BrainPint - Saying No

Hi everyone,

This week we're diving into why the ultimate productivity hack is saying no, how to manage your manager for the best outcomes, chaos on Mount Everest and more.

Cheers,
Janel

The Ultimate Productivity Hack Is Saying No
Not doing something will always be faster than doing it. "It's worth asking if things are necessary. Many of them are not, and a simple “no” will be more productive than whatever work the most efficient person can muster." So why do we tend to lean into saying yes so many times? A great read, because saying no is an important skill to develop at any stage of your life, since it protects the most valuable thing we all have: time.

Why You Procrastinate Even When It Feels Bad
A video exploring what happens in the brain to trigger procrastination, and strategies you can use stop this harmful practice.

Chaos at the Top of the World
A story about the deadly traffic jam on Everest in 2019, and the perils of inexperienced climbers & overcrowding. Equal parts fascinating and horrifying.

Managing Your Manager
How do you best manage up? Here's an actionable, non-fluffy guide to figuring out how your manager works, so that they can help you do great work that fulfills you.

The Uncertain Mind: How the Brain Handles the Unknown
We're wired to reduce uncertainty as it causes a lot of cognitive load on the brain. Using metacognitive strategies, we can reduce the impact of uncertainty. Lean into a framework called The Uncertainty Matrix, which consists of four quadrants: Known-Knowns, Known-Unknowns, Unknown-Knowns, and Unknowns-Unknowns. Each quadrant represents a different type of uncertainty, and each has its own set of possible solutions.

History Maps
Learn the history of the world visually using these maps.

Crouton - A recipe organiser and meal planner. Features I love: You can automatically import recipe ingredients and steps from copied URLs & recipes can scale up or down easily based on how many people you're cooking for, plus, you can scan and digitize photos of recipes too. For Mac & iOS.

Tech Stack Leads - A tech stack search engine that searches 60,000+ job descriptions for a specific keyword. Useful for job seekers, recruiters, and sales people. Especially helpful for prospecting.

Convert.io - Convert your files into any format.

TRUST-able - Become the recognized, trusted expert in your niche - actionable insights for solopreneurs, journalists and consultants focusing on value and relationships.

Health Squeeze - Discover new healthy habits in 5 minutes by getting this newsletter that makes learning about health easy and enjoyable.

Share your work with >5.7k curious BrainPint readers by reserving a spot in Brain Snacks!

Fold N Fly - Paper airplane database with instructions on how to fold them, if you need to keep the kids (or yourself) entertained this holiday season.

Which Face Is Real? - Keep on guessing.