The Book Basement Bulletin #14
Why positive thinking isn't so positive, how to get your time back, and the key to amazing sleep - On this week's issue
Opening Thoughts
Hello! I hope you’re having a lovely Monday. Today’s newsletter might be a little shorter as I am short on time (ha), but you’ll still get some interesting and helpful pieces of media to make your week a little better, hopefully.
Three Things I Wanted to Share
I finished reading The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. It was a surprisingly good book that stomps on some misguided beliefs surrounding positive thinking and how it can actually be detrimental to cloud your negative experiences and suffering with delusional, fake “good thoughts”. Manson gives fun, random metaphors to illustrate his points (my personal favorite was the so-called “disappointment panda”). If you want to learn about the importance of values, responsibility, confronting yourself, motivation, and the real approach to happiness, you might want to read this book. Behind its “edgy” cover and first pages lies a solid, thought-provoking thesis that today’s gurus like to preach the inverse of.
I learned some amazing time-management advice from the video “How I Organize My Busy Schedule (Student Edition) by Cajun Koi Academy. Starting the video with a good point—that much of the popular time management advice perpetuated by books and YouTube videos isn’t necessarily applicable to students, Koi gives good, well-rounded advice from a reliable source. Do you find yourself scrambling to fit your schedule into feasible time slots? Have you tried multiple time managing strategies only to end up dropping them? Well, then this video will change how you approach your day-to-day lifestyle as a student.
I’ve discovered a new podcast that I’m already loving, it’s called Huberman Lab. They have an episode on key advice for bettering your sleep (arguably the most important aspect of our life seeing as it influences physical, mental, and cognitive aspects of our existence). Since applying just 3 of the many pieces of advice given by the host (a professor at Stanford), I’ve noticed a drastic increase in my attention, my “awakeness” and energy throughout my usually draining day. What used to be a tired, weary sensation in the morning has now turned energetic and aware. Being perhaps the single most helpful podcast episode I have ever listened to, I reckon you too could improve something about the way you approach your sleep.
Quote of the Week
“Resting your brain improves the quality of your deep work. When you work, work hard and when you’re done, be done.”
Cal Newport, Deep Work
How tight of a grip does your work or school life have on you? How many times have you gotten home only to be flooded with anxiety by emails, missed calls from your boss, or a combination of the two? Shutting down is a metaphor for panicking, letting your stress get the best of you; allowing it to empty your mind. However, shutting down can be given a different, more helpful definition. In Deep Work, Cal Newport mentions enforcing a “shut down habit”, meaning, once you come home, or once you finish the day’s assignments, remove any stimulus that might trigger thoughts of work, allowing your brain some cognitive rest. Before “shutting down” make a list of all the tasks you couldn’t finish, and push them to a later date. Studies have found that our unconscious mind is better at problem-solving than we give it credit for. Maybe worrying about how you’re going to bring disappointing news to your superiors, ask your professor about that extension, or pitch your brilliant idea to a coworker is best left to a resting mind. Let go. Remove triggers. After all, you wouldn’t keep running after the marathon is over.
Podcast Highlight
My favorite episode this week: How Betting Against Normality is Favorable
Closing Thoughts
I hope you found this edition helpful in some way. I hope your week is full of amazingness and comfort, as mine was. Have a lovely week!