Limitless by Jim Kwik on Blinkist.
[Avoid task switching as it makes focusing more difficult.]
[Count numbers out loud while reading to inhibit subvocalization from slowing your reading speed.]
Limitless by Jim Kwik on Blinkist.
[Avoid task switching as it makes focusing more difficult.]
[Count numbers out loud while reading to inhibit subvocalization from slowing your reading speed.]
Unlimited Memory by Kevin Horsley on Blinkist.
[Convert numbers into sounds based on their shape or story, and use those sounds to create words and corresponding scenarios. For example, 1969 turns into 9 / B, 6 / sh, and 9 / P, which could be a bishop landing on the moon.]
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle on Blinkist
[Bring yourself into observation of your thoughts by asking “What will my next thought be?”]
As it currently exists, foreign reporting implicitly defers to the priorities of the state and of business, occupying itself almost exclusively with events which touch on military, commercial or humanitarian concerns. Foreign news wants to tell us with whom and where we should fight, trade or sympathize[, but] these three areas of interest really aren’t priorities for the majority of us.
[We might not find Italian politics interesting if we’re living in a different country, yet it’s conceivable to watch a two hour Shakespearean play about Julius Caesar. This is because underneath stories that may have a different reality to ours in the specific, there lies the universals which transcend those gaps. The news might not write like Shakespeare, but would do well to pay attention to these universals.]
A journalistic gaffe is something a powerful person inadvertently says or does in a momentary lapse which (as everyone knows) in no way reflects their considered views and yet which the news seizes upon and refuses to let go of, insisting that the gaffe must be an indicator of a deep and shameful truth.
We should at least be somewhat suspicious of the way that news sources, which otherwise expend considerable energy advertising their originality and independence of mind, seem so often to be in complete agreement on the momentous question of what happened today.
the news cruelly exploits our weak hold on a sense of perspective.
having perspective involves an ability to compare an apparently traumatic event in the present with the experiences of humanity across the whole of its history – in order to work out what level of attention and fear it should fairly demand.
With perspective in mind, we soon realize that – contrary to what the news suggests –hardly anything is totally novel, few things are truly amazing and very little is absolutely terrible.
As currently structured, the news does not ‘see’ the property developer who condemns thousands of people to live in humiliating environments but who nevertheless breaks no laws and steals no money. The most assiduous reporter concerned with fraud won’t be able to put a finger on anyone criminally responsible for the commercial messages that subtly erode the dignity and intelligence of public life or find anyone who can be arrested for a decline in politeness or respect between the sexes.
[Religions take a pedagogical approach in conveying what is considered to be important, and the news could learn from this.]
The status quo could confidently remain forever undisturbed by a flood of, rather than a ban on, news.
Many tools make a good toolbox.
[Small talk is a test to see how people respond to meaningless things and determine whether it’s worth bringing up more serious things.]
[Having things implies responsibility, and giving them away implies giving away responsibility.]
The news knows how to render its own mechanics almost invisible and therefore hard to question. It speaks to us in a natural unaccented voice, without reference to its own assumption-laden perspective. It fails to disclose that it does not merely report on the world, but is instead constantly at work crafting a new planet in our minds in line with its own often highly distinctive priorities.
[Many people avoid writing wills because they don’t feel ready to pass on yet, but the universe doesn’t care and the government already has one written for you with a higher tax rate.]
[The power of writing down “what occurs to you” can be helpful for gaining clarity.]
[Even if “you’re gone when you’re gone” and don’t care what happens to your stuff, it’s wise to make a power of attorney.]
[In some Canadian provinces, probating a will essentially makes it public. One workaround is to use a trust, which is often a private document.]
[For the first year, avoid taking complicated decisions (especially when you’re brain is foggy) and just mourn.]
[Trusts can own assets when passed to them by the settlor, and beneficiaries can be classes of definable people or entities (for example, grandchildren not yet born).]
[Those over 65 can create Alter Ego Trusts in place of a will to distribute assets with more privacy, and transfer some assets into a trust without taxation events.]
[Advisors you might deal with include: bankers, investment advisors, estate planners, insurance advisors, lawyers, and accountants. The last two must be fiduciaries (obliged to act in your interest under risk of legal proceedings or loss of license.)]
[Ask progressively squirm-causing questions, about their 1) qualifications and if they’re regulated by an organization; 2) experience in years; 3) services and how often you’ll meet; 4) licenses to handles specific asset types (like stocks, bonds, etc…); 5) errors and omissions insurance; 6) their team if any to be wary of rookies thrown in later; 7) fees and payment structure; 8) sales quota this week; 9) understanding of fiduciary and if they are one (they must answer this correctly); 10) audited track record of selecting investments; a) answers in writing on company letterhead.]
[Writing a will is unselfish because it mostly benefits your loved ones as opposed to you.]
[Update your will when someone turns 18, gets married or divorced, or if you move to another state or buy real estate. Check it every five years.]
Do not say, “Call me if you need anything,” because your friend will not call. Not because they do not need, but because identifying a need, figuring out who might fill that need, and then making a phone call to ask is light years beyond their energy levels, capacity or interest. Instead, make concrete offers: “I will be there at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday to bring your recycling to the curb,” or “I will stop by each morning on my way to work and give the dog a quick walk.” Be reliable.
To the new griever, the influx of people who want to show their support can be seriously overwhelming. What is an intensely personal and private time can begin to feel like living in a fish bowl. There might be ways you can shield and shelter your friend by setting yourself up as the designated point person-the one who relays information to the outside world, or organizes well-wishers. Gatekeepers are really helpful.
[Compare something unfamiliar with the familiar can nudge us toward taking care for our safety.]
My tragedy is not contagious; you will not catch your children’s death from me. I know you don’t know what to say. I wouldn’t have a few months ago, either. A little advice? Don’t platitude me. Do not start any sentences with the phrase “at least,” for you will then witness my miraculous transformation into Grief Warrior.
On the page, everything is allowed. Everything has a voice.
Leftovers are the requisite variety I need to feel comfortable cooking at home, so I should consider it the goal instead of avoiding it like an efficiency issue.
When someone you love dies, you don’t just lose them in the present or in the past. You lose the future you should have had, and might have had, with them. They are missing from all the life that was to be. Seeing other people get married, have kids, travel-all the things you expected out of life with your person-gone. Seeing other children go to kindergarten, or graduate, or get married—all those things your child should have done, had they lived. Your kids never get to know their brilliant uncle; your friend never gets to read your finished book.
A day (or more) inside a blanket fort of your own choosing is healthy.
[Being kind to yourself means not letting your own mind beat you up.]
[Early grief is liminal: we are no longer who we were and not yet solidified into something new—everything is in flux.]
[Anxiety can be overwhelming as there’s no shortage of potential disasters. You can trust yourself.]