Maker Mind

Good stress.

Hi friends!

This week is a bit of a special edition. Instead of relying on idea sex to generate topics to write about, I asked GPT-3 to come up with the titles of all the articles.

GTP-3 is the most powerful AI language model ever released to the public. For this experiment, it was fed all the articles in the mindful productivity category of Ness Labs.

I will let you be the judge: did the topics GPT-3 come up with sound interesting to you?

My favourite one is about eustress—which literally means “good stress”—and how we can trigger that positive feeling by seeking motivating challenges.

We'll also discuss the relationship between pressure and procrastination, as well as our (sometimes unhealthy) obsession with tracking everything.

Oh, and don't forget to fill the feedback form if you haven't done it already. Thanks so much to everyone who already did it!

Enjoy the read, and hit reply if you have any questions, feedback, or want to say hello!

Brain food

The two sides of stress: distress and eustress (4 min)
One common misconception about stress is that it should be minimised at all cost—that stress is bad. But stress is just your body response to external challenges. It can be detrimental (distress) or beneficial (eustress).

The only numbers that matter (5 min)
The quantified self movement sees thousands of users track their personal data in order to improve their physical or mental wellness. The question is: what are the numbers that really matter?

Pressure and procrastination (3 min)
“I work best under pressure” is a common statement in high-pressure work environments. But is it true we work better under pressure, or do we just work faster? Can certain types of pressure be beneficial to fight procrastination and improve performance?

Brain candy

The pulsar chart that became an icon (Twitter)
“50 years ago this month, Harold Craft published an intriguing series of pulsar charts in his Ph.D. dissertation. One of them became an icon.”

Mapping 24 emotions conveyed by brief human vocalization (Interactive Map)
“We visualize the complex, high-dimensional space of emotion conveyed by brief human vocalization within an online interactive map.” (open on desktop)

Mindfulness: a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world (SoundCloud)
“A set of simple yet powerful practices that can be incorporated into daily life to help break the cycle of unhappiness, stress, and anxiety.”

Brain trust

A sneak peek into the members area. Becoming a member is a great way to support the newsletter, and to expand your mind!

• Work Cycle. Starting today and for at least the next seven weeks, Lukas running virtual co-working sessions for members. Come get your productivity boost!
• Curiosity. Our next meetup will be all about understanding the origins of curiosity, and how it can be cultivated in children and adults alike.
• Writing Cycle. Come join a writing session twice a week to make progress on your creative work and stick to your content goals.
• Community. Currently discussing perfectionishm, using Roam as a daily task manager, taking notes on PDF articles, and how to feel complete. Join the conversation.
• Mind Match. Fill this form to get matched with a fellow member for a virtual coffee chat.

Brain waves

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Who do you know who should also be part of the Ness Labs community? Refer them using your unique link (below) and you'll get the Mindful Productivity Bundle (normally $7.99) when just 2 people sign up!

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