3 MINUTE MONDAYHi friend, Struggling to focus? Try my productivity drink Neutonic with free next day delivery in the UK & USA. Charles Darwin was unsure whether he should get married so he made a list. The document has two columns, one labeled Marry, one labeled Not Marry, and above them, circled, are the words “This is the Question.” On the pro-marriage side of the equation were “Children—(if it Please God)—Constant companion, (&friend in old age) who will feel interested in one,—object to be beloved & played with.” After reflection of unknown length, he modified the foregoing sentence with “better than a dog anyhow.” He continued: “Home, & someone to take care of house—Charms of music & female chitchat—These things good for one’s health.—but terrible loss of time.” Without warning, Darwin had, from the pro-marriage column, swerved uncontrollably into a major anti-marriage factor, so major that he underlined it. This issue—the infringement of marriage on his time, especially his work time—was addressed at greater length in the appropriate, Not Marry column. Not marrying, he wrote, would preserve “Freedom to go where one like—choice of Society & little of it.—Conversation of clever men at clubs—not forced to visit relatives, & to bend in every trifle—to have the expense & anxiety of children—Perhaps quarreling—Loss of time.—cannot read in the Evening—fatness & idleness—Anxiety & responsibility—less money for books &—if many children forced to gain one’s bread.” Even experts in mating and evolution struggle with big decisions. — h/t Russ Roberts MODERN WISDOMI do a podcast where I pretend to have a British accent. You should subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This week’s upcoming episodes: Monday. Thursday. Saturday. THINGS I'VE LEARNED1. “The problem with giving men advice like “don’t be pushy” is that the men who really need to hear it won’t listen, and the men who’d benefit from being more assertive will take it straight to heart.” — @ellegist 2. “A useful thing Twitter taught me is that rude people are almost always stupid. In virtually every case, when someone viciously insults me for something I said, they also misunderstood what I said. This makes sense, because rudeness and stupidity share a root cause: carelessness.” — Gurwinder Bhogal 3. “The only real test of intelligence is if you get what you want out of life.” — Naval LIFE HACKCall your mum. You know you probably need to do it. She’ll appreciate it and so will you. Big love, Share this article with your friends here. PS |
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3 MINUTE MONDAY Hi friend, One of the best questions to ask yourself when faced with a decision is “what would you tomorrow want you today to do?” This has been something I’ve relied on for years to help give me perspective and make better choices. It rips you out of the moment. It stops you from relying so heavily on the confused chemical signals coming from your body and instead gives you a bit more distance. It depersonalises the decision and helps you to treat yourself like a friend...
3 MINUTE MONDAY Hi friend, I got nominated for a Webby Award! Let's annihilate the voting please. It takes less than 30 seconds, thank you so much 💜 “Fuck-you money” is a meme but it’s also a truth. There is an amount of wealth you can achieve when typical restrictions and conventions no longer apply to you. You don’t need to suck up to the gatekeepers. You don’t need to do things you don’t want to do. In extreme situations you don’t even need to follow the law. Similarly, “fuck-you freedom”...
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