Jeroen Sangers

Follow @jeroensangers on Micro.blog.

What a great advice:

Try to be surprised by something every day. It could be something you see, hear, or read about. Stop to look at the unusual car parked at the curb, taste the new item on the cafeteria menu, actually listen to your colleague at the office. How is this different from other similar cars, dishes or conversations? What is its essence? Don’t assume that you already know what these things are all about, or that even if you knew them, they wouldn’t matter anyway. Experience this one thing for what it is, not what you think it is. Be open to what the world is telling you. Life is nothing more than a stream of experiences — the more widely and deeply you swim in it, the richer your life will be.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/november-30-2023

→ 8:07 AM, Dec 1

Time buckets

Allow small tasks to accumulate until you can efficiently complete them in batches.

Related: Work cycle, Deep work, Frog eating, Invest, Effectiveness

→ 11:19 AM, Nov 27

Morning productivity

In general, productivity is higher in the morning than in the afternoon.

Related: Deep work, Work cycle

→ 1:50 PM, Nov 24

Creative time

Creative tasks are best done while low on energy.

Related: Work cycle, Deep work, Scatterfocus, Workplace art

→ 1:25 PM, Nov 24

I have data, therefore I Exist

Today I joined Exist to help organize and interpret my vast array of personal health data. I’ve integrated various tools into the platform, including Apple Health, Oura, my Withings scale, and even my calendar and weather data, in order to gain a comprehensive view of my health and habits.

Even though the app is still in the early stages of data collection, it’s already begun to show some interesting correlations. While some are quite predictable and not particularly useful, such as burning more energy when I exercise longer, or waking up later on weekends, others have been surprising. For instance, it appears there’s a higher likelihood of rain in Lleida on Wednesdays - an unexpected yet intriguing find.

What’s truly piqued my interest, however, are the correlations related to my body metrics. I’ve noticed that my weight tends to increase when the days are longer, a trend that seems to be quite common. Additionally, I’ve found that my lean mass tends to be higher when I have fewer events on my calendar.

So far, my experience with Exist has been quite intriguing. It’s fascinating to see the connections between various aspects of my life and health, and I’m excited to uncover more insights as I continue to use the app.

→ 12:11 PM, Nov 22

Currently reading: The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande 📚

→ 5:38 PM, Nov 21

Finished reading: Schaamteloos delegeren by Taco J. Oosterkamp 📚

Kort en praktisch, een aanrader.

→ 12:36 PM, Nov 21

📸 Ficus Pumila on a Tevaplanter

After this summer’s experiments with my Tevaplanter, I decided this weekend whether I could grow something more permanent.

So I got myself a small ficus and spend half an hour removing all the soil from the roots, which was more work than expected.

I am quite happy with the result.

The only doubt I have is where to place it. I would like to have it on my office table, but that is probably too shady, so for the moment it recovers from today’s stress in front of mef the living room window.

→ 7:11 PM, Nov 19

Currently reading: Schaamteloos delegeren by Taco Oosterkamp 📚

→ 4:16 PM, Nov 17

Finished reading: The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey 📚

A great introduction into personal effectiveness written in a easy to digest style.

→ 12:31 PM, Nov 15

Substraction neglect

Our go-to approach for problem-solving is to incorporate something new, rather than eliminate something existing.

Related: Systems maintenance, Four-day workweek, Free time, Less mobile

→ 11:14 AM, Nov 10

Each day I am loving Tana more.

This morning I have been looking at the publish function to convert any node into a beautiful web page.

For example this page that automatically shows all nodes I have tagged as music to recommend.

→ 11:18 AM, Nov 9

Please bring back Wolfram|Alpha to Soulver. ChatGPT is good with words, but I don’t trust it with my numbers!

→ 2:14 PM, Nov 8

Social values

Spiritual and social values have a bigger impact on our happiness than self-centered values.

Related: Productive happiness, Candor

→ 12:34 PM, Nov 7

📸 Autumn vineyard

→ 3:22 PM, Nov 5

Growth mindset

There is no evidence of any effects of growth mindset interventions on academic achievement.

Related: Mindset, Motivation

→ 1:24 PM, Oct 25

Habit

A habit is an unconscious behaviour that is automatically triggered by an impulse.

Related: Implementation intentions, Environment

→ 4:04 PM, Oct 20

📸 Aïguestortes

We have this fantastic national park at just a few hours driving from home, but it has been years since we went there for a good hike.

This weekend was a blast and I am sure this time we will return within months, not years.

→ 3:43 PM, Oct 19

Currently reading: The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey 📚

We’ll review this book next month on our podcast.

→ 11:52 AM, Oct 19

Currently reading: Understanding Variation by Donald J. Wheeler 📚

I learned about this book on the Cortex podcast and so far I like it. Easy to understand and well written.

→ 4:13 PM, Oct 18

Finished reading: Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb 📚

→ 9:21 PM, Oct 17

Let’s walk!

A goal needs a walk, some writing and considerable reflection to make it real.
Nicholas Bate https://blog.strategicedge.co.uk/2023/10/surprise-set-yourself-a-12th-october-goal.html

→ 5:47 PM, Oct 16

Self-efficacy

Try an easier version of the task first to boost your confidence before moving on to a more challenging one.

Related: Mindset, Motivation, Simplicity

→ 10:28 AM, Oct 11

Phone addiction

We pick up our phones over 350 times per day, almost four times more than in 2019

Related: Task switching, Switch costs

→ 6:46 PM, Oct 9

I am so proud to see our podcast at number 30 in Apple’s podcast ranking for Spain:

→ 8:26 AM, Oct 5