3 MINUTE MONDAY

Hi friend,

The Modern Wisdom Reading List Vol. 2.

It’s happening. I finally finished it.

This one took me so much time to put together, I really hope you like it.

Goes live to the public this Wednesday 2nd July.

You guys will get access before anyone else though, just check your email inbox this Tuesday 💜

Anyway, here’s 6 rules about productivity:

1. Your life does not need to be easier. It needs to be simpler.

Your system is designed to handle stress and challenge but not complication.

You probably handle hard things pretty well but feel overwhelmed when they become messy.

Do not attribute to difficulty that which can be explained by complexity.

2. There is no such thing as being overworked, only under rested.

You can deal with pretty much anything if you get a good night’s sleep, good food and sufficient movement.

Taking your Rest Ethic more seriously as your Work Ethic is a hack to enjoy life more and get stuff done as a side effect.

3. You can have anything you want but not everything you want.

All the gains accrue to the highest performers in any pursuit.

Focus your efforts on escaping the messy middle where most competition is, then once you’ve burst out the top, put your foot on the gas even more.

Passion projects on the side are often a distraction from what you should be focussed on doing: less, but better.

4. You can’t white knuckle creativity.

All my best ideas come during workouts, meditation sessions (annoyingly), long walks, when listening to music and over dinner with friends.

They never arrive when I’m sat at my desk force-feeding myself into “being creative”.

Creativity is like kind of like getting an erection; the more you try to force it, the less likely it is to happen.

5. A lack of confidence killed more dreams than a lack of competence ever did.

You don’t need more talent, you need more self-belief.

“There is a guy out there with half your talent but 10x your self-belief making 5x the money.” — George Mack

6. 90% of procrastination is due to one of two issues.

First “I don’t know what to do”.

^ Break the big project into smaller chunks and define the next physical action.

Second “I know what to do but I don’t know how to do it.”

^ ChatGPT, go to your boss, Google search, ask colleagues.

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MODERN WISDOM

I do a podcast where I pretend to have a British accent.
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This week’s upcoming episodes:

Monday.
Mark Manson - straight fire from one of my favourite thinkers. Thoughts on hustle culture, confidence, dating, self-belief, creativity and more. Don’t miss this one. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Thursday.
Lyman Stone - one of the best demographics researchers on some unseen trends that are driving birth rate decline. How did K Pop ruin South Korea? What’s happening with city design that impacts family life?

Saturday.
John Lisle - a deep dive into the CIA’s MK Ultra mind control project. LSD-fuelled suicides, psychosis, crazy psychological experiments. Unseen details into the most famous attempt to take over human nature.

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THINGS I'VE LEARNED

1.
​Men are 4x more likely to be a millionaire than have a 6 pack.

% of US men with a visible six-pack: ~2.5%

% of US men who are millionaires: ~12%

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2.
​Who runs the world?

A new study from the Institute for Family Studies showed a reversal in typical gender-contributions to household income.

If you’re in the bottom 40% of men earnings-wise, and you are married, your wife is probably the primary breadwinner.

Also if you’re in the top 20% of women earnings-wise, and you are married, your man likely makes a little less than you. — h/t Macken Murphy

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3.
​Your negative inner voice is easy to banish.

“I walk somewhere, I run someplace, I lift something heavy, I eat something healthy, I read something good, I write something down, and only then do I take my bad mood seriously.” — DylanO

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LIFE HACK

A new summer slammer.

My favourite one from Zack yet.

​Absolute belter of a track.​
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Big love,
Chris x

Try my productivity drink Neutonic.
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PS
Happy treason day this Friday, ungrateful colonials. Come see me in your city.​