Issue #222 | Subscribe

David, over at Range Widely, published a recent piece arguing that AI tools have made it easier for us to take on too much work and then produce average results because we can't offer our uninterrupted attention to a select few projects.

I agree.

AI has unlocked speed and new possibilities for many, but it also created this problem of having more work and projects than we can realistically handle.

So, now, it's more important than ever to be clear about your why before taking on another project that feels interesting.

But this doesn't mean we stop experimenting or playing with ideas.

In fact, this is exactly where AI tools are incredibly helpful. We can prototype ideas faster and see if they actually work in the real world as they do in our heads.

The problem appears when we take on another project just because we can, and then our focus ends up stretched too thin, or we end up with an arsenal of dormant projects.

Therefore, experiment all you want, but before committing your time and energy to another demanding project, be clear about why you want to work on it.

If you don't have a clear sense of why you want to pursue a new project, it might not be worth your time and effort.

In Today's Cover: The 113th edition of the Tour de France starts tomorrow from Barcelona. 🏁

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

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Your Next Read

Business

Life at the Speed of Play

In this book, Mark Pincus tells the story of how he created Zynga and everything he has learned in his decades of building products people love and use every day.

Apps & Services

Brink

A new podcast app with powerful features

This new podcast app looks promising. Apart from the nice design, I like its podcast sampling feature, like YouTube Music's for songs. There’s also a walking mode that tracks and records your steps in Apple Health while you’re listening to a podcast episode. Available on iOS and free for basic use.
FluidVoice

Private and fast speech-to-text on a Mac

I featured Eloquent in Issue #219 as a free, local alternative to Wispr Flow. Well, this one’s even better and faster. I’m using this on my MacBook with M1 Pro, and it works flawlessly. Available on macOS for free.
Happy Map

A map of happy stories from around the world

This is an interactive map that plots happy stories from around 10,000 people, grouped by topic. We often chase happiness as if it’s a huge milestone we need to reach. This map shows that happiness can be found in everything and everywhere. Available on the Web for free.

Handy Shortcut

Fn

Q

Start a quick note from anywhere in the macOS system.

Interesting Reads

How I Stopped Buying Things Impulsively

4 min read

This is a short piece I wrote on the topic of impulse shopping on the Ducat blog. If you’ve been on an unintended shopping spree lately, you might find this helpful.
10 Unusual Ways to Use the Empty Notebooks You Keep Buying

3 min read

If you’re like me and buy too many notebooks without knowing what to write in them, here are some ideas that can make for an interesting notebook that you can look back on.
Why Narrative Thinking Holds You Back

9 min read

Often we keep ourselves chained to an identity and make limiting everyday decisions based on that narrative. This post argues why breaking out of this narrative thinking can make our lives fuller and better.
Android Earthquake Alerts

7 min read

You might've heard that people using Android phones in Venezuela were alerted about the recent earthquake before it intensified. This piece explains the technology behind that warning system. It's good to see big tech investing in technologies like this one.

Watch Next

This short montage of clips of Anthony Bourdain generously throwing hard-earned life lessons was the most impactful thing I saw this week.

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