Jan 9, 2022

Issue #1 - Personal Growth and Happy New Year!

By Niall Maher • Issue #1 • View online

“If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid.” - Epictetus

Thanks Epictetus, that’s why I am starting a newsletter…

First off, you are an early adopter (and test driver for this newsletter) so thank you so much for being a subscriber!

If you have any suggestions on improvements, links, or anything else you think should be included or want to say hello, you can reply to this email.

I try to reply to every email I get.

This week has a theme, and it is personal growth.

In January, we all usually try to create new healthy habits. So hopefully, this might help. In 2021 I found this (https://tinyhabits.com/join/) free mini-email course that helped me.

They use the general rule to link the new habit you want to something you already do every day. So for me, I added a sticky note to my monitor reminding me to “read a paragraph from a book when I sat down with my morning coffee”, which has been super helpful because I have read more books than ever before.

After I make morning coffee, I will read a paragraph.

🎯 Blog Picks

A Summary of Growth and Fixed Mindsets

8 minutes | Farnam Street

There are two main mindsets we can navigate life with: growth and fixed. Having a growth mindset is essential for success. In this post, we explore how to develop the right mindset for improving your intelligence.

→ Read the post

Your ability to focus may be limited to 4 or 5 hours a day. Here’s how to make the most of them.

7 minutes | The Washington Post

My mind gets a little fuzzy when I concentrate for too long. So, to protect my focused time, I rearranged my life, trading a steady salary as a multimedia journalist covering the tech world for flexibility as a freelance writer focusing on health and wellness. Working less, not more, holds the key to my productivity.

→ Read the post

How to know what you really want | A Guide by Psyche

> 20 mins (Full guide) | Psyche

From career choices to new purchases, use René Girard’s mimetic theory to resist the herd and forge your own path in life.

→ Read the post

📚 Books I’m loving

I read Inspired by Marty Cagan three times in 2021 (well, technically, the first couple of times was an audiobook, if that’s cheating). If anyone is wondering “how to create a tech product that customers love”, then pick this one up. Marty is a fountain of knowledge. There is no fluff or filler, just page after page of pure gold.

You can see below just how many notes I took while reading the last time.