I did this with a friend once: every Friday, I’d send him an email that contained 5 things that piqued my curiosity during the week that had passed. This list contained videos I had seen, blog posts I had read, books I had picked up and activities I had found myself doing.
Now I will do the same with you.
Except, I will write to you not every Friday, but infrequently. Starting today.
1. Here’s a book that I’ve recommended a lot.
Superhuman by Habit, by Tynan. It’s a genuinely helpful book and, for me, stands out among the sea of self-help books out there. It offers actionable and practical advice on building and sustaining habits. It’s concise and easy to understand. It’s a fun read if you’re into experimenting with yourself.
2. I’ve always admired the good folk at Basecamp.
And it turns out that good software is not the only thing they do. I’ve throughly enjoyed their podcast The Distance, which featured stories of businesses that have endured for at least quarter a century. It’s a delightful collection of success stories from around the world. Give it a listen.
3. If you’re a business enthusiast, you’d know how hard hiring people is.
You’d know that it’s harder to keep them motivated and engaged. It turns out most businesses resort to rather impractical methods to keep employees happy. Don’t take it from me, let Gary Vaynerchuk tell you why “360-degree reviews are the biggest fucking horse-shit of all time.”
4. Here’s a plug: when I launched my business, a big part of it’s appeal was the service guarantees we offered.
We’d promised to refund customers in full if they didn\’t receive their orders within 5 days, and we offered free returns if they didn\’t like what they bought, no questions asked. Unbeknownst to us we’ve stumbled upon a golden business rule. This article from HBR explains it all. It’s quite old, but all the more relevant.
5. Here’s an activity to try out.
All of us set goals. And we tell ourselves we’re quite good at it. Then we go on and conveniently forget the goals we set in the first place. Here’s an alternative: don’t set goals, set fears. Let Tim Ferriss tell you how.
That’s about it. Let me know if you think this letter is a good idea.
Cheers
Thamara.
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