Issue #167 | Subscribe

I recently read a funny story about social proof and its influence on us.

A bank in Singapore had a case of a bank run for one of the most bizarre reasons ever.

Due to a bus strike one morning, a hefty crowd gathered around a bank's entrance close to a bus stop, waiting for a bus to arrive.

The queue was long, and people passing by the area mistook that long queue outside the bank for the bank's poor financial health.

A long queue outside the bank indicated that people were withdrawing money from the bank in a panic, which influenced many others to join the queue and withdraw their money before the bank became insolvent.

But here's the thing:

The bank was in solid financial health, with no signs of insolvency. It was simply a case of "following the herd" that went wrong.

This makes me question the amount of influence other people have on us.

What if instead of following the herd when we don't understand something, we make the time and effort to evaluate the situation first?

This will help us rely less on others to make good choices and instead on our general experience and logical thinking to make sound decisions.

Follow your logic and instincts, not the herd.

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Your Next Read

Autobiography

Stories I Only Tell My Friends

A fun-to-read memoir of Hollywood star Rob Lowe, where he shares stories from his early days in Hollywood and politics, sprinkled with tiny life lessons.

Apps & Services

PraiseJar

A place to store your best feedback

Two uses: First, to have a personal jar of pick-me-up moments, where you revisit good feedback and appreciation to motivate yourself. Second, this can also be used as a record of praise in work, which you can refer to during your company’s performance review. Available on the Web and is free to use.
File Architect

Create multi-level folder structure easily

If you work on projects, such as video production, client work, etc., that require you to create folders and subfolders for each project, this app will be a time-saver. Write your desired folder hierarchy in plain text, and it’ll create the entire folder structure. Available on macOS and is free for basic use.
Clocks

A beautiful alternative for the iOS Standby mode

I have a few problems with the built-in Standby mode on my iPhone — it only appears while charging, and even then, the screen turns off after a few seconds unless you have an iPhone with an always-on display. This app addresses those issues and adds 10 fun and animated clock layouts. Available on iOS, iPadOS and macOS for a one-time $3.99 fee.

Handy Shortcut

⌘

K

Quickly open a command menu bar on Todoist.

Interesting Reads

Preparing for Doomsday Situations Using the Premortem Method

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Longform

Having a premortem strategy for most likely scenarios has helped me stay calm under pressure for years. Here's a blog post explaining what it is and how to use this practical strategy in your life.
Jevons Paradox: A Personal Perspective

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While AI companies proudly tout how their tools will make us work less and enjoy more life, Tina exposes a different angle of this productivity trap in this well-thought article.
Working Smarter Sometimes Means Not Adopting New Technology

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A more productive and cost-effective workflow often results from picking the right tools for the job. This short article summarises this trait with some guiding questions.
21 Powerful Life Lessons From My Mentor

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Ryan Holiday shares 21 good life lessons he learned from one of his mentors, George Raveling. Here’s the one I saved in my notes: “I love the idea of inventing a role for yourself—finding something that’s being overlooked or not addressed and deciding to become the go-to person for it.”

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