Dear friends and lovers of wisdom,
This past week found me finishing up the second week of the Ultraworking Pentathlon. I’ll share some thoughts on that below.
It remains a lifelong pursuit to express myself more laconically in accord with the Shakespearean suggestion that “brevity is the soul of wit.”
Or this Mark Twain one: “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
Onwards.
What I’ve been…
Reading
Learn In Public, by swyx. The author makes a strong case: if teaching is the best way to learn, then it makes sense to document your learning process and teach along the way.
Writing, Briefly, by Paul Graham. A masterclass in compression and how writing benefits thinking and ideation.
The Alchemy Of Writing, by Silvio Castelleti. A writing colleague of mine, Silvio’s piece is inspired by the previous one and pairs well. A delightful exemplar of intentional tangentiality.
Hit Send Early, by Michelle Varghoose. A fellow Substacker and friend from my recent Write Of Passage cohort, Michelle shares her experience as a budding creator and resultant serendipity if we have the courage to consistently publish.
Watching
A recent Vervaeke & Peterson conversation. While I feel I could write a whole piece on this dialogue, I’ll share a few quotes I found particularly resonant.
“All art constantly aspires to the condition of music.” -Walter Pater
PETERSON: “How much of suffering is due to finitude? How much is due to ignorance and inevitable blindness, and then how much is due to failure to hit the mark?”
VERVAEKE: “…And wisdom is about being able to differentiate those and to properly calibrate your efforts to that differentiation.”
Copywriting training. Even while studying something as seemingly mundane as writing an advertisement, the inescapability of storytelling as central to communication is impressed upon me. It’s fascinating to learn story frameworks, the importance of research, empathy and the transformational arc when money is on the line.
Listening
Dr. Andrew Huberman & Daniel Schmachtenberger, On Fear, Collective Insights. Given the rising popularity of Huberman Lab’s podcast, it’s great to hear Andrew as the guest being interviewed. A fascinating conversation about relatively recent discoveries on the neurobiology of fear, the problem of “fight or flight”, and neurological grounds for a “courage circuit” and potential ramifications for human flourishing. Huberman also shares a personal story that sounds among the worst possible scenarios one could face. I’ll leave a teaser – it’s about sharks.
Thinking About…
Monthly reviews. In light of my recent annual review, the importance of reflecting on the last 31 days in writing while it’s still somewhat fresh strikes me as worthwhile. We’re already 8.5% into 2023. Tick tock.
The Ultraworking Pentathlon. To summarize briefly, it was an immensely worthwhile two-week sprint of dialing in basic habits of work, sleep, nutrition, fitness, and planning paired with the social incentives of cooperation and competition.
Creative process and friction. How much struggle is necessary or helpful to producing creative work? Is it merely lack of clear process or insufficient structure? Or is it simply part and parcel of skill acquisition?
Selection, relevance and overwhelm. I often experience decision fatigue about prioritizing what’s most important as a consequence of curiosity. Here are some of my earlier thoughts on the dark side of curiosity.
Value and finding one's place: navigating the challenges, risks and trade-offs between innovation and specialization; charting one’s own path vis-à-vis following a clearly laid one.
Monthly learning challenges. Inspired by a recent presentation that Charlotte Grysolle gave on conducting a year of creative experiments. Topics I’m considering include a longtime fascination with mnemonics and attempting to memorize a deck of cards. Other contenders include making videos, scientific literacy, learning other instruments, speed reading, overcoming rejection, practicing kindness, chess, learning a language, drawing, and dancing.
Working On…
Implementing simple evening planning practices to plan the following day.
Implementing note-taking habits when listening and watching media à la Building A Second Brain.
Building a copywriting portfolio.
Alright, that about does it for this week.
As always, consider this an open invitation to connect.
Stay curious,
Tai
That transformational act looks like something to really dig into Tai. For some reason it made me think of Tim Ferriss' methodology for rapid learning on the The 4-Hour Chef. I might be stretching it but it might be the practical application of it haha
And "Implementing simple evening planning practices to plan the following day." is such a powerful tool for me, hope that goes well for you!
Always packed with so much useful info and insights, Tai. I really enjoy this format of yours. And thanks for the shout out! 🙏🏻