Dopamine / Longer Weekend hack / Lifetime bag
Dopamine streaks
Dopamine is the motivation driver. All actions, even procrastination, consume dopamine, very much like a currency. More dopamine, more action tokens. When the tank is empty, it’s depression time. But here’s the interesting part:
Meaning: if you voluntarily put yourself through some amount of pain, your dopamine baseline resets itself at a higher level than before the pain. With this in mind, you can plan to afford some pain to sustain “happy times” throughout the day. Huberman calls it creating a “Summer in your body”. It’s like a healthy flywheel to push yourself further. I’ve been trying ice baths with my wife and even if they’re scary, we always come out in a better mood. Dopamine levels reach at an all-day high, and we can “consume” our dopamine safely until night comes.
AI 101
Here’s a well synthesised state of AI to share with your parents or anyone who has no idea what we can do with AI right now. From generating images or music from a simple prompt to potential benefits (or threats) to mankind, John Oliver does a great job of making it informative and entertaining. Catch up before it’s too late…
Progressive overload
Progressive overload in strength training is about slowly loading up a barbell with slightly more weight than you can lift, in every session. I started thinking about which areas I could apply this to. It works very well for push-ups if you add one additional rep every day. I went from 30 reps in one set to 60 after a month. It’s all about consistency and compounding power. Let me know in the comments if you have ideas, beyond fitness especially.
Life-changing habit
I’ve always liked the idea of serendipity without time constraints during the weekends. Until my wife begged me to pardon her. Pencil planning the weekends, really, is a game changer. I was reluctant to begin with but the following trick has brought a sense of achievement and satisfaction I did not expect. Having a skeleton plan of things to come, or little moments we’d like to experience with family and friends, is mind-bending, simple sorcery.
Here’s the Suki Protocol:
You’ll need paper, pencil, scissors, tape. (I like to keep it DIY)
During your morning coffee on Saturday, we all write down ours wants and goals for the weekend side-by-side and cut them into labels.
Draw two columns for Saturday and Sunday.
Plot the labels in the order you want to achieve them.
When everyone’s happy with the plan, secure the labels with tape.
Have a look every now and then.
This habits creates an invisible thread that puts the family into action. You’ll be surprised how much you can do in two days.
A Bag for life
The other day my wife and I were chatting about what item we would save from the house if it burnt down.
My wife chose a painting. Our 3-year old went for her soft octopus toy (obviously). I called my backpack. I’ve always been fascinated by this accessory but rarely have I been convinced by any specific design. Exception made for this one-of-a-kind leather treasure which a wandering man dropped in front of me, on floor of ranch in the middle of nowhere, Utah. It’s too bad I didn’t take a picture of him but believe you me when I say the man it belonged to matched his apparel. When I asked him where he lived, he just replied “outside”. Zoom in to find out just how much craft was put into it. The leather was thick and heavy.
Anyhow, for lack of a better alternative as I did not fancy myself a leather artisan, I went for the Rover by Topo Designs. It’s just the right size for any scenario, not a single unused pocket, light and snug, and extendable upwards space if need be. I consider it a ‘Lindy’ item (a concept by Nassim Taleb), which gets better with time, just like wine.