Hey Reader,

Hope everyone's weekend is off to a good start! For those of you on vacation this week, hope it's restorative, relaxing and rad. Today's essay covers a troubling type of email.

I also want to invite you to a live "productivity hot seat" with my friend Amanda Natividad. She came to me exhausted and overwhelmed. She didn't have a cohesive productivity system - and as a result, she was drowning in low-value work.

We'll get her back on track in 20 minutes in a live case study on applying the lessons in your own life. (And it's totally free.)

Sign up for free →

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When you see this email, run like h*ll

I've got a friend named Jim.

Jim is a rad guy. Someone I care about deeply.

Jim also loves to travel. And before each one of his epic trips, he puts together a big list of must-sees at the destination city.

But here's the catch. Jim outsources his research to... his friends.

Now I love Jim. But I hate these emails. They should be banned.

The asymmetric nature of this email is so punitive.

Jim spent 15 seconds writing the message.

And it will take you 15 minutes to respond.

So instead, this email just languishes in your inbox.

We get emails from Jim all the time. From our bosses. Our parents. Our accountants.

There are Jims everywhere, so...

What do you tell Jim?

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Here are this week's top reads:

// one

Advanced time management principles

4 minutes | Twitter
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This is a fantastic tweetstorm on some of nuanced struggles with productivity systems. It looks at the value of brute force, why a "calendar speaks more truth than a to-do list" and the LNO framework for leverage, why you need radical delegation and the importance of planting seeds for long-term growth.

→ Read the tweetstorm​

// two

What is the greatest paradox of becoming wealthy?

3 minutes | Ramit Sethi
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Why is it so difficult to buy back time, even as earnings go up? Is it because we feel pride in doing things ourselves instead of outsourcing? Or our puritanical views that tell us buying back time is just a flex. But in many ways, we’re regularly buying back time, whether it’s going out to eat (instead of cooking) or taking an Uber (instead of walking). Ramit Sethi explains why buying back time doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars.

→ Read the article​

// three

The best cure for languishing: behavioral activation

4 minutes | The New York Times

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Three years into a global pandemic and we’re collectively feeling kind of meh. What gives? What can we do to break out of this funk? Behavioral activation: the idea that you can create motivation for yourself by mustering up enough energy to just start whatever you’re trying to do, and let your thoughts and feelings (however negative, sad, confusing, messy) come along for the ride. Accept imperfections, and start anyway.

→ Read the article​

// four

Harvard wants M.B.A.s to learn wow to be happy at work

8 minutes | The Wall Street Journal
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It seems like every Ivy League's most popular course is about happiness and now Harvard MBAs are in the mix. (BTW, s/o to the Harvard MBAs who recently signed up to the newsletter.) Arthur Brooks teaches the course with its emphasis on habitually tending to four key areas—family, friends, meaningful work, and faith (or life philosophy).

→ Read the article​

// five

Even-over statements: The prioritization tool that brings your strategy to life

6 minutes | Jurriaan Kamer
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How do you prioritize when everything's a priority? Meet even-over statements, short statements juxtaposing two (positive) priorities that can guide decision-making and help you make conscious trade-offs. We're definitely going to incorporate this into the RadReads strategic planning process.
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→ Read the post​

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// From our community

Learn the art of storytelling (at a free 4-day summit)

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Y'all know how much love and respect I have for Lawrence Yeo and his More To That blog. He's a unique talent and his essays always stop me dead in my tracks to think deeply about my life's motivations. This week, Lawrence is running a free 4-day summit to teach you how to tell stories that are memorable and that stick. Sign up for the summit today, it's totally free.

Below the fold

ICYMI

• ​Building business around compassion (The Danny Miranda Podcast, 1 hour 43): Danny and I went deep on suffering, meditation, aging and how to quiet the voice in your head.

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LAST WEEK'S MOST READ

• ​The WIIFME approach to getting what you want (RadReads, 856 clicks)
• ​Zen To Done (ZTD): The Simple Productivity System (ZenHabits, 437 clicks)

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And finally, Bob Saget (RIP) and Snoop make a cameo in Desiigner's new video Bakin.

Warmly,

Khe

PS Refer two friends to RadReads and receive our free Weekly Review Cheat Sheet. Here's your unique link: [RH_REFLINK GOES HERE]

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