduces. You can read my book notes for two of his other books here: Drive and When.

🏠 A Tiny 1900s Workers Cottage, Sympathetically Restored For A New Era - Design Files - Bea Taylor - I'm fascinated with cabins and tiny homes, and how they strip things down to the essentials for living. This is a beautiful example that's just 300 square feet.

🍿 jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy - Netflix - I watched the Kanye trilogy this week, which I felt was incomplete; there are a number of important years missing, but it was fascinating nonetheless. The first two episodes show how talented he is, and how hard he worked for his initial success. The last episode is a reminder that great gifts often come with struggles elsewhere.

​This Atlantic piece contains spoilers, but provides a good summary.

​10 Tweets

​10 tools for success on YouTube​

​Discard things to get attention back​

​The future of NFT marketplaces​

​12 timeless principles from Warren Buffett's shareholder letters​

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