Weekly Mix #256 - One Thing At A Time, Books to Read, Work Habits, Bike Helmets & Vacation Destinations

One Thing At A Time, Books to Read, Work Habits, Bike Helmets & Vacation Destinations

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Happy Monday!

I was sick this weekend, which derailed most of my plans to get things done, but it gave me an opportunity to take things a little slower than usual.

Whenever I'm forced to slow down, I often notice how much more enjoyable things become.

I've written before about how the forced constraints of an airplane—no internet, nowhere to go, nothing else to do—can drive productivity.

The lack of options forces you to focus on only one thing at a time.

When I think about my best days, the ones where I feel most productive, or most focused, or even just most enjoyable—they're all days where I'm only focusing on one thing at a time.

It's part of the reason I like working very early, or very late, or even on the weekends: there are no meetings, and no one to distract you.

And it's part of why I enjoy activities like cycling, golf, sailing, and sports in general: you are forced to keep your focus on the activity alone.

Whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed or unproductive, that's usually the question I should be asking: what's the one thing that I can focus on?

Have a great week!

Graham

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Links

📖 If You Only Read A Few Books In 2023, Read These - Ryan Holiday - An excellent list of books from writer Ryan Holiday. In particular, Range and Mastery are two I plan to re-read this year.

📖 The Great Contemplation - Paul Millerd - I still credit Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Workweek with putting me on the path to entrepreneurship and business. Millerd argues that Ferriss had an even larger impact than most recognize on how we think about work, one that has progressed even further over the past few pandemic years.

📖 The Cult of Bike Helmets - Slate - What I find most interesting about articles like these are that they take a tenet accepted as truth—that bike helmets should be worn by everyone—and examine some of the assumptions and difficulties in interpreting the data.

The takeaway is yes, we should probably all wear bike helmets, but that they aren't often the most important part of safety that we think they are.

✈️ Olo Surf & Nature - Morocco - Morocco has been on my list for a while, but it moved back up when I saw Jeanne Rondeau-Ducharme travel there recently. The surf looks excellent, and it still looks relatively untouched compared to some more popular spots like Portugal.

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