From
perell.com
Email Address
david@perell.com
Sent On
Sat, Aug 19, 2023 02:36 AM
Email Preheader Text
Hi friends, It's been one of those weeks where I'm huffing and puffing my way into the weekend. Why
HTML
[Read in your browser here.]() Hi friends, It's been one of those weeks where I'm huffing and puffing my way into the weekend. Why so busy? I'm putting the final touches on an essay about GPT, gearing up for the next [Write of Passage]() cohort, working on a short film, and I'm launching the How I Write podcast on Wednesday. Watching [How I Write]( come together is particularly meaningful for me. I started the project in September 2021, and getting here has been an absolute roller coaster. Filming every episode of the podcast and making it an audio and video experience has 3x'd or 5xâd the amount of work required to launch it. We built a production studio in Austin, spent months nailing the visual branding, and a series of fought small wars over the visual style. It's taken some sweat, and this Wednesday, it launches. When How I Write goes live, Iâm gonna throw my hands in the air and say, "Hallelujah." Today's Finds The Theory of Constraints: To become more efficient, you need to identify bottlenecks and fix them. When I started [working with Tiago Forte](, I learned how the Theory of Constraints is applicable everywhere. This theory provides an entry point to productivity that works for personal tasks and global supply chains. My first introduction to the idea came through [this excellent multi-part series](=), which is essentially a summary of [The Goal]() by Eliyahu Goldratt. (I recommend the audiobook.) To see how The Theory of Constraints is practically relevant, I recommend [this Twitter thread]() about the Long Beach port and all the container ships camping out nearby. This idea in particular demands a deep think: "You should always choose the most capital-intensive part of the line to be your bottleneck.â A Guide for the Perplexed: Iâve long been interested in the shortcomings of Enlightenment thinking. Most of all, Iâm skeptical of our commitment to materialism and the scientism that surrounds it. E. F. Schumacher argues that âmaterialistic scientismâ began with the writings of Descartes and Bacon. Since then, intellectuals have de-emphasized the importance of spirituality, beauty, and meaning. [The book is short](), and if youâre looking for a summary, [hereâs the Wikipedia page](=). â[Slowed Progress in Science](): Hereâs a theory Iâve never considered: What if scientific progress is slowing because there are too many papers being published? What if, out of a desire to increase the rate of scientific progress, weâve actually made it harder for scientists to grapple with transformative ideas? Thatâs the thesis of this paper. Basically, the authors argue that past a certain point, the more papers that are published in a given field, the more citations flow to already well-cited papers â which ossifies the canon and slows progress. â[âIn Praise of Memorization](): When I was in school, I used to get mad at teachers for forcing us to memorize things. Frankly, I was uniquely terrible at it. It felt like my knowledge evaporated whenever I took a test. Though Iâm still not a fan of memorization-based tests, Iâm now more convinced of the benefits of memorization. Creative thinking is enhanced by instant access to a wide array of facts that you can automatically integrate. Itâs a kind of muscle memory. Something special emerges when you know something by heart. In Islam, people whoâve memorized the entire Koran are granted the title hafiz, which translates to guardian. As the author, Pearl Leff observes: âSubconsciously, when you learn a piece by heart, its message penetrates deep inside you.â Beautifully said. â[One More Time](=): A simple, visual breakdown of a great song. Daft Punk, the legendary pop music duo, has a hit song called âOne More Time." This 51-second video breaks down how they sampled a 1979 song called âMore Spell on Youâ by Eddie Johns as the foundation for this memorable beat. Donât just watch this video for entertainment. Watch it because itâs a masterclass on how you can use a visual medium to convey information. There's no narration, just waveforms and the music. Have a creative week, [David Perell Logo 2x]
Thanks for reading! If youâre serious about learning to write, [sign up for my 50 days of writing series.]() Iâll send you a series of emails about every aspect of the craft, from finding new ideas, to editing your writing, to building an email list. If you'd like to update your email settings, choose one of the options below. 1. [Click here]() to unsubscribe from Friday Finds only. 2. [Unsubscribe]( to be removed from all future mailings. That'll make me sad. But hey... I get it. You're busy. Just know that once you click this link you won't receive any more emails from me. If you want to opt-out of Friday Finds and don't see a link above to do so, just hit reply and let me know. I'll take care of it for you personally. 10900 Research Blvd Ste 160C PMB 3016, Austin, Texas 78759
EDM Keywords (136)
writings
writing
works
weeks
weekend
wednesday
way
waveforms
watch
want
video
used
use
update
unsubscribe
translates
took
time
thesis
theory
teachers
taken
sweat
surrounds
summary
still
started
spell
slowing
skeptical
shortcomings
short
serious
series
send
see
scientists
scientism
science
school
sampled
sad
removed
recommend
receive
reading
rate
putting
puffing
published
project
productivity
praise
podcast
piece
perplexed
past
papers
ossifies
options
opt
one
need
nearby
narration
music
memorized
memorization
meaning
materialism
masterclass
making
make
looking
long
link
line
like
let
learning
learned
learn
launching
launches
launch
know
kind
interested
intellectuals
increase
importance
idea
huffing
hey
heart
harder
hands
guide
guardian
grapple
granted
goal
getting
get
foundation
fix
finds
fan
facts
essentially
essay
enhanced
emails
efficient
editing
desire
descartes
craft
convinced
constraints
commitment
click
canon
busy
built
building
browser
bottleneck
book
benefits
become
audiobook
audio
amount
air
5x
3x