Hi friends,

Here is this week’s list of what I’m exploring and thinking about. Feel free to forward this along to friends.

Podcast I’m enjoying

Tim Ferriss: How to Learn Better & Create Your Best Future on the Huberman Lab podcast. Tim dives into the details of how he has experimented with different tools involving learning and health. One of my favorite takeaways from this podcast is to remember to do things just for fun. Too often we use productivity as a measure of success, but doing things for fun, and that gives you energy, is just as important.

Journal method I’m trying

The 5-minute journal. This journal is short and simple. It makes journaling consistently easy to do. The morning portion asks you to write out 3 things you’re grateful for, 3 things that would make today great, and two daily affirmations. I find this portion of the journal helpful to be deliberate with how I spend my time each day. The evening portion asks you to write 3 highlights of the day, big and small, and 2 things you could’ve done better. Reflecting on how your day went is just as important as planning it in the first place.

An app I’m enjoying

The Waking Up app by Sam Harris. This is without a doubt, the best meditation app available. I’ve been using this app for over a year and have seen improvements in my ability to remain present, notice different emotions without getting lost in them, and staying equanimous in difficult situations. If you have never meditated before, I recommend starting with the introductory courses where you learn the basics of meditation and how the mind works.

Supplement I’m experimenting with

I’ve been taking Theanine to help improve my sleep quality. Theanine is an amino acid found in tea and other natural sources. Its main benefit is that it helps to promote a relaxed state in the brain. Theanine crosses the blood-brain barrier and promotes increased alpha-waves, a type of brain wave associated with a relaxed state. I find that it helps me quiet my mind right before bed and I am able to fall asleep more quickly without rumination.

Fun fact of the week

Clouds are divided into 10 basic types, of which the plumpest and most cushiony-looking is number nine, cumulonimbus. This is where the expression "being on cloud 9" comes from.

Until next week,

Kevin