Weekly Wisdom #329 - Open Loops, Outlive, Climbing Hills & Responsibility

Open Loops, Outlive, Climbing Hills & Responsibility

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Happy Monday!

It felt like I had 47 tabs open in my brain.

Not browser tabs—mental ones.

Projects half-started, tasks I'd been "meaning to get to," the final steps on some building milestones, errands that kept getting pushed.

After quitting my job in August, I've had these periods where everything felt overwhelming.

Too many projects, too little progress, and the quiet anxiety of watching my savings tick down while nothing felt finished.

The common thread? Too many open loops.

An open loop is anything ongoing but unresolved.

Stack enough of them, and your brain becomes a terrible to-do list. You spend more energy remembering everything than actually doing anything.

Your brain is a terrible to-do list.

That’s why journaling works: when you write it all down, you’re closing those loops. Not solving them—just getting them out of your head and onto paper where they can’t keep spinning.

The real solution? Close out some loops. Start with the easiest tasks, get them done, and move on. One by one, until your mind is clear.

That's what my week is going to be about: closing out open loops.

Have a great week!

Graham

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📚 Book Notes: Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity - Peter Attia​

This was one of my favourite reads of the year, and is the most useful book I've come across on living a longer, healthier life.

​The 4-Hour Body is the health-related book whose content has stuck with me the longest, and I think Outlive will be another book like this.

There are four main reasons why most people's health deteriorates, and this book both introduces you to each of these, and presents the most up-to-date research on how to reverse or prevent each from happening.

Health is the single most important thing in our lives; the value of the book is worth 100x the cost.

📖 Article: Climbing the Wrong Hill - Chris Dixon​

This is one of my favourite career pieces, using a particular algorithm as an example to show that just because you are succeeding in one thing, does not mean that thing should be what you are pursuing.

A great article if you've been thinking about making a change, in your career or elsewhere.

📣 Quote:

"Life rarely changes in a positive way without an increase in responsibility. That can mean taking ownership of your health or committing to a relationship or starting a business. Whatever it is, if you want the trajectory to change, the amount of responsibility usually has to change." — James Clear