Learn From My Mistakes

Short story of how I break life chaos into small, solvable problems - 2 min read.

Have you ever woken up in a perfectly good mood, then accidentally open Slack or Outlook and ruin it for the day with an avalanche of tasks - and no clue where to start?

Same.

Well, not exactly the same. I’ve made peace with the fact that life is a battle, and we’re not getting out of it unscathed.

Because the alternative is worse.

Perspective is the key!

I’ve always been sincerely amused by the “burned out” white-collar workers who hate their climate-controlled jobs.

Compared to the blue-collar grind - physically and mentally draining labor, often in freezing winters or blazing summers, for a fraction of the pay - that hated desk job starts looking pretty magical.

The conclusion is simple: it's not about being happier - it's about feeling happier.

And that feeling? It naturally degrades over time (Think: an escalator going down when you're trying to go up).

Welcome to the world of mental entropy.

But here’s an elegant solution:

We keep chasing big life upgrades, when most of the time, all we need is a tiny daily boost.

• Doesn’t require willpower

• Takes under 5 minutes

• Actually works

I’m not here to teach. Just to brag share.

Here are my micro-boosts:

The “First Sip Pause”

My mornings start with green tea. Instead of chugging it while doomscrolling, I take the first sip in silence. No phone. Just taste.

It sounds dumb. It’s not.

Later in the day, I repeat the same ritual with coffee.

Power-Song

I’ve got a playlist of energizers. Different styles. All bangers.

One of my go-tos: Smells Like Teen Spirit – Rockin’1000 on YouTube.

Thousands of strangers rocking out together. Pure joy. Humans are awesome.

20 Quick Push-Ups

Started with 10. Now I’m pretending to impress someone.

It gets the heart beating, blood flowing, oxygen pumping. Instant refresh.

“Just Sit” Standoff

No phone. No book. Just me, a chair, and the existential dread.

Three minutes. Timer on.

It’s meditation for people who hate meditation (hi).

Also, decent training for awkward Zoom meetings.

Gratitude, But Stupidly Specific

Not “my family” or “my health.”

Try:

• “That guy who honked at me in traffic (I needed it).”

• “The microwave that always beeps like it means it.”

• Or after 21 hours of internet outage: “The invisible bits of info flying around my house again.”

What I’m Considering Next: The One-Sentence Journal

Open Notes. Type one line: “Today felt better when…”

Roll eyes. Write anyway. Do it again tomorrow. Breadcrumbs for future me.

None of this is life-changing.

But it’s cheaper than therapy, faster than journaling, and doesn’t require becoming a morning-3-hours-routine person.

So no, these aren’t grand transformations.

They won’t make you rich, enlightened, or capable of answering emails before 10am.

But they will help you stay just sane enough to not throw your laptop out the window.

And in this economy, that’s a win.

Now go take your first sip like it’s a damn ceremony.

Till next time.

Our favorite digital finds

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Short & Sweet

Short articles worth your attention

Very Bad Advice - 2 min read.

Want advice on how not to screw up? Here you'll get a clever blueprint of pitfalls - from envy and chasing dopamine hits to confusing wealth with wisdom. So you can actually avoid falling backward while everyone else is racing ahead.

Invisible Habits - 14 min read.

Peel back the curtain on the subtle mental routines (like worry loops, self-criticism, and mindless autopilot) that are quietly messing with your mood and emotional health.

Life-Changing Advice from 50 of the Most Interesting People We Know - 12 min read.

Want life hacks from the pros - minus the fluff? Esquire pulls advice from 50 top creatives and industry leaders, giving you real-world wisdom on everything from managing screen time to travel hacks.

Add this to your shelf

If you're looking for something to read, this book's worth considering

This is a simple and powerful book about how to deal with big changes. The author, Andrew Grove, was the CEO of Intel, and he shares real stories about tough moments in business. His main idea: if you stay alert and act fast during a crisis, you can turn it into a win. It's easy to understand and full of smart advice you can use in work and life.

A Workspace I Envy

A handpicked desk setup that caught my eye this week

For the past year, gray has quietly become one of my favorite colors. I realized most of my recent clothes? Yep - gray. Maybe that's why this setup caught my eye. And those elegant little legs for the Apple HomePod? Shut up and suspend my Amazon account.

Behind the Persona

A deep dive into the quirks, habits, and backstories that shape icons

Cool Facts About Andy Grove

Decisive Decision Model: His decision-making followed a simple pattern: Open discussion → Clear decision → Full support. Debate was welcomed, but once the decision was made, everyone was aligned. This approach is known as “Disagree but commit.”

Constructive Confrontation Culture: At Intel, people were encouraged to challenge ideas - not individuals. Grove believed this “ruthless intelligence” fostered robust debates and safeguarded against groupthink .

OKRs: Clear & Binary Goals: He refined the classic Management-by-Objectives into Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) - every Key Result had to be measurable (“Did I do it? Yes or no”).

Simplify & Streamline: Using “work simplification,” he encouraged questioning every process step. By cutting unnecessary steps - often up to 30–50% - he unlocked dramatic productivity gains. (Pretty sure this is where Musk got the inspiration).

Factory Mindset for Managers: Grove treated management as a production line. In his book High Output Management, he likens managers to factory designers - spotting bottlenecks (a “limiting step”) and relentlessly refining processes to maximize output .

Leading & Lagging Indicators: Grove paired forward-looking metrics with outcome metrics. Tracking the right indicators allowed Intel teams to course-correct early, avoiding surprises at the end. Unfortunately, Intel lost this ability lately.

Spotting Strategic Inflection Points: Grove coined the term “strategic inflection point” - moments when core industry dynamics change. He set up feedback channels (“helpful Cassandras”) to spot these shifts early. Again, not relevant anymore to Intel.

Watch-worthy clips

One video that got us thinking, and we think you'll like it too

If small talk stresses you out, this video will help. It shows how to see it as a way to connect - not perform. You’ll learn to ease anxiety by being curious, use simple tricks like paraphrasing to stay present, and start or end chats with confidence. Small talk might actually become… enjoyable.

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