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Stuff #91 - there be dragons!

What happens when you learn to finish stuff, and figure out how to read 10x faster than you do now? Maybe the 5-hour rule will help you do more...
Matt 3 min read
Stuff #91 - there be dragons!
Striking statue of Neptune, permanently installed in Grand Canaria
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Hi from Spain, I'm Matt...

I'm into the last days of my time in Spain, and I used the last week to experiment on true remote working. I was just as connected and productive working from my tiny desk and had the benefit of bright sunshine and warm air. I can see this being a more regular occurrence in the future.

As always, I hope this mail find you safe and well wherever you are.

Thank you for being a part of Stuff. If you received this email from an excellent friend, and would like to subscribe, please go here. If you'd like an archive of Stuff from the beginning of 2022 - it's here.

Onward with the Stuff that MattRs this week...
  1. Monday Motivation: ย  Let this week be the one that you implement the 5-hour rule. ย It's a simple strategy, used by some successful people to ensure that they devote at least some time each day to learning & enrichment. ย An hour of learning must be better than this.
  2. Your new superpower: ย Finishing stuff. ย More importantly, what happens in your mind when you leave things unfinished? ย Here are ten practical tips for finishing what you started.
  3. Essential Reading: ย How privileged are you? ย The Project Humanities site has checklists and resources to help understand privilege, and the impact it can have on those around you. ย An excellent resource for anyone, especially leaders. (Thanks for S for this Stuff)
  4. Take care: Finch is a clever new app, with a cute design that gamifies those processes of self-care that work for you. You give birth to tiny creature, and then keep it 'alive' by completing mindful habits that look after you. ย It's a very pretty version of my free habit tracker. ย Sounds a bit like a tamagotchi!
  5. TWIL: ย Over 34000 dragons (some green, some black) have washed up on the beach on Cornwall. ย This continues my obsession with shipping containers, and their role in sending our stuff around the planet.
  6. How fast do you read? ย I've been testing Jiffy reader, a Chrome Extension that alters how text is displayed on your screen and claims to speed up how quickly you can read. ย I can feel myself moving faster through the text, although I'm not sure I'll ever be a really fast reader.
  7. Hub and Spoke: ย  Drag the world map and find the ten closest airports to your cursor. ย You can also pretend that a giant red spider is crawling around.
  8. Girth or height? This lovingly crafted database catalogs monumental trees from around the world. ย There are details on over 54000 significant trees, and some are truly remarkable, like this thirty-meter wide specimen in Mexico. ย 
  9. From Dublin to Djibouti: ย Or from Rome2Rio - this clever site will plot a route between any two places. ย I know Google Maps can do this, but the options for travel are nicely presented. ย 
  10. Finally: The hardest of the -tle daily games I have seen so far, this one gives you five chances to guess an artist, from their paintings. ย  I've ether got it in one, or not at all - can you beat me?
All the Stuff
All the Stuff that has been published on Stuff.
I created this new archive where you can search all the links posted in the Stuff Newsletters
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My aural stuff for you this week is a film soundtrack from one of my favourite musicians, Blanck Mass. The movie is Ted K, which tells the life story of Ted Kaczynski in Lincoln, Nebraska before he became infamous as the Unabomber. It's a suitably eerie and intense soundtrack, and well worth time to have a listen.

Listen to Ted K by Blanck Mass on Spotify here.
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Do you love independent writing? I recommend The Sample. Every day, they will send you a novel newsletter you might like, no obligation.

Stuff that someone said:

"The best way to make things better is to see how they are..." ย  Seth Godin (via)

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๐Ÿ‘“ Stuff #182 - urgent or important?
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๐Ÿ‘“ Stuff #182 - urgent or important?

Refresh yourself on the Eisenhower Matrix, learn about the cannon your carry and find a new way to get great feedback. Find out the benefits of reading every day and discover what a fartwalk can do for you.
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The Stuff that MattR's

Weekly writing on self-development and joy, with a sideline in curiosity and music.

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