Welcome to the weekend.

Prime Numbers

25 — The Emmy nominations are in. FX's Japanese historical epic Shōgun — based on James Clavell's 1975 novel — received the most nominations at 25, followed by the network's The Bear with 23, a record for a comedy.

18 — The Eduard Toll, a liquefied natural-gas carrier, has completed an early-season voyage from Yamal in northern Russia to Xiuyu, China, in 18 days, kicking off the Arctic summer shipping season.  

15.1 — The streaming data is in for the first half of the year, and Luminate is reporting that global streaming was up 15.1% in the first six months, with 2.29 trillion on-demand audio streams. 

Digital Minimalist Parents

Digital minimalist parents aim to significantly reduce their children's screen time, believing that excessive device use interferes with the precious and fleeting stage of childhood. They prioritize creative play, physical activities, face-to-face interactions and the development of practical life skills over digital engagement. This approach is driven by concerns about the negative impacts of social media and excessive screen time on children's well-being, imagination and ability to cope with boredom. Despite potential social challenges, these parents implement strict rules around device ownership and social media use. After Babel (11 minutes)

Foundation of a Fulfilling Life

A fulfilling life is built on essential foundations that encompass physical, mental and financial well-being. This article discusses 12. Here are four of my favorites: 1) Physical fitness, which emphasizes daily exercise to improve overall health, mood and cognitive function. 2) Productivity, which involves building a comprehensive system to manage tasks and projects, leading to reliability and a better work-life balance. 3) Financial well-being, focusing on responsible spending, saving, and investing to achieve financial security and peace of mind. 4) Focus, which emphasizes the importance of deep work, allocating dedicated time for concentrated efforts on meaningful tasks to enhance productivity and personal growth. Scott H. Young (6 minutes) 

1,000 Day Rule

Thinking about becoming an entrepreneur? Brace yourself for the 1,000 Day Rule, a concept suggesting that business owners typically face financial hardships for about 2.7 years before matching their previous corporate salaries. This entrepreneurial journey is divided into three phases: The Great Hope (days 1-333), The Grind (days 334-666) and The Sunrise (days 667-1000), each marked by unique challenges and milestones. Throughout this period, aspiring business owners battle financial strain, self-doubt and skepticism from their social circles, but those who persevere often see their ventures show promise as they approach the 1,000-day mark. Understanding and accepting this challenging journey is crucial for would-be entrepreneurs, setting realistic expectations and fostering the resilience needed to weather the storms of starting a business. Tropical MBA (6 minutes)

AI’s Irrational Exuberance

Goldman Sachs recently published a report raising concerns about the substantial capital expenditure (capex) flowing into generative artificial intelligence (AI), which is expected to exceed $200 billion this year alone. The report questions whether these investments will yield commensurate returns, citing two primary reasons: 1) Time to Market: The development and widespread deployment of practical applications could take up to a decade. For context, even cloud computing, after 20 years, still only accounts for 25% to 33% of workflows. 2) Nature of Returns: There's uncertainty about whether the benefits will manifest as cost savings and lower prices rather than new revenue streams and increased profits. The report draws a parallel with the airline industry, where groundbreaking technology revolutionized travel but failed to generate significant profits for the sector. Goldman Sachs (16 minutes)

Batteries Keep Getting Cheaper

Battery prices in China have plummeted. Over the last year, the price for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells in China has dropped 51% to an average of $53 per kilowatt-hour. The average global price of these batteries last year was $95/kWh. This price drop is driven by falling raw material costs, manufacturing overcapacity and technological advancements. Lower prices have significant implications for the automotive and power sectors, making electric vehicles (EVs) cheaper than combustion models in many segments and improving the economics of large-scale energy storage. The trend is expected to persist, with pack-level prices for popular battery chemistries falling below $100/kWh, enabling broader EV adoption and accelerating the transition to clean energy. Contrary to previous predictions of scarcity, the battery market is experiencing oversupply, challenging earlier assumptions, and potentially reshaping the global automotive and energy landscapes. Bloomberg (6 minutes)

Timeshielding

Timeshielding is a productivity approach that focuses on protecting blocks of time in your calendar for activities that matter to you, without specific task lists. It emphasizes safeguarding creativity, attention, breaks, body clock preferences, and rest to optimize performance and well-being. This method encourages dedicating unstructured time for creative pursuits, avoiding multitasking, taking regular breaks, aligning work with personal chronotypes and prioritizing adequate sleep. By implementing these fundamental principles, timeshielding aims to help individuals achieve long-term goals while maintaining mental health, even when combined with other productivity techniques. Ness Labs (5 minutes)

Good Enough

Ever wondered if there's a middle ground between slacking off and being a perfectionist? Consider "half-assing it with everything you've got," which involves identifying a specific quality target based on one's true goals and working efficiently to achieve it with minimal wasted effort. Determining when to seek perfection versus when to aim for "good enough" depends on factors such as the task's purpose, available resources, diminishing returns, opportunity costs and the stakes involved. For instance, tasks critical to safety or with long-lasting consequences may require perfection while less crucial tasks can often be completed at a "good enough" level. The key is to consciously choose a quality target based on these factors, allowing for more efficient use of resources across various aspects of life. This balanced approach enables individuals to optimize their efforts, achieving desired outcomes without unnecessary overexertion or underperformance. Minding Our Way (8 minutes)

Should We Work Together?

Hi! I’m Kyle. This newsletter is my passion project. When I’m not writing, I run a law firm that helps startups move fast without breaking things. Most founders want a trusted legal partner, but they hate surprise legal bills. At Westaway, we take care of your startup’s legal needs for a flat, monthly fee so you can control your costs and focus on scaling your business. If you’re interested, let’s jump on a call to see if you’re a good fit for the firm. Click here to schedule a one-on-one call with me.

Founder Fridays

Check out my other email Founder Fridays — a Friday morning briefing helping startup founders and operators scale smarter.

Weekend Wisdom

It's very important that we re-learn the art of resting and relaxing. Not only does it help prevent the onset of many illnesses that develop through chronic tension and worrying; it allows us to clear our minds, focus and find creative solutions to problems. -Thich Nhat Hanh