Iterate Weekly - Issue 13
Welcome to lucky issue 13 of the Iterate weekly newsletter!
I’ve received some great feedback already on my survey. I’m going to keep it open for one more week before awarding the Amazon Gift Card. How can I improve this experience for you? What do you like? What do you hate? What do you want more of?
Everyone who completes the short 5-question survey will be entered into a random drawing for an Amazon Gift Card!
You’ll see that the content here is broken down into 4 categories.
Tech - This will be the main focus of the newsletter. I’m dedicated to helping people improve their relationships with technology.
Learning - I consider myself an autodidact and like to examine the concept of learning how to be a more productive learner.
Health - None of these other topics are important if you’re not healthy enough to enjoy them.
Grab Bag - This could be something personal, something silly, something fun that doesn’t quite fit the other categories.
Finally, we’ll wrap things up with a quote of the week and a piece of content that I recommend you check out.
Tech
Netflix…the store?
How much more Netflix do you need in your life? Should it be going beyond just “flix”? Should they sell physical products that aren’t just viewable on the “net”?
All jokes aside, Netflix is looking to increase its retail offerings by selling you more physical products that are adjacent to their brand.
They’ve set up the domain Netflix.shop and they’re banking on TV-obsessed consumers to open their wallets to bring their digital fandom into the physical world. It’s an interesting move and the early products appear to be well-curated. At the very least, they aren’t just exact replicas of what the kids wear in Stranger Things or spoofs of the many Adam Sandler direct-to-Netflix projects.
Learning
Do music & homework mix?
While my daughter is still quite a few years away from the nightly slog of homework, it’s never too early to start thinking about how I’m going to make that task easier for her.
This story is perfect for parents who are struggling with this right now. Can your child really be getting homework done with those earbuds in their ears? Maybe. Here are a few takeaways that align with topics I’ve written about in the past.
Multi-tasking is a myth. Your child shouldn’t be listening to anything that distracts them from their work. They really can’t listen and read/write/calculate at the same time, even if they think they can.
It depends on the type of audio they’re listening to. Adults and children have different types of music or sounds that help their productivity. If your kid really wants to keep those earbuds in all the time, work with them to find some audio that actually relaxes them and helps them focus. And of course, make sure they’re actually listening to that and not something else once you leave the room!
Don’t let the technology stress them out. Technology should be helping to eliminate homework stress, not exacerbate it! Work with your kid to find the right balance of screen time and audio stimulation that lets them accomplish their tasks while getting in a positive flow.
A majority of the faculty polled for the story wanted to maintain at least some semblance of virtual learning. While it can be more work to prepare virtual lessons, the benefits of eliminating commutes for teachers can’t be ignored. And now students will be prepared to keep up with their studies virtually even when staying homesick.
Health
No screens after 10 pm
It should come as no surprise that I spend a decent amount of time in front of screens. But I still comply with a pretty strict “no screens after 10 pm” rule (it’s one of my most popular topics to coach people on if you need some help on the subject!)
What’s so special about turning off your screens at 10 pm? Maybe it’s not about that specific time. Maybe you should think of it as 1-2 hours before you fall asleep. There. are many nights where I close the laptop and turn off the phone by 9 pm, but 10 is a good goal for most people to shoot for.
The other benefit is that it’s likely to set you up for a successful morning as well. I consider it to be a real “keystone habit” that can unlock potential in other areas. Whenever someone comes to me with a problem about being stressed out or not having enough time in the day, my first suggestion is “no screens after 10 pm”. I truly believe that late-night screen time has a compounding detrimental effect on well-being and productivity.
If you’re reading this after 10 pm, stop and come back in the morning!
Grab Bag
Outlier WTF Sale
One of my favorite men’s clothing brands is Outlier. They’re an NYC-based company whose origins lie in creating pants that were comfortable enough to bike to work, but also didn’t look too technical to be out of place at a nice restaurant that same night.
I love Outlier for many reasons (innovation, sustainability, transparency, design, etc.) but I wanted to highlight their somewhat annual and unusual WTF sale and how it fits into the future of direct-to-consumer retail. Consider it a hybrid between a sample sale and a lottery.
It works like this. You pay outlier around $75 USD (depending on the item, this likely will be at least 50% off the retail price) and you choose your size. They send you a piece of clothing that has your size printed on it, but there are no promises beyond that. It may be in perfect condition, it may be a manufacturing defect or an item that was altered and returned. It’s a total crapshoot and I love the concept.
I’ve had pretty good luck with it, and I wish more brands would run promotions like this that let them showcase their personality and offer loyal customers a solid discount.
Quote of the Week
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another” - William James
Content Recommendation
Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning
A few months back, I read a fantastic book called “Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning”.
If you’re been reading my work for a while, it should come as no surprise that I loved this book. Lifelong learning is so important to mental wellbeing and longevity.
Summertime is the perfect opportunity to challenge yourself to learn a new skill. Maybe it’s chess or surfing (examples from the book) or something totally different. Whatever it is, this book will inspire you to tackle it with an open, beginner’s mindset.
It may not be your stereotypical “beach read” but I highly recommend you pick up a copy to read on your next trip.
Thanks for the book recommendation! That sounds right up my street as well. I love learning new things and don’t usually mind being terrible at them.