Secure Document SharingSecure Document Sharing

3 Things: Reading History, Writing Email, and Getting Things Done

November 20, 2018 in Behavior/Psychology, Mindful living, Technology by
PDF 📄

We are trapped in the “Never-Ending Now,” consuming only social media content created within the last 24 hours

1.  The Never-Ending Now (David Perell, 11/13/2018)

“You are what you consume. End of story. Here’s Tim Wu writing in The Attention Merchants:

‘Any and all information that one consumes—pays attention to—will have some influence… As William James observed, we must reflect that, when we reach the end of our days, our life experience will equal what we have paid attention to, whether by choice or default. We are at risk, without quite fully realizing it, of living lives that are less our own than we imagine.’”

“Crucially, the people I admire most live outside the Never-Ending Now. Two examples:

  1. When I interviewed Morgan Housel, he advised reading more history and less news.

  2. During a recent lunch with a successful investor, he spoke exclusively about American history and the cyclicality of markets”.

Additional Reading: How This All Happened (or PDF version) (Morgan Housel, 11/14/2018)

A short story about what happened to the U.S. economy since the end of WWII.

Additional Reading: For the first time, researchers say Facebook can cause depression (Brett Arends, 11/18/2018)

“A new study conducted by psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania has shown — for the first time — a causal link between time spent on social media and depression and loneliness, the researchers said.”

Crafting the Perfect Email

2. How to Write the Perfect Email, According to Experts (Time, Rachel E. Greenspan, 11/1/2018)

Tips include:

  • When in doubt, follow the formal rules of correspondence.
  • The first sentence of your email should clearly state its purpose.
  • State clear deadlines in your emails.

The Little Handbook for Getting Stuff Done

 3. The Little Handbook for Getting Stuff Done (Zen Habits, Leo Babauta)

“This is the guide for you. First, we’ll look at the stuff that gets in the way. Then the skills you need to get good at to Get Stuff Done. Then how to get good at Getting Stuff Done.”

Tips include:

  • Pick one important thing, then start.
  • Try focus sessions (also called the Pomodoro technique).
  • Striving for perfectionism can get in the way.

Bonus if you’re still reading this post

nowSAGE Serendipity: Move over Macy balloons, there’s a new duck in town. Have you heard about NYC Central Park’s Mandarin duck? He arrived in October, and people have been lining up to see him.  He is a beauty.  Thecut.com has a nice video of him swimming in the snow.

 

Sheri Iannetta Cupo, CFP®, Founding Partner (Retired) & Director
[email protected]

SAGEbroadview Wealth Management is a Fee Only firm offering ongoing financial planning and portfolio management, with tax planning woven carefully throughout our services. We work virtually across the country, with offices in Farmington, CT, Morristown, NJ, and Burlington, MA.