Mid-year: How're you doing? ๐
Winter solstice has now passed here down in the South. As the days start to stretch out again, how are feeling about the world and what it's bringing you right now?
I hope this weekโs edition brings you some space and opportunity for reflection, a little fun, and some tips to improve your life too.
๐ ยป Some news: Excited to announce that I've been selected to take part in Substack Grow, a series of workshops for writers who want to take their publication to the next level.ย Stay tuned as I use what I learn to tweak your experience right here.ย I start the programme at the exact same time that I publish this week's Noise Reduction.ย
If you are a paid member, thanks so much for your support. I couldnโt do this without you. Please consider becoming a paid member if you arenโt already.
Winging-it seems like the way to get on in life. Is it?
Forget the spreadsheets and make it up as you go along โ thatโs the message of leaders from Elon Musk to Boris Johnson. But is acting on instinct really a good idea?
โNo one wants to make it feel like hard work,โ she says. โNo one wants to say: โI slaved in front of a spreadsheet for 20 hours before I made that decision.โ - Eve Poole, Leadership expert
What next for the markets and the economy?
Scott Galloway, a professor at New York Universityโs Stern Business School and a co-host of the podcast โPivotโ with Kara Swisher (Iโm a regular and dedicated listener), is notoriously outspoken. Nevertheless, he usually has something interesting to say.
Check out this interview on why he says a recession is a great time to start a business:
When you start a business in a recession, itโs cheaper โ everything from real estate to employees to technology is less expensive. It sounds kind of counterintuitive, but building a business during a recession stress-tests the quality of the business early.
The premonition
In the spirit of my 30,000 days section of this Substack, hereโs a story worth taking the time to listen to.
When Paul Burnham was a teenager, he received what felt like a premonition: he would die at the age of 54. Now, heโs 54. Hereโs what his story of confronting death reveals about life.
What is your vagus nerve and can it improve your mental health?
On social media (check out #vagusnerve on TikTok), exercises that aim to โtoneโ one of our bodyโs longest nerves have been touted as a cure-all for anxiety and other psychological problems.
Researchers who study the vagus nerve say that stimulating it with electrodes can potentially help improve mood and alleviate symptoms in those who suffer from treatment-resistant depression, among other ailments. But are there other ways to activate the vagus nerve? Who would benefit most from doing so? And what exactly is the vagus nerve, anyway? Hereโs a great summary from the New York Times on what we know so far.
Holding your breath and submerging your face in cold water can trigger the โdiving reflex,โ a response that slows the heart beat and constricts blood vessels. Some people who have tried it report that it has a calming effect and can even reduce insomnia. Others wrap an ice pack in cloth and place it on their chest to relieve anxiety.
Iโve been experimenting with cold showers for over a month now. Make sure you become a paid subscriber to hear about my experience and how it can help you. Coming soon.
When the so-called โDullest man in Britainโ is not
Iโm not so sure about the sub-headline on this article, but the rest of it is fascinating.
I also established myself as president of the UK Roundabout Appreciation Society (my unofficial title is The Lord of the Rings) and the founder โ and only member โ of the Car Park Appreciation Society. People say Iโm obsessed, but that feels derogatory. I prefer โpassionateโ.
Are you overthinking your mental health?
The acronym F-U-E-L can help us remember to check whether our basic needs are accounted for before we reach for more complicated, perhaps unnecessary solutions.
Thatโs friends, utilities, exercise and leisure. Check out more here.
My media week
What Iโm watching: Slow Horses on Apple TV+ follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve as a dumping ground department of MI5 due to their career-ending mistakes. Gary Oldman is very, very good.
What Iโm reading: Silverview, by John Le Carrรฉ, continuing the spy theme
What Iโm listening to: Moon Safari by Air - even decades later, just a delicious album to chill, work and play to.
Holiday weekend
New Zealand has a new regular Public Holiday from this Friday to celebrate Matariki. Find out everything you need to know below.
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