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I'm adding Amazon affiliate links to the books. I want to see if that can generate some money (I don't have ads on this blog).
New posts #
Growth Mindset. I'm getting more and more skeptical about the application of the growth mindset. When I read about it in the popular press or mentioned in a business context, it's like a silver bullet. If something sounds too good to be true, then it most likely is.
Books I've read #
The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer by Steaven Kotler. Let's start with criticism to get it out of the way. The most annoying part was neurochemistry basics. After listening to Andrew Huberman's podcast, I've found them simplistic and distracting. I'm not convinced they are helpful. It seems like sticking some smart-sounding words to make the ideas look more legitimate. I started with skepticism for the idea of grit or * big goals*. Steven Kotler failed to change my mind in general, but I have to admit that his take on them is so much better than what you'll read elsewhere. Most of it is thanks to the book structure. He starts with exploring your curiosity and building your passion. Only after that, he mentions grit. His idea of big goals is also more like vision. He immediately follows up with actionable tasks, which makes sense as well.
Thanks to this book, I've learned about my new favorite Self-determination theory (SDT). Especially learning more about competence in this model was helpful for me.
His take on Purpose is something I've made a short post before. It's coming straight from SDT as well.
I don't want it to get too long, so the last idea is The Five Books of Stupid. It's simple, but the fact that it's a process makes it a handy mental model. Allow yourself to be stupid. Read five books and don't mind things you don't understand. Start with an easy read and slowly move to more ambitious ones.
Overall if you look past some annoyances, there is a lot of good ideas tips.
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance. I thought this would be an easy read for evenings and times when I'm tired, but it turned out to be surprisingly dry and hard to read the book. But, it was worth it. I'm a fan of what Elon Must is doing, but it was helpful to see his flaws as well. To see him more as a person.
Elsewhere on the Web #
Revenge Bedtime Procrastination: The Reason You Were Up Until 2 a.m. Last Night. I had no idea it had a name. It's peculiar as I know it from my personal experience. The article helped me a couple of times to realize that I need to go to sleep, as simples as it may sound.
Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule coupled with Steinbeck's Productive Inactivity.
I've been trying to balance technical and managerial jobs recently, and those two articles (paired with The Art of Impossible) turned out really helpful in giving myself some slack. Trying to do focused tech work in shorts bursts between meetings is hard, and if I want to get serious coding done, I need at least 4 hours of uninterrupted time. Of course, I can bend that rule, but I've learned the hard way that it's not sustainable for me.
Why some developers are avoiding app store headaches by going web-only. When everyone is talking about mobile apps, I think it's valuable to be aware of their drawbacks and alternatives.
Social Cooling. Worth scrolling through.
Until next time,
Krzysztof Kula
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