Weekly Mix #244 - 35 life lessons from the master of Stoicism

Time Tradeoffs, Championship Teams, Combatting Homelessness & Life Lessons

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Happy Monday!

I hope you had a great long weekend, if you had one where you live.

I'm heading back home to Nova Scotia for part of the summer next weekend.

One of the things that becomes apparent when I'm about to travel is time.

Specifically, the tradeoffs I make in how I spend my time.

When I have a list of things to complete before leaving, it becomes apparent that I may have to sacrifice some other things to get them done.

In day-to-day life, maybe because time seems "unlimited," these tradeoffs are often harder to spot.

When I spend more time working, I tend to exercise less. Or vice versa.

But because I rarely see the effect of these tradeoffs day-to-day, it takes me a long time to realize when I've missed the correct balance.

Pretending I have a deadline (like traveling) seems to work well, like it does for getting work done.

Journaling is another tool I find helpful.

I particularly like a couple of the 5-Minute Journal questions:

What 3 things would make today great? (for morning)

What were the 3 highlights of my day? (for evening)

Another favourite:

If I did what I did today for the rest of the week/month/year/5 years, what would my life look like?

Answering these questions daily helps me realize when I'm prioritizing the wrong things, without having to go a long time to see the effect.

Perhaps they'll help you too.

Have a great week.

Graham

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Links

📖 How Nathan MacKinnon molded the Colorado Avalanche into Stanley Cup champions - ESPN - This article generated some controversy, with many split between becoming deeper fans of MacKinnon, with others calling out what they felt sounded like a toxic environment. Maximizing team performance is an interesting topic, and I know personally that criticism pushes me to work harder. Part of the question, no doubt, is whether at the end of the day, you feel part of the team.

📖 How Houston Moved 25,000 People From the Streets Into Homes of Their Own - Michael Kimmelman - NYT - Homelessness and affordable housing is an issue that I've always been interested in, and one that I see on a daily basis here in Montreal. Houston's work has focused on housing first, and it's an interesting look at the challenges faced, even when good intentions are involved from all sides.

📖 35 Lessons on the Way to 35 Years Old - Ryan Holiday - One of my favourite authors, Holiday does one of these every year. They're rooted in Stoicism—his favourite topic—and there's always something useful for everyone.

🍿 Two Years on a Bike - Very cool look at the journey of Martijn Doolaard from Vancouver to Patagonia (the second journey like this he's done). Some amazing footage interspersed with his story about the trip and his book.

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