Hey from Dublin, I'm Matt!
My goal is to help you get the best out of yourself. Each week, I seek out great content to support our personal growth. I’ll couple that with some links that I know you’ll find interesting AND a musical recommendation.
Elsewhere, you can find my daily notes here, and I’m posting on Threads as well.
Thanks for joining me - now, onto the list!
Monday Motivation. Let this week be the one where you get more done, by focusing on one task at a time and using a tomato timer to power through. I’ve been trying this out recently, and I like the way it works.
Speed. What is the clock speed of your company? Are you keeping up with it? Knowing the pace that you and your company operate at is an important piece of insight.
Tasks. I love this approach to building a more realistic to-do list that will reduce your stress. The idea of capturing dependencies is a basic tenet of project management, why not use it in your task planning?
Time. The cognitive biases that sabotage our productivity are powerful. ‘Know thine enemy’ is a great tactic, this list will help you name your nemesis and get ahead of the bias.
Solitude. The one hour each week that will 100% change your life. The practice of solitude, of spending time alone with our thoughts without distractions, is a powerful tool for mental health and personal growth. If an hour sounds daunting, start with 10 or 20 minutes and work up from there.
Journal. I love this reflective approach to journaling, the plus-minus-next template that quickly help you identify success and opportunities. Remember - I have a massive list of journal prompts that can help your daily reflection practice - and my 30 day journaling challenge can help you get started.
Spring. The vernal equinox has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, and that means that (technically) Spring has arrived. Here’s what that actually means in practice. If you are moving in the other direction, I hope you can look forward to getting more hygge.
Dune. Hans Zimmer and a very talented group of musicians perform the soundtrack live. I saw this movie last weekend, and the soundtrack is astonishing.
AI. Ten AI terms that everyone should know. This is an excellent guide to the basics that will get you up to speed. Bonus - here’s why you should be playing with AI at work, and how to get started.
Stories. A library of history’s best short stories. Completely free for reading and downloading, a huge trove from the best authors. Some of these are brilliant, like this 11 minute sci-fi story from Kurt Vonnegut. This site is now bookmarked on my phone and iPad for free reads.
Chicken. Everything you ever needed to know about KFC. Apart from the secret recipe (you can fake that here). Written by the great Colonel and including a song about ‘dem sides’.
Finally. Othello - beautifully executed, simple web game. Works great on the phone as well, ideal for commutes!
🔈 Stuff to Listen to...
🎧 This week's aural treat is something from me, a new DJ mix with an hour of disco-influenced house music to get you moving.
Every couple of months I grab a pile of the latest dance music that interests me, and do an old-fashioned DJ mix. I've never really mentioned them on the newsletter, but why not!
This is the latest in the series, and I've been enjoying a bunch of disco-tinged tunes that have a lovely swing to them.
Click the link, tap the button and I've got you covered for dancing this week!
Stuff someone said.
My partner uses a laptop and a phone for her work, but when she's finished the work, she gets up and walks away from them, because why would you keep staring at a screen when nobody's paying you to do so?
Oliver Burkemann
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