Friday Five #4: How to Rest, Stand Out, End Things, and Work with AI.
Every Friday, I share five links worth clicking. Enjoy.
Happy Friday to 165 lovely people subscribed to this newsletter. You’re all legends 🎉
It’s fitting that this issue of Friday Five is heavily focussed on rest. I spent most of this week quarantined in bed, trying not to spread another round of COVID through the house (it didn’t work).
Anyway, here’s five things worth your attention this week 👇
How to Rest Well. I failed to finish Alex Soojung-Kim Pang’s Rest in one of the many lockdowns of 2020. I think I jumped in too quickly after reading Claudia Hammond’s The Art of Rest. Nevertheless, Alex writes beautifully about how commonplace it is to think of work and rest as opposites, and what to do instead.
How to Stand Out. “Perhaps when times are turbulent, people seek the safety of the familiar. Perhaps it’s our obsession with quantification and optimisation. Or maybe it’s the inevitable result of inspiration becoming globalised.” Alex Murrell writes about how in a sea of mediocrity, the breaking free from “average” is even more important if you’re trying to create unique, memorable things that truly stand out.
How to End Things. This time last year, I had a small team of smart, creative people working for me. I was making ~£1M a year in revenue and having a great time. Today things are very different. Not bad per se, just different. Instead of reflecting on change in a healthy way, I’ve often jumped straight into asking what’s next. Recently, my coach Adam recently got me thinking about how in other areas of life, we have ending ceremonies: Funerals, leaving parties, divorces, etc. He shared Bridges Transition Model as one of the more useful tools.
How to Work Just Enough. Rather than treat work as a calling or a dream, what it would take to reframe work as a part of life rather than the entirety of our lives? Simone Stolzoff is a brilliant writer and designer I’ve chatted to via Twitter DMs a few times. His soon-to-be book, The Good Enough Job, is a challenge to the tyranny of work and a call to reclaim our lives. Pre-ordered ✅
How to Work with AI. I usually don’t like to shout about tech. Even less so when it comes to the AI-hype train (no one likes a chat GPT bro). But I’ve been using this assistant from Embra for a couple of days and it’s been a game-changer for research, brainstorming, and more.
Have a great weekend.
— Brendan
p.s. If you have any feedback, or just want to say hi, reply to this email or comment on Substack 👋
p.p.s If you liked this, can you help me out by sharing it? It means I can reach more clever people like you.