The Friday Focus is a weekly newsletter where we highlight:
A piece of content we love so you don’t have to doomscroll to find something interesting
A tip to help you reduce your screen time
A quote that has us thinking
To view all our blog posts go to getpresentapp.com/blog.
If you like these posts or have some recommendations of your own, feel free to reach out to us at contact@getpresentapp.com
Blog Post We Love 🎤
“De-Atomization is the Secret to Happiness” - Nat Eliason
I’ve recommended a few of Nat’s blog posts before. If you haven’t read his stuff, it’s definitely worth checking out. But this one is one of my favorites.
The post primarily delves into the idea that we’ve boiled down all aspects of our lives to the essential building blocks (hence “atoms”) of the experience. As a result, we’ve stripped out what makes experiences truly enjoyable. Experiences a lot of their meaning and most of us can’t even remember them after the fact.
For example, our version of “fun” is now staring at a screen for hours being overstimulated. While this might be more “fun” in the moment than coordinating to spend time with friends, you almost never remember what you do on your screen but you will remember spending time with friends because the experience is so much more rich.
Another example is exercise. Exercise used to be a way of life for humans, integrated into all aspects of our life. But now, the vast majority of us segment out exercising from the rest of our lives to boring routines done in gyms. We exercise for pure utility.
We’ve done the same thing with work where we obsess over squeezing every last ounce of productivity out of our work day. We try to eliminate anything outside of purely optimized work, but this takes all joy and meaning out of our work lives.
The article ends with the hypothesis that the way to live a more fulfilled life is to integrate the areas of our life that we care about as much as possible. Incorporate fun into work, incorporate your social life with physical activity, and make fun more than mindless dopamine stimulation.
I don’t know about you, but I find this framework intriguing. I think I’m going to begin consciously applying it to my own life.
Tip to Reduce Your Screen Time 📱
Get some f#$%ing sun!!
The sun is the basis for all life on this planet, but so many of us spend minutes outside. And with WFH sometimes we don’t get sun at all!
So leave your phone at home and go bask in its glorious rays! You’ll find that almost immediately, your mood will increase and you won’t want to look at your phone at all. You’ll boost your energy levels, making you happier, healthier, and more productive.
Get in the sun every day and you’ll experience its incredible health benefits like improved sleep, mental health, immune function, and so much more.
When you feel better - healthier, more energized, and overall happier - you’re less likely to want to escape your life via mindless scrolling.
Quote That Has Us Thinking 🧠
“Don’t make a distinction between work and play. Regard everything that you are doing as play, and don’t imagine for one minute that you’ve got to be serious about it.” - Alan Watts
コメント