Weekly Mix #266 - Working Anywhere, Thinking Clearly, Recycled Homes, AI Updates & Educational Shortcomings

Working Anywhere, Thinking Clearly, Recycled Homes, AI Updates & Educational Shortcomings

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Happy Tuesday!

It's possible to do meaningful work just about anywhere if you're prepared.

Here are 5 things that let me be productive anywhere:

Macbook + iPad: The latest Sidecar functionality of this combination means I can use my iPad as a second screen, making it feel like I'm in the office with a dual monitor setup. This makes a big difference when working on projects that require referencing another document or dashboard. I also read books on my iPad.

Noise-cancelling head/earphones: My current choice are the Beats Fit Pros, which comes with the same noise-cancelling and smart features as AirPod Pros, but has a much better shape for staying in during exercise (and in general). Blocking out background noise is key for concentration.

Spotify Flow playlist: This is my personally curated playlist, but the key attributes are: no lyrics, and upbeat, motivating music. Brain.fm is a great alternative.

Sweater/jacket: If you aren't comfortable, you won't be productive. I make sure I've got a sweater with me—ideally a zip-up hoodie—so I can manage my temperature.

Downloaded podcasts: If I'm on the go and can't get out my computer to do work, I can fall back to my queue of downloaded podcasts and learn something new. I use Airr + Readwise to save highlights for later.

Sometimes it's necessary to sit back and relax, and take a break.

But it's a big advantage to have the option of getting things done.

Have a great week!

Graham

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Links

📚 Book Notes: The Art of Thinking Clearly - Rolf Dobelli - This is one of the books I try to revisit regularly. It's one of the single best books I've ever read for identifying cognitive biases and improving thinking.

📖 The age of average - Alex Murrell - A thought-provoking piece about the effects of globalization on everything from architecture, to interior design, to book design, and more.

I tend to think this is probably enhanced by globalization, but something you could probably observe at almost any point in the last 150 years. Interesting nonetheless.

📱littlecook - A beautiful, simple, iOS app (they have a simple web app) for finding out what you can cook from the ingredients left in your fridge.

🏠 The most ingenious recycled homes - Clare Dowdy - BBC - Recycled building materials is a bigger trend in places where materials are more scarce, but that doesn't mean it can't be the norm elsewhere. This piece highlights the wide variety of types of recycling available, and how they can be incorporated into contemporary homes.

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@BrentBeshore

Why do most marriages end up in divorce or cold war? Why do most businesses die from suicide and not homicide? Why do we struggle to form and maintain life-long friendships? Why has there been a dramatic rise in anxiety, depression, and deaths of despair?

Alain de Botton… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/rZmCVy7u1Z

April 17th 2023

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