Stuff #114 - pictures of invisible things

Hey from Dublin,

Here is your weekly Stuff that MattR's, carefully curated content that will help make us all smarter and more 'super'.  Thank YOU for joining me in our quest to be ever more curious.  

I'm grateful to everyone that scrolled down to share feedback on the email last week, those votes are useful as I shape what needs to be included in Stuff.

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As always - thanks for being here - it's great to have you join me each week! If you received this from an amazing friend, get your own copy here.

1. Monday Motivation:   Let this week be the one that you incorporate some Microbreaks into your working day.   Science tells us that regular 10-minute breaks can prevent burnout.   Here are ten things you can do on your microbreaks, or you could simply check out a Stuff Mixtape.
2. Your new superpower:  The ultimate productivity hack is saying 'no'.  The fantastic James Clear gives some great advice on why and how you should say 'no' more often.   There is also some great advice on 'How to say No', it's easier than you think, learning to say 'no' is life changing.
3. Essential Reading:  Thursday and Friday were quiet at my office as US colleagues celebrated Thanksgiving.  I could feel the benefit with less meetings, and more time to concentrate, but what would happen if ALL the meetings got cancelled for a week?  One alternative could be to work more asynchronously, what tasks could you shift to async this week?    
4. Take care: Emotions are experienced in different parts of the body.  Here's why that happens, and what you can do to 'put down' your emotional baggage.
5. TWIL:  Wikipedia is the most visited website in 43 countries, but what other sites are on the map?
6. Join me in January? I'm thinking about a January challenge, I'm not sure yet but something on this list feels realistic.  Will you join me? Accountability will help us all.   Hit reply if you have an idea.
7. Cars, Satellites, Birds:  In between the crazy stuff at Twitter, Elon Musk has managed (not personally) to put 3000 satellites in space - which is quite impressive.  I can only think they keep him away from the actual space rockets.
8. Pictures of invisible things:  I really like the vibe here, not everything invisible, cannot be seen.
9. Believe:  Lovely Ted Lasso has been leaving encouraging messages in the hometowns of US Soccer Players who are playing in the World Cup.    If you don't know who Ted is, I encourage you to binge this, even if you don't like football/soccer.
10. Finally:  Guess the Year.  Simple, yet infuriating, idea.  My high score today was 13, can you beat me?

I was drawn to this album because I'm pretty sure it was recorded about a ten-minute walk from where I live.  The idea that one of the houses in a local street could be hiding someone making such beautiful sounds, intrigues me.

Myles O'Reilly is a Dublin based music documentarian, who also makes some mellow electronica.  I featured his previous collaboration with Rónán Ó Snodaigh in a previous Aural Stuff, and it remains a favourite.

His latest album is 'An Ode to Soft Landings', an appropriate title for a collection of gentle and thoughtful music featuring analogue keyboards and very little else.  These are long musical sketches, almost ambient in style, making me think of autumnal evenings and warm spaces.

I've listened to this album on repeat for a few weeks now, and it's a great accompaniment to work and relaxation.