This Week’s BIG Idea
Developing systems is one of the best things you can do in your personal and professional life. Systems help you automate everything you do and as a consequence, you won’t have to deal with the dreadful paradox of choice. You can develop systems for absolutely everything. Here are some examples of the systems I use regularly:
- Meal-prepping: I dedicate one day to organizing the meals for the rest of the week.
- Investments: at the beginning of each month, I invest a set amount in an index fund.
- Skincare routine: I use a foaming facial cleanser, moisturizing lotion, and sunscreen.
- Uniform: when it comes to clothes, I wear the same items every day.
Having all these rules in place seems strict, but developing systems is liberating. Instead of spending time choosing, you spend time living. A couple of years ago, I felt paralyzed by the prospect of having to choose something. From the clothes I was going to wear to the movies I was going to watch. Having systems helped me automate those processes and I couldn’t be happier.
What I’m Working on
I’ve worked on a homepage redesign to make the site faster and more responsive. On top of that, I just posted a summary of The Gap and the Gain. I liked the book so much that I started reading the author’s next book 10x Is Easier Than 2x.
What I’m Listening to
Best Ghibli Piano: I haven’t been listening to many podcasts lately. Since I’ve been transcribing summaries for the site, I’ve been listening to a live YouTube channel that plays Ghibli music. There’s something meditative and soothing about the soundtrack of Ghibli movies and they make work more pleasant.
What I’m Reading
The Power of One More by Ed Myllet: this book details a framework where you encourage yourself to do one more rep and slowly change your life. Using the “One More” concept, you can improve your relationships, finances, habits, and workouts.
What I’m Watching
A Notebook to Save You from Infinite Scrolling & Boredom by ParkNotes: I detailed my setup in previous articles, but I keep it as simple as possible. This includes having three notebooks: a spiral notebook to summarize books, a lined Moleskine-like to journal, and a dotted Moleskine-like to bullet journal. I have some unused notebooks and often think about turning them into commonplace books that focus on a singular topic. This is exactly what this video from ParkNotes discusses.
This Week’s Quote
“What matters isn’t being applauded when you arrive—for that is common—but being missed when you leave.”
Baltasar Gracián
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