Actionable Wisdom Newsletter Feb 12-16/2024
So you can spend more time implementing wisdom, not collecting it.
Andrew Hubermann Podcast
Episode - How to Improve Oral Health & Its Critical Role in Brain & Body Health
Takeaway #1 - Oral/Dental health is the most overlooked underlying reason for short term and long term mental and physical health.
T#2 - Biggest thing to focus on is the re-mineralisation of your teeth. This is done by keeping the mouth in the correct PH state. Chew Xylitol gum after eating or rinse mouth with salt water. Dont eat or drink for 3-4 hours in the afternoon as the saliva produced during that time helps mineralize the teeth naturally.
T#3 - Not To do list : Alcohol (more than 2 drinks/week), stimulants, smoking including vaping and cannabis, mouth breathing.. All these disturb the oral micro-biome and cause demineralization..
Use soft toothbrush and brush gently. Brush the gums as well. Most important time to brush teeth is at night.
Xylitol gums or mints after eating is great as it kills harmful bacteria. Alcohol based mouthwashes are not good as a general rule unless prescribed.
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Tim Ferriss Show
Life Lessons from Taylor Swift, Conquering Anxiety, Coaching Teens, Career Reinvention, Supposedly Gay Bulls, Your Shadow Side, and More — Soman Chainani (#720)
Takeaway #1 - Dont ignore your deep intuitions and convictions. Get curious. Why do you feel so strongly about it. Start digging for the ‘gold’ that’s underneath.
Takeaway #2 - There is a cost for doing work that is not authentic to you. Doing things just for money isn’t always the best idea.
Takeaway #3 - Pause and try your best to project the worst case scenario proactively. This will help you prepare better for the future. For instance, Save more than projected for future or Buy the insurance. Prepare for the future with a pessimistic view of future outcomes. Your bull might be gay is a funny story that elicits this point- worth a listen.
Christopher Marley - an artist worth checking out. His work is AMAZING!
Takeaway #4 - One of the biggest moderns risks is being shaped by the algorithms in the form of TikTok or FB. It’s ruining the teenagers. So, if you have teenagers or anyone, including yourself, who is glued to their screen. Intervene and redirect.
Takeaway #5 - Ketamine can be a life altering form of therapy, IF, done under supervision of a qualified professional. It outs the brain in a very relaxed state, can create flow state and other cognitive and behavioral enhancements. Study Dr. John Krystal of Yale and Andrew Huberman if this is of interest.
Takeaway #6 - The shadow version of you, the double, is perhaps more capable that you imagine. Turning off the conscious mind in certain situations and letting the sub—conscious, the deep shadow self, take over can be beneficial. Study Internal Family Systems (IFS) can be utilised also. IFS was developed by Richard C. Schwartz in the 1980s. It combines systems thinking with the view that the mind is made up of relatively discrete subpersonalities, each with its own unique viewpoint and qualities.
Takeaway #7 - NFL Quarterbacks can serve as a metaphor for how we must act in life. We must be adept and know all the available plays - be skillful. Then life much like the coach in NFL, calls the play and its QB’s job to access and execute. Not overthink but stay calm and execute. “These guys are learning to not be — they don’t call the play, but they’re the executing guys.” And I just think that’s life. Let the plays come to you. Let them come through your invisible headset. Don’t question it. You can’t talk back to it. Just take the play, and then execute.
Book recommendations - Secret History by Donna Tartt, A Little Life by Hanya, Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney.
Cross color dating - Look for someone with opposite nature. If you are etherial and creative then look for someone who’s more pragmatic and grounded.
Tim Ferriss Show
Master Negotiator William Ury — Proven Strategies and Amazing Stories from Warren Buffett, Nelson Mandela, Kim Jong Un, Hugo Chávez, and More (#721)
Successful negotiation is about persuasive listening and silence. It begins and ends with asking ‘what do you REALLY want, what is the true (often hidden) interest. It’s often not what seems to be the want or ask.
Cheapest concession you can make is show respect
No mater what happens, remain in control of your reactions.
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Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal
Episode - 7 unconventional insights to level up your productivity
#1 - Productivity is about reducing or minimizing waste.
#2 - Productivity is self-care. Making plans and cancelling them last minute provides dopamine effect which can make being uncommitted sexy.
#3 - Slow productivity. Plan to work on no more than 2 or 3 things. Focus on quality and efficiency.
#4 - Bullet journaling method - capture key events, tasks and notes. Events are things you should work on. Tasks are what exactly needs to be done for that event to be successful/be completed. Notes are related thoughts, emotions etc.
#5 - that someday is today. Someday you will be organized. No, that day is today. Want to be a writer. Don’t look for ideal conditions. Soldiers in WW1 were scribbling their thoughts in tiny notebooks while being stuck in trenches, wearing gas masks in the midst of shrapnel flying everywhere.
#6 - Feeling good = more creativity. Stress around being productive and trying to do too many things is a recipe for burn out not success. Refine your focus and look for ‘feel good productivity’.
Make your job instantly more enjoyable -
Choose I choose to do it over I have to do it mindset. Find out a few things you do like about your job and try being grateful for them. If nothing else, simply taking ownership of your situation will bring some ease and give you a sense of power and control which is related to feeling more positive about a circumstance.
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Getting Things Done (GTD) with David Allen
Episode 244 - Ah, smell the roses.
Takeaway #1 - Things often take longer than expected. Late and overdue is the norm. Prepare accordingly.
Takeaway #2 - We have to endure to accomplish things.
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Beyond To-Do List, with Erik Fisher
Episode - Dr. Charan Ranganath on the myths surrounding memory and the power of remembering better, not more.
T#1 - Our lives are largely dictated by the stories we tell ourselves and our interpretations of situations. These interpretations are stored in our memory. This makes memory a critical component in us living happier lives as if we can alter our memories, it will at least in theory alter the connotations related to a specific circumstance (eps if the interpretation is negative).
T#2 - Sleep and diet (managing blood sugar) is critical for brain health. “Sleep turns your memory into wisdom.”
T#3 - Testing your brain for memory makes it stronger. “if you feel like you are struggling, that can be good as it means you are learning.”
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The Productivity Show (Asian Efficiency)
Episode - Health & Productivity with Bert Massey
#1 - Workouts should be 30 mins and based around functional movements. Balance between tension and chaos (flexibility).
#2 - Do small movements (5 push ups) every hour or so. Good for minimizing injury and living a longer healthier life.
#3 - Keys to aging gracefully - Take care of your feet (be barefoot or use barefoot shoes),
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The Greg McKeown Podcast with Greg McKeown (Creator of Essentialism)
Episode - 272 The invisible power to choose to choose.
T#1 - Wish to be happier, powerful and in control? Master the space between stimulus and response. Choose intentionally in this space.
T#2 - Write a choice journal. Capture how many times you chose, intentionally, to make decisions that enhanced that situation. This is a step towards taking back control and not being controlled by dings and beeps on your phone.
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Simon Sinek: A Bit of Optimism:
Episode - How to be a friend with chef Christina Tosi
Takeaway #1- Call your loved ones regularly. Don’t wait for ‘bad or challenging’ times to arrive.
“There's an insight here that is really important. Most of us and we're all guilty of this present company included right, most of us offer to support our friends when we see that they are hurting or in pain, which is like calling to buy insurance while the house is on fire. And the insight is that we ignore the possibility of hard or bad times with ourselves or the people we love. We ignore them in the good times, because why would we. It's like when the stock market is rallying, nobody thinks about it crashing. And the one thing we did, probably by accident, in the high times and the celebrations and the high file vibes, we were present enough to say, hey, isn't this amazing? But remember when this feeling goes away, we have to be there for each other. In other words, we bought the insurance early. You knew you had a policy.”
Civility is a workout regime for our morals. Want to be more truthful, start with being nice and civil.
Porch vs. Patio = Porch is welcoming .. Patio is confined. To extend humanity to stranger, sit in your porch and practice civility to passerby.
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Deep Life with Cal Newport
Episode - 287 - Minimalist Notes:
Takeaway #1 - Assimilate information using simple systems such as note taking. Complexity adds friction.
Corner marking method for note taking whilst reading books. Mark the corner of the page with important information. Then underline the lines that are important or mark them somehow. That’s it. Next time you’re reading that book, the corner pages will prompt you to the important information. reMarkable is a good digital option.
Takeaway #2 - Gloria Mark’s “4 myths of attention span”. Myth 1 - you don’t have to always be focused. Myth #2 - Time spent of mindless activities is always wasteful. They are only wasteful if they are keeping you from doing important things. Myth #3- Notifications aren’t the real problem. It’s our desire to be wanted. If there were no notifications, we could still be checking our inbox because we seek collaboration for example. Intentional discipline is the cure. Create curated actions. Myth #4 - Flow state isn’t the be all or end all. Especially, while creating new behaviors, things are hard, furthest away from flow state. Doing the hard work is what creates the possibility for flow state to exist.
Takeaway #3 - Slow productivity may not sound sexy or trendy but provides the much needed calm and flow for being truly productive. Life isn’t all about a check list. It’s about finding the right pace and balance.
Hope you found this useful. Please share your feedback if there is anything we can do better.
Much Love
PM