What's up friend,

Hope you’re having a great weekend. This week, I explored our obsession with maximizing impact - and the ways in which it can be misguided and unhealthy.

But first, we had an incredible workshop on mastering the Getting Things Done methodology — focusing on capture inboxes, the "important, not urgent" (i.e. being a good spouse) and the Weekly Review. You can catch the 2 hour workshop by purchasing the replay below.

PS Are we friends on LinkedIn yet?

Does “maximizing impact” lead to misery?

I find this question to be quite problematic.

My rational, logic-seeking brain says:

It then says:

But then my chest gets tense. My heart beats faster. There’s a pit in my stomach. And my irrational and emotional heart says:

I recognize that this entire inner monologue is quite foolish.

But I know it’s making you feel a bit queasy too. Why is that?

Because our rational brain cares about metrics. It likes tracking things.

And 5,000 is greater than 5.

Which might mean you were more respected. More loved. And more impactful.

Our society is obsessed with metrics. And we’re obsessed with making an impact.

Those two things should peacefully coexist.

But what happens when you start to benchmark your life against the magnitude of your impact?

Will you have lived nobly? Or will you be destined to be dissatisfied and unhappy?

Here are this week's top reads:

// one

The riddle of rest

4 minutes | More to That
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What is rest? Is it the stillness of the mind? Or being physically relaxed and immobile? Rest (and leisure) are often villified in Western culture, as it gets grouped with laziness. Maybe that’s why many of us are always using rest to produce something else (ahem, taking a walk while listening to a podcast).

→ Read the post​

// two

Where emotions get trapped in the body and how to release them

7 minutes | Healthline
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As a very “heady” person, I don’t associate emotions with physical sensations. However, in a recent therapy session I released a “trapped emotion” and began to sob uncontrollably. I’m investigating the mind-body connection more deeply and recommend you look at the diagram in the article and see what your body might be telling. (For me, it’s fear, anger, pride and happiness.)

→ Read the article​

// three

12 trends that will shape our careers in 2023

3 minutes | The Jungle Gym
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There was a huge “vibe shift” that characterized the start of 2022 — we went from the nearly manic excitement of 2021 to a year featuring collapse and uncertainty. What can we expect in the upcoming year? Twelve founders make predictions (including, yours truly): the person who uplifts company morale is critical, stable tech jobs might not be so stable and long-term success will be won by those who can endure a bit of short-term pain.

→ Read the post​

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// four

Don't optimize your downtime

2 minutes | Hulry
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Ever sat down to relax only to hear that nagging voice in the back of your mind telling you you should be doing something productive right now? Enjoying music? Multitask with some emails. Meditating? Make sure you get the most out of it. We’ve all felt guilty about rest and leisure. But what if optimizing downtime doesn’t make you more productive, but actually pushes you more quickly towards burnout?

→ Read the post​

// five

The world's a mess. So they've stopped saving for tomorrow.

6 minutes | The New York Times
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Is delayed gratification worth it? After feeling the isolation of the pandemic, many young workers are feeling unmotivated to save for their futures and much more interested in enjoying their lives right now. They call themselves “financial nihilists” in an “anti-frugal” mood. (Sounds like a good punk band name.) With so much uncertainty in the world, should we deprive ourselves of the comfort of life right now for a future that isn’t guaranteed?

→ Read the article​

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Below the Fold
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LAST WEEK'S MOST READ

• ​The anxiety of “broken agreements” (RadReads, 614 clicks)
• ​How are people buying these $10M homes? (Twitter, 334 clicks)

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And finally, ever wondered how they fit all the luggage below the airplane?

With gratitude,

Khe

PS The Life Operating System (LifeOS) is your home base for personal productivity — one app to rule them all. It’s a 100% turnkey system to help you get on top of things and in control of your life.

PPS Refer 2 friends and get the Weekly Review Cheatsheet. Here is your personal RadReferral link: https://sparklp.co/9ac1b50d

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