Issue #196 | Subscribe

Recently, I came across a quote attributed to Nora Roberts, which made me rethink how to interpret my everyday priorities in life.

Here's how the quote goes:

“The key to juggling is to know that some of the balls you have in the air are made of plastic and some are made of glass.
And if you drop a plastic ball, it bounces, no harm done.
If you drop a glass ball, it shatters, so you have to know which balls are glass and which are plastic and prioritize catching the glass ones.”

We have many things to do every day. Not everything carries the same weight or consequences, even though everything on our list, or at least 90% of them, might feel high priority.

For example, amidst every other thing I need to get done in a week, this newsletter and any article I plan to publish are amongst the highest priority tasks.

And on weeks when I aim to publish an article and send this newsletter, both tasks are due to be completed before Friday, so that I can send this newsletter with the latest published article in it.

But on a closer look, the newsletter is the glass ball and publishing the article is a plastic one.

Yes, I don't want to drop any of these two balls. I want to finish both things before the Friday deadline, but I absolutely can't drop the glass ball — sending this newsletter — because it has higher stakes.

If I drop the plastic ball — publishing a new article — it goes in the next newsletter issue. There's no ripple effect here.

But not sending the newsletter on a date I've previously planned creates a huge mess and a damaging ripple effect.

I might have a sponsor commitment on that date, and if I fail to send the newsletter, I have to realign with the sponsor for a new date many weeks down the line. Moreover, it damages my reputation and trustworthiness, which I don't want.

Can you see the priority difference here?

If you've regularly struggled with choosing between two high-priority tasks, ask yourself which one is the glass ball and which one is the plastic or rubber one.

Don't drop the glass ball.

I'm putting this newsletter on break next Friday. Be back on 19th December.

Now, before you move on to the rest of this newsletter issue, here are a few words from:

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Your Next Read

Biography

My Next Breath

In 2023, Jeremy Renner, a.k.a., Hawkeye from the Marvel movies, was crushed to near death by a snowplough. This memoir details that accident and how he persevered for a second chance in life.

Apps & Services

Chime

Never miss another meeting invite or task

This app has one job — ensuring you don’t miss a meeting or task notification. Instead of the regular banner-style notifications, this app will issue a full-screen notification for upcoming meetings and tasks. Annoying? Maybe. Effective? Oh, yes. Available on macOS for $17.99/year.
StandCycle

A good companion for the sedentary office life

This app will be perfect if you’re like me and lose track of time while sitting down to work. Once you start the timer, it’ll cycle through notifications for 45 minutes of sitting, 15 minutes of standing and 1 minute of moving until you stop the timer. Available on the Web for free.
Liqoria

A liquid glass floating music widget

This app lets you have a nice liquid glass-inspired floating now-playing widget on your desktop and lock screen. It pulls data from Apple Music and Spotify and lets you control the playback from the widget. Available on macOS for $9.90 one-time.

Handy Shortcut

Space

Quickly add a new task in the Things macOS app.

Interesting Reads

A Way to Manage Distractions That Works

9 min read

Longform

Blocking distracting apps have never worked for me, and I always end up uninstalling the app blocker. In this article, I'll explain why it doesn't work from a psychological perspective and what I do instead, which has a far better success rate. I'll also share an iOS shortcut that will help you use this approach with minimal friction.
What Happens When a Self-Navigating Car Decides Your Travel?

9 min read

This tiny experiment reminds me of all the times we have preferred lesser-known spots over popular places while travelling, and how wonderful they have turned out to be. The next time you are on a trip, take the road less travelled.
The Genius of The Amateur

20 min read

A fantastic piece explaining how outsiders have contributed to groundbreaking innovations in science. This cements the point that institutional credentials are not mandatory to pursue ideas and curiosity.
The Realities of Being a Pop Star

9 min read

A rather interesting piece by Charli XCX, the singer, lifting the curtains behind the actual life of a pop star.

Watch Next

This video is a fantastic primer on how stress works in modern life and how to navigate it safely.

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