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Simple frameworks for a more productive life
and how to effectively work from home
Mario Peshev
March 12, 2025
Welcome to The Smarter Brain, a curation of thought-provoking ideas and actionable reads to help you build better habits and become more productive.
Happy reading - See you on Sunday!
Cheers,
The Smarter Brain Team
Estimated Reading Time: 2 mins
3 Ideas for Better Habits
The Value of Dabbling
Cultural critic and author, Tom Vanderbilt, on embracing hobbies without the pressure of mastery.
“Everything must be for something. I tell someone I'm going on an eighty-mile bike ride, and they ask, ‘What are you training for?’ I want to answer, ‘I don't know... life?’ ‘What is admired is success, achievement, the quality of performance,’ writes the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, ‘rather than the quality of experience.’
But what if we don't want to become virtuoso musicians or renowned artists? What if we only want to dabble in these things, to see if they might subtly change our outlook on the world or even, as we try to learn them, change us? What if we just want to enjoy them?
The idea of undertaking new pursuits, ones that you may never be very good at, seems perverse in this age of single-minded peak performance.”
Unlocking the Power of Placebo
Renowned psychologist, Dan Ariely, on the mind-body connection.
“When people think about a placebo such as the royal touch, they usually dismiss it as 'just psychology.' But, there is nothing 'just' about the power of a placebo, and in reality it represents the amazing way our mind controls our body.”
Power Dynamics of Information
Innovative Thinker, Steven D. Levitt, on the uses of information.
“Information is a beacon, a cudgel, an olive branch, a deterrent—all depending on who wields it and how.”
Take charge of your tasks and projects with this all-in-one productivity system built right inside Notion. Designed for both individuals and businesses, it streamlines your work with powerful task management, project tracking, and planning tools—all in one intuitive workspace. Say goodbye to overwhelm and hello to efficient, focused productivity.
Productivity Tools and Resources
Simple Frameworks for a More Productive Life
Using the "Theory of Constraints", implement practical ideas to optimize your daily routine from eliminate bottlenecks to implementing a three-step evening routine for better mornings. These tips can help you create clarity, focus, and lasting change.
Why Ideas Are the New Oil in the Digital Age
Dan Koe explains how the digital era has shifted wealth creation from physical assets to the power of ideas. With the rise of digital real estate, creators can now build scalable, one-person businesses and generate wealth by turning knowledge and skills into valuable digital products.
What We're Reading
Lenny’s Newsletter is the leading product management resource for hundreds of thousands of PM professionals, a handful of founders, software engineers, marketers, investors (and everyone in-between). He just crossed 1M subscribers without FTE employees (not your traditional media agency), starting with 90K subscribers just 3 years ago (and 6K in 2020).
Brain Food
Today I Learned: The horses in Olympic equestrian events have their own passports and often fly business class to events. (Source)
Science: Impatience, studies of more than 1,200 people found, is the emotion people feel when they face a delay that seems unfair, unreasonable, or inappropriate -- like a traffic jam outside of rush hour, or a meeting that should have ended 15 minutes ago. Patience is the form of emotion regulation we use to cope with those feelings of impatience. (Source)
Have a productive rest of your week,
The Smarter Brain Team
Resource Spotlight
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by missed deadlines and distractions, developing discipline might just be the remedy you need.
It gives you the power to set clear goals, stick to routines, and create habits that keep you on track—without the constant stress of scrambling to catch up.
Curious to learn more? Discover 8 integral traits and practical tips that can help you build discipline and transform your daily routine.
A productive home office might be the solution you've been searching for.
It empowers you to create a space that sparks creativity, maintains comfort, and keeps your focus laser-sharp—all without the chaos of a typical home environment.
Explore proven strategies for building a home office that truly meets your needs.
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