The Daily 5 with Aurooba

Momentum is a funny thing.

I had a different episode in mind for today, but my computer had other plans.

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars." – Khalil Gibran

I've been pondering the idea of quality, a term that comes up a lot when we're working on projects and things in our lives.

Let's talk about how to say no so we can do more.

The act of observation itself can change things sometimes.

Sometimes taking a break helps you not take a break.

Breathing is essential for life, and it can help us ground ourselves too.

We're approaching the halfway mark of the season, almost. And that means, it's time to reprioritize.

Got some food for thought today. ;)

Since I really need sleep today, sleep is what we're chatting about.

How do we cycle our attention? Could we do it better?

What does your Ideal Day look like?

What if your end goal wasn't the end goal, but it got you to the end goal anyway?

Commitment is tough for a lot of reasons. FOMO is definitely one of them.

In no particular order, some links to concepts in this episode: The first 20 hours - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnYThe Paper Clip Strategy - https://jamesclear.com/paper-clips10,000 hours rule - https://jamesclear.com/deliberate-practice-strategyThat scene from Suits

Some thoughts on hyper-ndependence and its consequences in our lives.

We don't like doing hard things, do we?

Why you should take the time to celebrate regularly

It's funny how many good sayings and practices come out of the military. This is another good one.

Hiccups happen but don't let them stop your progress.

A short musing on everyday delight.

It seems the original article isn't online anymore, but there is this follow up. https://lifehacker.com/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-secret-281626

Analogies and reflection abound in this episode on adaptivity and its value.

Chapter 2 begins! And a story about fasting.

The last episode of Chapter 1, The Start.

The journey is still more important, but the destination still matters. And we'll dig into Lord of the Rings a little bit (LoTR diehards don't come at me for the slight butchering I'm about to do)

Overwhelmed? I've got just the question for you.

Here's the annual review I mention in the episode: https://syedbalkhi.com/this-happened-to-me-in-2023-year-in-review/

The answer to that question may change your decision when you really think about it.

Your resolutions are contracts even if you didn't think they were. And if you're breaking them, let's unpack why thinking of them as contracts could help. That episode of Suits, I reference? It's Season 2, Episode 6. :)

A quick little thought about the value of liking what you do.

How would things change for you in a situation if you approached it with sincerity rather than seriousness?

I have no idea where that post from Leo is anymore, it's possible he got rid of it. This is the closest thing I could find on his blog now: https://zenhabits.net/beginners-guide-to-running

If eating a tub of ice cream in one sitting isn't self-care, then what is it exactly? Is it self-care or self-sabotage?

Didja stumble? It's okay. Reset and start again. And maybe read this James Clear piece: https://jamesclear.com/get-back-on-track

I offer no solution for how to balance the now with the future, I offer only the idea that it's important to consider and why.

How often do you revisit the fundamentals? Why should you?

You knew at some point I was going to end up journalling out loud right? Let's think through some of the elements of the Pyramid of Success together.

John Wooden's Pyramid of Success

Where I go into my tendency to overwork and how I've been trying to fix that.My blog post on knowledge work. – https://aurooba.com/notes/the-conundrum-of-hourly-knowledge-work/

I had some great conversations with some of you around stress cycles and closing the loop, so here's a follow up episode to bring everyone else into the loop. :)

Learning is inevitable when you set out to achieve goals. Also – watching AI models learn is HILARIOUS. Also here is that newsletter from James Clear I quoted.

What do goals have to do with self determination, and how can we use the ideas of self determination to help our achieve our goals more reliably?Self-Determination Theory – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theorySo Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13525945-so-good-they-can-t-ignore-you

To do what's most important, sometimes you have to stop juggling other things that are also important.Four Burners Theory – https://thedaily5.xyz/s1/23Strategic Apathy – https://joshkaufman.net/strategic-apathy/

In order to build a new system or routine, you need actions that are required. What is the benefit to that? How does one make an action required?Journey before destinationA Discovery of Witches series

Choosing a word for your year can be a really interesting exercise to wrap up your goal-setting with. Have you tried it?

What role do values play in goal setting and our ability to achieve our goals? What even are values? Are they worth considering or are they just fluff?

We'll get into techniques and tactics for levelling up, but before all of that, you have to actually pay attention. But you can't pay attention to everything all the time, so how do you exactly use your attention well? That's what we get into today.

Before we get into levelling up, let's chat about the importance of closing the stress cycle.Unraveling The Science Behind The Stress Response Cycle – https://simplish.co/blog/stress-response-cycleAdaptive Reaction to Stress – https://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/citation/1950/05000/adaptive_reaction_to_stress.3.aspxStress Cycles: What they Are and How to Break Them – https://www.embracesexualwellness.com/esw-blog/stresscycles