Unwired Ideas from a Ryanair flight
Yes, I know. Another list. Probably this will be the last one for a while.
Yesterday, I was on a flight back to Spain and was reading Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. So, in this edition, I’m probably very influenced by him.
- We are better at facing problems that we have experienced very personally. There is no better way to understand a difficulty than to have lived it firsthand. The understanding you feel at that moment is complete with the other person who is going through the same thing as you, even if you experience it differently.
- Always approach positive situations with your reason; analyze them carefully. Conversely, approach negative circumstances with your gut. This is how we are naturally wired. Auren Hoffman said:
Never trust your gut when deciding to do something (like join a startup or get married)–make decisions to affirmatively do something with strict data analysis. But always trust your gut when it tells you not to do something. If your gut tells you to not work at a particular company (or to stop dating someone), trust it implicitly, because your gut is much better at saving your life than it is at figuring out upside opportunities. Essentially, your gut is very good at making sure you don’t get eaten by lions.
- We all deserve the opportunity to try again and again. We all have the duty to try at least once.
- Get bored more often. Think more. Reflect more. Relax more.
- Understanding that life is just a journey without any goal is perhaps the most terrifying thing we can hear. But at the same time, it may be the most liberating.
- Be grateful with your full attention for every second someone dedicates to you. We don’t know when it will be the last.
- Stop looking at your damn phone when you’re with someone. It’s impolite, and you’re basically telling the person that the latest notification you received matters more to you than what they are telling you.
- Stress in small amounts helps us perform better. We’ve all worked wonders the night before submitting a school assignment. Stress in larger amounts creates a less intelligent, more tired society, and therefore, a more manipulable one.
- Working more hours makes you less productive. The countries that work the most hours are the least productive. Enjoying life more and working fewer hours makes you better at your job. This has been proven, even if your boss doesn’t like it.
- Work in short but intense sprints. Messi wasn’t the best because he played 90 minutes at full. Messi was the best because he could give his team victory in 10 minutes.
- Sleep is the starting point. Everything else works better when you sleep well. Everything goes wrong when you’re sleep-deprived. Protect it with everything.
In past editions I talked to you about Sunbathe, the app I was working on with Julia. After a while, the first version is ready. If you don’t remember, it’s a single-purpose application that aims to help you become more aware of vitamin D by showing you the optimal times to get your dose of vitamin D in your location.
The application can be purchased for a one-time fee of $3.99 for both iOS and Android. We have several ideas for this app, and over the months, we will be developing new features. No rush, but no pause.