The Friday Five: How to Negotiate, a Crisis of Availability, & More
Episode XXXVII
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Today at a Glance:
Quote: Thoreau on goal achievement.
Tweet: Ana Fabrega on how to negotiate.
Article: The crisis of availability.
Podcast: The stoic life with Ryan Holiday.
Bonus: Albert Einstein’s elegant explanation.
One Quote:
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” — Henry David Thoreau
It’s about the process, not the prize.
Take pride in the process.
One Tweet:
This thread was so good. As an expecting father (wish me luck!) and someone who negotiates for a living at times, I found the strategies and tactics to be very insightful—especially mirroring.
Worth a quick read on the weekend. I also bought the book mentioned at the end so that I could go deeper.
One Article:
What If We Just Stopped Being So Available?
Very interesting (and short!) article from The Atlantic on the crisis of availability—the idea that new technologies and social pressures have made us all constantly available in a way that is very unhealthy for our mental state.
It’s not easy, but I’d encourage everyone to fight back against constant availability on the edges. This might mean leaving a few emails unread until your designated email processing window, not replying to texts until the evenings, or just leaving your phone behind on a daily walk.
I’ve started trying to do it, and while it’s hard, it has definitely improved my mental health.
One Podcast:
Ryan Holiday: A Stoic Life (The Knowledge Project)
I have a copy of The Daily Stoic—one of Ryan’s wonderful books—on my desk. I try to make a habit out of reading one each day. I find it grounds me. I’d love to undertake it as a practice more deliberately this year if anyone is interested.
This podcast was a wonderful listen for going deeper on these topics. Stoicism has so much to offer in this crazy, connected world (see the article above!).
Give this podcast a listen and find your own ways to breathe and balance.
Listen to it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
One Bonus:
It’s striking to hear Albert Einstein explain something so powerful with such elegance.
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” - Albert Einstein
He lived before Richard Feynman (with some overlap), but I’m certain he would have been a fan of The Feynman Technique!
Where It Happens Podcast
Memes Rule the World with Dogecoin Creator Billy Markus
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"It’s striking to hear Albert Einstein explain something so powerful with such elegance."
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
"Out of clutter, find simplicity."
"God always takes the simplest way."
—Albert Einstein
This problem-solving principle is known as the “law of parsimony” or Occam’s razor: the simplest explanation is usually the best one because it is likely more testable and therefore more verifiable. An adage that demonstrates this was developed by the U.S. Navy in 1960, KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Avoid unnecessary complexity. From:
KISS For Health, Wealth, and Happiness
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/kiss-for-health-wealth-and-happiness
Synthesis (Ana's company) is awesome. Highly recommend for all kids 7-14, far superior to the traditional education system which is falling apart.