#81: a break from worrying

Jul 07, 2023

👋 Welcome to the 81st issue of Out of Curiosity, a weekly newsletter promoting ideas to help get 1% better everyday.

My name is Reza, and every week, I go through nearly 100 pieces of content (from books and podcasts to newsletters and tweets), and bring you the best in this newsletter.

In this issue:

🌟 The myth and magic of generating new ideas

💡 5 hard lessons from my 9-figure mentors

📵 Why you should be unreachable

🔬 7 years and 21 experiments

🌟 The myth and magic of generating new ideas

For me, the quest for a breakthrough often requires getting myself into literal motion. I’ll take a long hike, during which my mind has nothing to worry about except putting one foot in front of the other, or I’ll go for a long drive, so that my primary focus is on the road. Maybe it’s the endorphins, or maybe it’s refocussing my attention on some other activity which enables a new idea.
Perhaps it is the momentary feeling of being untethered that gives the mind free rein—the space to have a good idea.
An initial period of concentration—conscious, directed attention—needs to be followed by some amount of unconscious processing. The key to solving a problem is to take a break from worrying, to move the problem to the back burner, to let the unwatched pot boil.
I strike the ball and lift the weights, knowing that there is something about moving my body that will help move my mind.

→ New Yorker | 9-min read

💡 5 hard lessons from my 9-figure mentors

The biggest life hack isn’t a tactic or a tool. It’s a way of thinking.
Small thinking will kill you the fastest.

I asked him, “How do you get comfortable with failing publicly? What if your bets don’t work?”
His response:
“No no one ultimately cares about you. No one will remember you. You are the only person who sees you in the mirror.”

→ Codie Sanchez | 2-min read

📵 Why you should be unreachable

Most things are a distraction, especially in the startup and tech world.
If you get to the core of building companies it's about creating a great product that gets customers that pay for it. If you get to the core of life it's living an existence you're proud of with people you love doing the things you like while minimizing suffering.
None of these two involve being available for endless chit-chatting to billions of people in private messages.

→ levels.io | 8-min read

🔬 7 years and 21 experiments

I enjoyed reading this breakdown of 21 experiments that David Cain had tried over the years. The ones that stood out to me: Go 21 straight days without complaining, spend 20 minutes a day visualizing, go 30 days without consuming caffeine or alcohol.

I attempt to do some new habit for 30 days, get sick of it and throw up my hands or limp to the end. I do always learn something however—about my habits, my motivations, my values—that helps me find a more sensible place in my life for the activity in question
The bottom line is that much of the reason I consumed either (coffee or alcohol) was my conditioning and habit, rather than any actual benefit or pleasure.

→ Raptitude | 15-min read