Friction rules. Boring science is good science. Commoditization of attention. Help! Let's not be grumpy. The aim is power. It's not all small stuff. You're a plagiarism machine.
An imperfect solution that exists outperforms a perfect one that doesn’t.
– Shane Parrish
1. “Probably no way to accidentally eat a beef sandwich”
Managing Life is About Managing Friction – David Cain – (Raptitude)
The concept’s an interesting one. Humanity works to make things easier; to remove friction. Marketing, of course, knows this, and as a result it’s quite possible these days to accidentally eat a Big Mac™, whereas 200 years ago the “friction” in acquiring a beef sandwich ensured it was anything but accidental.
The same applies to our life, and how we structure it.
“Arranging your environment for success” isn’t a new idea, but I think it’s easy to underestimate its role in the outcome. Rather than just a helpful boost, I think it’s more like 80 or 90% of the whole thing.
It’s all about recognizing, and using, friction, or lack thereof, to your benefit.
Do this: Examine your environment, looking for the friction therein. Does that friction help or hinder your goals?
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2. “Science is boring, and boring doesn’t sell”
Why You Should Be More Skeptical the Next Time You Read a Health News Article – Rina Raphael – (Skeptical Inquirer)
While there are several candidates, it seems like nowhere does today’s click-bait, short-attention-span, read-only-headlines optimized content have the potential to do the most damage is when it related to health. Or “wellness”. Or science.
Hype is becoming more common as reporters increasingly regurgitate press releases with barely any skepticism or due diligence.
People don’t realize how vague and dodgy a lot of these headlines can be.
What’s bothersome is that many people still trust the surface layer (particularly if they’re already inclined to agree with it), rather than both diving deeper and questioning the actual reporting. And yes, the actual reporting is more and more often questionable at best.
Do this: Read deeper, question the reporting.
3. “Attention now exists as a commodity in the same way labor did in the early years of industrial capitalism”
You’re Being Alienated From Your Own Attention (gift link) – Chris Hayes – (The Atlantic)
I think we all know that attention has become one of the most valuable commodities there is, particularly online. Social media is built on it. Online commerce relies on it. Political movements exploit it.
And we all seem the worse off for it.
Commerce is a war for attention. Social life is a war for attention. Parenting is a war for attention. And we are all feeling battle weary.
“Battle” and “weary” most definitely ring true.
Do this: This will take proactive action. “We must use every tool and strategy imaginable to wrest back our will.”
4. “Human beings are born willing to ask for help. We’re taught not to.”
How to ask for stuff – Mike Monteiro – (Mike Monteiro’s Good News)
Even though it’s kinda different, as a guy whose day job is answering people’s requests for help, I thought this insight was interesting. Like so many things we have as innocent children, the freedom to ask for help is figuratively (though sometimes literally) beaten out of us as we age. Asking for help is seen as a sign of failure or weakness.
It. Is. Not.
Again, in my world of technology, asking for help is critical. It can be time, work, and even job-saving. But knowing who to ask is important as well — not everyone is “safe”. I suspect this is true for pretty much all aspects of life.
Do this: Ask for help. And be the safe one when others ask.
5. “Don’t be a sour companion for the people in your life”
Feeling Lost and Unmotivated? Read This. – Darius Foroux – (Blog)
The overall article is about exactly what the title indicates: feeling stuck, and advice for constructively moving past it. The takeaway I selected above is one part of that advice.
Show up as someone worth supporting; someone who’s trying, someone who’s honest about their struggles but also willing to do the work.
I’ve commented before on how people are rarely attracted by grumpiness. And when you feel stuck, it’s an easy trap to fall into. It also seems to become more tempting as we age, I fear.
Do this: Become someone people want to be around.
6. “The primary goal is always the same: to feel powerful”
Algorithms and Nutmeg the Kitten – Hank Green – (We’re Here)
The full quote from the introduction to the newsletter:
The secondary intent of bullying might be to cause pain or affect some other outcome, but the primary goal is always the same: to feel powerful. If you get a lot of energy from feeling powerful, and cruelty has delivered that sensation for you reliably in the past, you will come back to it over, and over, and over again.
I was bullied in grade school, and of course it’s impacted my life. More interestingly, though, is that I think we’re in a period where bullying is becoming more acceptable in some circles, likely for the very reason Green points out: the bullies want to feel powerful.
It’s just sad that this is the approach they choose, and, as I said, it’s sad that it’s the approach becoming more socially acceptable.
Do this: Don’t be a bully. There are better ways to cope.
7. “The people you meet are all here to teach you something”
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and It’s All Small Stuff – Richard Carlson – (ebook)
I’ve been reading this 25 year old classic off and on of late, and I gotta say – I’m not sure it’s aged well. Or perhaps the times we’re living in make it easy to think the suggestions are unrealistic at times.
Consider: It’s most definitely not “all small stuff” right now. When the question is “will it matter in a year, a decade, a century”, the answer for much of what we’re experiencing right now is a resounding yes, yes, and yes. That’s not small stuff. The trick, of course, is identifying what truly is “small stuff”, and obsessing less over it.
That’s not to say there aren’t nuggets to be had. For example, while I don’t believe in specific intent, “the people you meet are all here to teach you something” is actually a useful framework. Even for those folks you absolutely despise, there’s very likely something to be learned; about yourself, or about life in general. It can help make putting up with them ever so slightly more palatable.
Do this: Work to identify the small stuff. Focus on what really matters instead.
8. “The difference is scale”
If AI Is Plagiarism, then We Are All Plagiarists – Leo Notenboom – (Ask Leo! YouTube)
In this experimental video I sit down and talk about one aspect of common complaints about AI that just doesn’t sit right.
We learn, we consume information. We then synthesize that information and use it in different ways to create more information, to accomplish tasks, to do whatever it is we want to do with that information. Like I said, I don’t see AI as being really any different. AI’s consume information, they process information, and then they produce information in response to the prompts and questions that we ask it to. That’s not plagiarism. That’s learning. That’s how humans have learned since the dawn of time. The difference, of course, is scale.
I know not everyone will agree. I hope, however, that everyone will think.
Do this: Remember that AI is just a tool.
What I’m reading now
- A Little History of Philosophy – Nigel Warburton
- Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and It’s All Small Stuff – Richard Carlson
- Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life (Audio)
My Reading List – everything I’ve read since 2021.
My Sources Page – the common sources I scan/read regularly.
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-Leo
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