Consumption Decisions
Reading Your Own Work, Minimizing Regret
☀️ Happy Monday from Tuscaloosa, AL ☀️
Welcome to the fourteenth week of Louis’ Learnings!
I hope these emails have been thought-provoking and useful for you.
Earlier this week, I finished the Ship30 challenge. I’m now deciding what my new commitment to writing will look like between now and the end of the semester.
I’ll have that figured out soon enough :)
This week’s newsletter shares my three favorite mini-essays I wrote during the week.
Enjoy!
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Best Essays From Last Week
The Reverse Wish List
I'm assuming you know what a wish list is.
Either in our heads or in a notebook, most of us have a loosely organized idea of the stuff we want to have but don't immediately need or can't afford.
Over time, some stuff moves off the list. Amazon runs a special and you full send the AirPod Pros. Your old coffee setup 'breaks' and you justify the upgrade.
New stuff comes out, new stuff goes on the list.
This isn't necessarily a problem. While I'm drawn to minimalist ideals, I don't want to close the door to potential life-improving purchases. So what do I do?
Enter the reverse wish list.
The reverse wish list is as simple as the wish list. In your head or on paper, list the stuff you absolutely had to have that you now actually have.
This exercise has two benefits. The obvious first is gratitude. The reverse wish list will provide humbling perspective and remind you to appreciate the nice things you already have.
Second, it creates an opportunity to learn from your own consumption patterns. A running list of the desires that actually were gratified leads to interesting insights.
Using patterns from my own reverse wish list, I derived a questionnaire to help me understand what purchases were most rewarding long after the initial purchase.
Questionnaire -- ("yes" answers indicate a good purchase)
Will this solve a well-defined pain point?
Will this save me time from how I used to do things on an ongoing basis?
How often will I use this, at least 1x a week?
Will this facilitate learning a new skill?
Can this be seen as a business investment?
Will this improve my health and energy levels?
Countless proverbs tell the same story: human desire is infinite.
In the face of that idea, the reverse wish list creates a decent filter for tempering an inevitable craving for more stuff.
Try the reverse wish list yourself! Let me know what insights you make.
Fully Minimizing Regret
In 10 years, Tal Gur completed 100 insane life goals.
The impressive list includes running an Ironman triathlon, achieving financial independence, experiencing long-term romance, learning English, becoming a proficient surfer, and traversing the outback.
Tal did it all. His book, The Art of Fully Living, tells the story in full detail.
A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to interview Tal and discuss the biggest lessons from this wild journey. In our chat, Tal recommended an especially useful thought experiment worth sharing.
His tip? Regret minimization thinking across multiple timelines.
We've all been told to think back from our hypothetical deathbed and ask what we will regret having not done in our short time on Earth. While this is useful, Tal argues it is an incomplete thought exercise.
Instead of just popping the question from a (hopefully) remote and distant deathbed, Tal suggests working through the question across multiple intervals.
Five years from now, what would you regret not having tried? What about ten years from now? What about just three months from now?
What opportunities are completely unique to your current situation?
Each variant of the question will prompt different ideas. Each tweak brings your attention to a new area to find ways to live more fully.
While I sincerely hope that our generation is the one that manages to cheat death through technology, I can't count on it.
I'm still playing the game as if life is finite, so, like Tal, I want to live it fully.
Watch Your Own Podcast
Last fall, I asked 30 podcasters why they started their shows.
A common answer went something like this, "I was having awesome conversations and thought to myself damn I should be recording this."
I started my show for the exact same reason. The people I was talking to were blowing my mind, and I desperately wanted the ability to pause, rewind, and replay the very best moments.
11 months and 53 episodes later, I asked the questions, "How many times have I actually done that? How often do I watch my own show?"
Outside of audio editing, not often. I'm now realizing that's a mistake.
If the goal of starting was to learn from conversations, repeat listening is an essential part of the equation. In hindsight, this is obvious. We respect repetition in the gym, but ignore it for self-education.
The truth is muscles, skills, and knowledge all atrophy if neglected.
While we may be able to grasp an idea the first time, very rarely can we retain it after only one exposure. Relistening to your own content will surprise you with how often you repeat your 'aha moments'.
Beyond learning, the best reason to listen to your own show is to be able to improve it.
This is a big mistake a lot of beginner creators make. When your show is new and your audience is small, you lack a critical ingredient for improvement: feedback.
Until your audience grows, it's on you to find room for improvement. It's on you to notice and correct annoying speech patterns. It's on you to listen to your own voice and realize what you could do better.
If you are making content, remember why you started. Take some time to consume your own content. Relearn the lessons. Make it better.
Content Updates
LK Podcast #54 with Tal Gur: Tal shares his accumulated wisdom from achieving 100 Life Goals in 10 Years. We discuss the nuances of achievement, emotions, purpose, and many of life's big questions.
LK Podcast #53 with Geoff Woods: Geoff is the Co-Founder and President of ProduKtive, a training company based on the best selling book, The ONE Thing. We discuss the best ideas from the book and how to integrate them into our lives.
Interviews Coming Soon!
(Soon) Scott Young, author of Ultralearning
(Soon) Jake, author of the anonymous blog, Blog of Jake
(Soon) Robbie Crabtree on Performative Speaking
(Soon) Nicolas Cole, Top Writer on Quora in 2015-2018
Photo of the Week
I’m a big fan of structured leisure.
We only have so much downtime, so I prefer to choose engaging social activities.
This week, I went bowling with some friends. As you can see, we were having fun.
Also, I played my best game ever. I bowled a 176 and had my first ever turkey.
No idea why, but I was playing well.
2 Quick Clicks
(1) Watching Online 🤯 : Craig Clemens interview with Elliot Bisnow
Hands down the best interview I’ve listened to in 6-months.
Elliot’s energy will change yours.
(2) Reading Offline 🧠 : Ultralearning by Scott Young
This book is motivating on the possibilities opened by pursuing self-directed accelerated learning projects. It is is also instructive on clear methods for completing those projects in the best possible way. I’ve read it 3 times.
That’s All For This Week!
What did you think of the essays? What have you been up to?
I’d love to hear from you.
Cheers,
Louis Shulman
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